[4e] Adventures in the Planes - IC

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick taps his foot impatiently. "I realize there are differences between this situation and that of Zorella, and I do not argue for needless slaughter of everything. Heavens, you make me sound like some sort of bloodthirsty barbarian!" He says with an smirk and a friendly wink. "I have given this significant thought, and I believe that one way to bring good into the world is by eliminating sources of evil. No matter what the Prince of Frost once was or might be again someday, the fact of the matter is right now he IS evil and he is leading others to the same sorts of evil acts. He needs to be stopped now."

Pavick begins to pace as he talks. "The Prince of Frost is not a fool. Even if he were to join us to fight off the drow and fomorians, and remember he's already shown himself to ally with the fomorians so I'm not even convinced he'd join us, he would not put himself into a position where he could be overthrown once the threat was over. He's worked very hard and sacrificed a lot to get this far, and I don't think he'll give that all up."

He turns to Ash. "I respectfully disagree with you on almost every count. Bringing Mephistopholes into this would be nothing but a mistake. I don't think that devils can be reformed, but even if it were possible, do you really think a task of this importance is a proper place to test your theories? Seems far too risky to me. I do agree with you on the need for a weapon to fight the Prince's frost, be it hellfire or some other source of essential flame. We need something to even the score, just in case."

Pavick turns to the mountain standing behind him. "What do you think in all this Shep? Any good goat-proverbs that will provide some insight here? I'd love to know what you think."

[Haberdashery]

The mountain had politely been abstaining from conversation, just on the outside of the circle of fey and the gods and goddesses that addressed them. This was no place for a mountain, and the mountain knew it, and so he stood back, his hands folded in front of him through the long sleeves of a rain-colored robe. In his isolation his thoughts were empty--all through his head was cool, mountain mist, a lingering smell and feel that he had just now remembered, and had been enjoying.

But when Pavick looked up at him, with his cheery face, the Shepherd felt his reverie drift away, and the sounds of the hall filled his ears for the first time. He let the question gestate for a while--today, it seemed, he was in no hurry whatsoever. There was a time, a long time ago, when he never hurried--now it seemed all he ever did was hurry.

"What do I think." He repeated, slowly, his voice a soft rumble; velvet over stone.

"I think..." His thumb brushed against his lower lip. "I think that I do not have a proverb today." The hand fell back to where it had originally rested, and the Shepherd fell silent for a moment.

"I have only this to say. Down in the valley, there are enemies three. One of fire, one of ice, and one of shadow. Each seeks to do us harm, each for their own purposes. But these enemies are not friends--each seeks the other two's destruction as much as they seek ours."

The Shepherd shrugged his great shoulders.

"If they must fight, then let them fight amongst themselves. And perhaps once they have battered and bloodied each other, they may learn. Or be more easily taught."

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain tries not to have a heart attack when Zyrr speaks, and barely manages it, merely choking instead. He raises an eyebrow.

"And whom would you appoint to be this new, sympathetic Archfey of Winter, Zyrr? Most of the Prince's underlings are even worse than he is. And who would replace the Bramble Queen? The Prince was fine until she started influencing him. And when the replacements turned out to be as bad or worse? Unfortunately, none of the existing Archfey of Winter can be relied on to be anything but worse than the Prince for us at the moment. And no, I don't have any suggestions from among the rebellion. Toveliss I trust, but he doesn't have that kind of power. Name one powerful winter fey we can trust. There aren't any." He shakes his head. "As much as I loathe to admit it, sometimes the lesser of several evils is best." He turns to Asheroth.

"Perhaps some of them may be turned, though they were never creatures of goodness to begin with, but now is not the time to try any more than it's the time for trying to redeem the Prince. I killed Zorella because I had to. Rule one. Succubi lie. In the brief time we interacted with her again she tried to enslave me, tried to murder all of us directly several times, and this all within the space of an hour. And you saw what she did to Slick... And what happened once she died. We could have spared her, yes. And spent the rest of our lives watching her. At the time, with the information we had, it was the best decision. Would you have wanted to babysit someone you could rely on only to destroy us while we fought the abominations on the way here?" He sighs. "And like Pavick, I completely oppose the idea of working with any of the Archfiends. As I've mentioned before, we know where the Prince of Frost's generator for the barrier that surrounds the Fortress of Frozen Tears is. We can take it out easily enough. For that matter, it's likely that in a case like this we don't even need to. He'll be willing to talk to us. His curiosity will get the best of him."

He turns to Pavick and sighs deeply.

"When did your heart become so hardened, Pavick? You continue to go on about your disbelief that the Prince can be helped in any way as if it were all I speak of. I have acknowledged his evil deeds. I know what he's done, and possibly better than even you; I've seen first-hand the toll the war has taken on the Winter Lands and its people. But we can use him. At least give diplomacy a chance before we turn to simply killing him so he can be replaced by someone worse. The enemy you know... And again, the Bramble Queen is more of a wild card and she's the one who's been getting him to act worse lately. If you want to target someone, target her. We could get Verenestra to do a takeover if we play our cards right and cut off half the Prince's allies." He nods at Shep.

"Would that we could, but the enemies of the Fey will not stop merely at attacking the Winter Court and Green Courts, nor will I allow my people to be slaughtered en masse without aid. They'll attack the other courts as well, and what you propose would most likely destroy the Winter and Green Fey entirely. They're already weakened. No, the Fey must unite to drive back these threats. We have to stand together."

He feels his god's eyes upon him and quakes inside, knowing that his attempts to convince his friends to try something different will fail and that he'll once again disappoint Corellon. He wishes he were someone who could be convincing, that his words could move others, but he knows better.

I should have stayed with the rebellion... At least there I could actually be of use... Father, forgive me. I can do nothing here. I've failed you yet again.

A fresh wave of despair washes over Eltain, erasing the joy of moments before and replacing it with numbness. He should have known better than to try. He should have stayed in the Winter Lands and simply sent a letter with the information the rebellion had found. There he had at least been able to do things, to help people. But time had broken the bonds between him and his companions, and he realizes the painful truth: He's the enemy now, the Winter Court nothing but a hated group of monsters to be destroyed in the name of 'peace'. No wonder they had never gotten in contact, no wonder they'd not even known that he was alive, much less what he was doing. He was just another Winter Fey to be eliminated when he too was no longer useful, wasn't he? They spoke so casually of letting the Winter fey be wiped out, of it being a good thing... The Prince was an inconvenience to be destroyed. How much longer before he was too? His shoulders sag and he's grateful at least that his tears merely freeze rather than spilling down his face.

[Orsik Vondal]

Asheroth leans forward and looks at the Shepherd sideways. "What you say is most likely true, Shepherd. If we allow our enemies to destroy each other, then yes, they would be much easier to subdue and deal with. But I don't think the gods and those here assembled want to see that happen. They want to save lives and protect. I would think that's what you would want, as well."

Ash turns back to Corellon, "And I'm sorry. But did you say that an angel of Asmodeus came to you!?"

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

Lucan clears his throat. "We need lovage," he says. "Wait, that's not the right word . . ." Lena twitters something in his ear. "Lev-er-age. Yes, leverage. We need some of that."

Everyone's looking at him now, so he plows ahead. "I'm just saying that whatever terms the Prince of Frost is willing to accept for peace are not terms that we'd be willing to accept. Unless we can change the balance of power, we're not going to get far. If we were to free Tiandra, or melt the ice wall, or steal his magic ice wand thing, or better yet, all three, then we would be in a better position to negotiate."

[Haberdashery]

The Shepherd shrugged his shoulders again, remaining calm and stoic and removed.

"I have started to learn that some people do not want to be saved.

[Mando Knight]

Aramil may not have devoted his life to learning religious lore and ancient languages, but he knows enough to send a spectral hand to whack Asheroth on the back of the head. He turns and gives Asheroth a displeased look. "Forgive him, he's new."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

As Zyrr speaks, Corellon and Sehanine exchange looks. "We're the dark ones always this cheeky?" the goddess mutters, even as Corellon listens to Zyrr half bemused and half astonished. As the drow finishes his point, the god nods thoughtfully. However, at Asheroth's suggestion, the gods react similar to Pavick and Eltain. Of the three, the avatar of Melora manages to speak first

"Hellfire? I would not consider that until all other options were completely exhausted. I've no doubt it would breach the defenses around the Fortress of Frozen tears, but..." the avatar motions to the feywild, distant below the foggy floor. "If the Hellfire got out of control, even for a moment, it could burn everything in a hundred miles. Even the drow have not done yet done that much damage."

There's a bit of confusion over the next few minutes. As Eltain and Pavick debate what should be done with the Prince, Corellon and Sehanine seem to echo the same arguments. Like Eltain, Corellon seems to think that the Prince may be redeemed, but Sehanine seems to believe as Pavick does.

As the gods and the mortals debate back and forth, the Shepherd notices that Melora's avatar seems to be watching him closely, and a single tear falls from the avatar's face onto the ground, bursting into flowers as it splashes. "This...this is not how you once were." she mutters softly, looking at the stony body of the goliath.

Corellon, still standing behind Eltain pauses the debate momentarily as Asheroth speaks, his voice taking a sad tone. "The angels serve the gods, be they good or ill. Pelor uses his angels to spread light, Bane uses his for war. All those who rebelled with Asmodeus fell, but once Asmodeus' divinity was established, he can command angels just as any other god." Corellon's voice changes from sad to harsh. "He uses them as messengers when he wishes to communicate with other gods, just to remind us of our folly in letting him keep the divinity he stole." He glances briefly at Shep, but before he can continue, Lucan speaks up.

As the bard speaks of lovage, the three deities turn to watch him for a long moment before turning to each other. "With the right leverage, perhaps the Prince of Frost could be convinced of his folly. The god places a hand on Eltain's shoulder.

Sehanine pauses to consider this. "Or disposed, if he refused repentance."

Melora nods. "It would be faster than a direct assault on either the drow or the winter court, and possibly end the war sooner."

Corellon motions to one of the angels flying above, who swoops down next to the god of magic. "The old way into the Fortress we discussed earlier. Did you find out how many can safely use it?" The angel nods "We've enough for 8, perhaps 10 if desperate."

The golden haired god turns back to the party at the bottom of the dais. "Tiandra lies in frozen in Senaliesse, under seige by an army of drow. If you wish to free her, a small group may be able to sneak past the dark elf lines into the city. There is also an ancient way into the Winter lands that not even the Prince of Frost knows, but it is dangerous, and no more than 8 or 10 could make the path. If you free Tiandra, or steal the Prince's wand, you may gain the...lovage that you need to confront the Prince."

Corellon steps down from the Dais and takes a knee, looking at you at eye-level. "I can think of no one more suited to the task than you all who have been involved from the beginning. I would ask that you give the Prince a chance to redeem himself, away from the Bramble Queen if possible... he gives a smile to Eltain "But if he refuses, than he truly is lost to us, and only one option remains." he turns to look at Zyrr and Pavick. "Once this is over, for better or worse, the drow can be stopped."

Corellon rises back to his feet. "Regardless of what you choose, the mission is a dangerous one that I cannot command you to undertake. So I leave the decision up to you."

[Haberdashery]

"Is it?" His eyes were clear, his voice the same, as he answered Melora. "I am afraid that I cannot comment. There seems to be quite a few people that know more about me than I do."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Melora's avatar, not wishing to interrupt Corellon, speaks to the Shepherd in his head.

Spoiler

Show

"There is much you should know. We will discuss it once we are done here."

[Orsik Vondal]

Asheroth had not considered the implications if hellfire were to be recklessly unleashed upon the Feywild. "Forgive me. I was not suggesting we allow Mephistopheles to use hellfire in the Feywild, but someone controlled. But if this is an unsettling proposition, then I will acquiesce to your judgement."

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf Bard

"We'd love to free Tiandra, but we haven't found a way to do so yet," Lucan says. "Do you know of a way?"

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

"I am not completely opposed to a diplomatic option, but the leverage Lucan suggests is wise. We can't go in on a wing and a prayer that we'll come out on top in negotiations with the Prince. It just will not happen unless we have something more. Freeing Tiandra and cutting off the Prince's connection to the cold that imprisoned her would definitely give us more to bargain with. With that in place, I'd be willing to try talking to him."

Pavick moves over closer to Eltain, "But you must agree that he must be removed. As you said, you've seen more than any of us the horrors that he's caused. There are many good and worthy people in the winter lands, I met some when I visited there with you. And I can think of only one son of the winter lands that I trust enough to take the Prince's place. It takes one of great compassion and great power to lead well. Tell me who embodies these things better than you."

[Toric]

The drow smiles at the gods' response to him. No, just the ones who have learned to take divine grace with a grain of salt. That they haven't killed me must mean they saw my sign of respect for what it was.

"I think Pavick has the right idea." Zyrr chips in, raising his eyebrows at Eltain. "You're already something of a folk hero in the Winter Lands. Rooting out corruption and helping the poor. More than one king has started out this way, I've heard."

"And if the Prince of Frost is anywhere as zealous as your average Matron Mother, stealing his wand will serve only to feed his defiance. If there's a way to free Tiandra without directly taking the wand and show his grand power to be impotent, that's the way to bring him to the negotiating table."

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain isn't sure whether to laugh or to choke, and the sound he produces is a strange melding of the two.

"You... Greatly overestimate... Nearly everything in that." He sighs, shaking his head.

"Perhaps you do trust me. You'd be the only ones. I'm the enemy, remember? The Winter Court must be stopped? I'm a Winter fe- Hells, I'm not even truly a winter fey. I'm half-human. I'm the discarded, disgraced bastard son of a noble and not even a proper Eladrin. I hold no power, no position. I don't even currently actually have a rank in the church, I'm a member of a heretical sect disowned by the mainstream church. I lead a minor rebellion that has absolutely no support from anyone on your side and has worked entirely alone from the beginning. I am nobody, Pavick. I am not a great hero, or a well-known leader, or a famous anything. I'm a complete non-entity from a land half the Feywild thinks is composed entirely of evil monsters. No one knows who I am and nobody has any reason to care. I have neither the power nor the influence to ever even be considered for something like that. Nor would I even want to. Yes, the Prince has committed dark deeds, and they've been committed in his name, but neither side is free of stain in this war." He sighs wearily, exhausted and humiliated to be standing before his god. He was every bit as worthless as he claimed himself to be, surely Pavick and Zyrr both knew that. Certainly Corellon must. He fights the urge to flee.

"I appreciate the attempt to be cheerful and hopeful and demonstrate some sort of trust in me, but it's completely not something that would ever happen."

He turns to other matters. "I agree with Zyrr on one thing, stealing from the Prince is likely to merely make him angry. If we go in diplomatically we should go in diplomatically. I've no idea how we could free Tiandra, but I'm sure one of you does." He sighs wearily, overwhelmed by the presence of his god and his own heartache. He forces himself to meet Corellon's gaze, looking sadly at the god.

"I'll do what I can. It's... Not much at all, I guess, but I'll try."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick's face drops in disappointment. "No, you are not the enemy. The winter fey are not even all enemies. The evil that has infected them is. You may not be full-blooded eladrin, but are of the winter court whether they are willing to admit it or not. Despite that, you've worked for peace when few others were willing to try. True, you may be a member of a splinter religion, but here you stand before your god who has done nothing but agree with you. When this war is over, and new leadership must be found, your people will need you or at least someone very much like you. At least consider it. If you really don't want the role, then at least be thinking of others that could take leadership and help heal the wounds of both sides better than you." Pavick turns away from Eltain, hoping he'll at least consider his words before dismissing them out of hand.

He begins pacing back and forth. "Well we did have a few ideas before on how to rescue Tiandra. We had considered asking one of the primal spirits of the natural world for help or going to the elemental chaos to either cut off the source of the Prince's power or find a powerful enough being of flame to counteract whatever power the Prince has over cold. Though if there are other ideas, I'd be pleased to hear them."

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf Bard

"Well, you also have his confidence," Lucan says, gesturing at Corellon. "That's got to count for something." Lucan smiles. "And, well, you kind of are a great hero. I've been telling stories about you--about all of us, really--at the Lady's Favor, and well, word gets around. And you know, from Sigil, it gets around everywhere. We're really famous now. I've heard our names attached to things that I know we didn't do. At least I'm pretty sure we haven't climbed the Flame Spire in the City of Brass and stolen the ruby heart from the great fire primordial trapped there. I mean sure, we talked about doing that, but none of us have yet, right?"

[Hzurr]

DM Post

As Lucan speaks of a ruby heart, one of the exalted sitting in the room tilts his head quizzically. "Wait...that wasn't you who did that?" Severally of the exalted immediately put their heads together and start comparing rumors they've heard of you.

On his throne, Corellon looks down at Eltain. "You may not be the typical leader of the fey, but given what their "typical" leaders have led them into, I'm not so sure it's such a disadvantage as you seem to think."

He steps down from the dais, and places a hand on Eltain and Aramil's shoulder "When all this is done, there will be need for new leadership in the Winter and Green courts. I can think of none better. However, we are getting ahead of ourselves. The first thing is to end the war."

Sehanine taps a finger thoughtfully as she considers what Pavick and Lucan have just said, but suddenly her eyes dart back to Zyrr. "Naturally, it would be a drow that brings an answer to our problems. I may have an idea how Tiandra can be unfrozen, should you be able to reach her." She raises a hand, and a curtain of muting darkness surrounds the three gods and the party, shutting out all of the angels, exalted, and ruesti in the grand chamber beyond.

"The force that holds Tiandra is primordial in nature, divine power cannot destroy it. However, the world does not know what weapons or secrets are hidden in the house of Corellon, and they do not know we cannot free her. If you were to rescue Tiandra and bring her here, we could (through the use of a particular inn in Sigil that you are known to frequent) spread word that Tiandra is being thawed and will be returning to the feywild in force."

"Now, the Prince knew that to take the Feywild he had to eliminate Tiandra and Oran. Oran is lost to us thanks to the Bramble Queen, but if he thinks Tiandra may soon be free, he may be willing to talk. It would show his power to be...what was the word you used?" she glances at Zyrr. "'Impotent'? At least that's what he would believe.

"Regardless..." She motions to the globe of darkness around her."This barrier will no doubt start tongues wagging, and I do not doubt the Prince will hear of it and begin to wonder what we discussed. And at the very least it would keep the drow armies from capturing the Queen of Summer, frozen or no."

Corellon looks back at her, half-incredulous, half-amused. "So you're suggesting we bluff?"

Sehanine shrugs "You've expressed the desire to bring the drow back into the fold, and this is the sort of thing my sister would have done before her fall. None would suspect you would condone such an action."

Corellon looks to the avatar of Melora who gives a slight nod, before turning to the party. "And what say you to this...drowish plan of the goddess?"

[Orsik Vondal]

"So you are suggesting we make the Prince of Frost believe that a drow has the power to free Tiandra? Then the Prince will turn his attentions toward the drow invasion and not necessarily our drow friend here? Which would help us on that front and thwart the drow attempt to seize the Queen of Summer. Furthermore, if we succeed in freeing Tiandra, we can claim that it was a drow who was the savior. Which would help bring the drow back into the fold of the Fey races. And all of this is a bluff to fool all of our enemies?"

Asheroth taps his chin then shrugs his shoulders. "Sounds like a plan to me. I agree with Sehanine. This ruse will work to our advantage."

[Mando Knight]

Aramil groans. "No, Asheroth. The plan is to bring Tiandra here, and lead the Prince to believe that Nath Seldarie holds the means to subvert his primordial ice, and is indeed moving towards direct intervention against him. The plan is "drow-like" in that it relies on misdirection and political power plays more common in the Underdark, not that Lolth's followers will gain any credit."

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf Bard

Lucan looks back and forth, trying to figure out what exactly the plan is. "So . . . we get Tiandra, bring her here, and tell everyone we're thawing her out. I like the plan. Only . . . how do we bring her here? Last I heard, she was a big frozen statue, and kind of hard to carry around."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

At Lucan's question, Corellon speaks up. "The drow priestesses are preventing anyone from teleporting into the city while they lay siege to it, but you should be able to teleport out of it. Pavick, do you think you could create a teleportation circle around Tiandra?" He glances at the small gnome, before looking back to Eltain. "I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this plan Sehanine has proposed."

He pauses, and looks to the Shepherd, who he had barely acknowledged up to this point. "Your thoughts as well."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick pulls his flute from his belt and fingers a series of scales on it (no sound, just covering and uncovering the holes) as he often does as he thinks. He makes a quick series of mental calculations as he carefully considers the rituals he knows.

Finally, he nods. "I believe I can do that. I can't use my quick portal spell though, so we'll need some time to make it work. I'll need at least 10 minutes to perform the proper ritual, but I should be able to whip up a planar portal and hold it open for several seconds. Though it would help if you could give me the sequence for a little more direct teleportation circle. The closest circle I know of is the one we came in through, and I think we'd like to get Tiandra somewhere a little safer than that."

[Toric]

"Or at the least one that is more secure. Both for our own safety since I have a hunch we'll leave in a ragged full retreat, and as more fuel for the rumors that we are thawing Tiandra here."

Zyrr pauses a moment to examine the sequestering gloom upon them. The magical energy enveloping them feels very familiar to him, a perfectly-formed shadow in the middle of the light of the room. Perhaps the drow take more after the Moon Maiden than they would like to think.

"Let's see. We show the Feywild the drow are not the unstoppable wave of death they seem, we give the Prince of Frost reason to think he's running out of time, and the Shepherd gets to meet again with the only woman thus far who's shown him attention that does not involve eating him. It's a win-win-win situation if we can pull it off. This is the best kind of plan, the kind that's too against the norm to anticipate."

Zyrr wisely bites his tongue between the ending sentence and the one that desparately wants to follow: The drow do not call Lady Sehanine the queen of lies for nothing.

[Hzurr]

******** POST-HIATUS RECAP POST*********

*Begin News Reel, & cue 1940s radio voice*

"When we last left our band of brave adventurers, they were in the palace of Corellon, discussing plans for ending the civil war in the feywild, and battling the drow invasion. After much deliberation, Zyrr provided an idea that sparked a plan in Sehanine. The goddess of shadows has proposed the party sneak through the drow siege around Senaliesse, and attempt to rescue the frozen Tiandra from the clutches of the Drow and bring her back to Arvandor. After leaking rumors that the elven gods have the means to free the Archfey, the party will approach the Prince of Frost with a new offer of peace, and attempt to end the civil war and unite the fey in battle against the drow and Formorian armies! But will our heroes accept this quest, or has a new brilliant plan begun to form in the minds of the feyish/rocky/fiery minds of the intrepid adventurers?

******** END-HIATUS RECAP POST*********

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan nods. "It sounds like a reasonable plan. Although I wish we had some way to actually free Tiandra."

"Dragon fire." The words echo in his head, causing him to wince.

"Well, sure, dragon fire can burn most anything, but we're talking primordial ice here. You'd have to have, like, a primordial dragon or something. And besides, we want to free her, not incinerate her," He looks around to see Yuri and Lena staring at him. "Seriously, none of you heard that?"

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain winces at Pavick's look of disappointment and nods as he listens to the gnome's words. "Perhaps... Sorry, Pavick. Thank you. I guess I'm just so used to everyone being against me by now that I don't know how to realize that everyone isn't. Maybe you're right." He lays a hand on the gnome's shoulder before he turns and manages a slight smile. He raises an eyebrow at Lucan.

"Heh, hopefully not stories about that party at the Printempest estate with that priestess... But thank you. And yeah, I'm pretty sure you guys haven't done that either, or knowing you lot you would have already tried to free Tiandra with it." He manages another smile, a bit wider this time, as the words of his friends finally begin to penetrate the chill that had pervaded his spirit. Even if he couldn't believe in himself, there were still people who believed in him.

And then once again his god is before him, once again touching him, and once more his very soul aches with a joy that seems to pervade every bit of his being. He cries once more, but the tears flow freely rather than freezing, as his god speaks to him. He stares into Corellon's eyes, feeling his shame begin to ebb as he suddenly understands the reason his pleas for forgiveness have gone unanswered. In his god's eyes there was nothing to forgive.

He nods, looking to Pavick and back to Corellon.

"If I am needed after this, I will do what I can. So many times You've come to my aid and given me strength and power to fight on, even when I was separated from You by my actions. You were the one who sent this to me, weren't You?" He touches the star-shaped hilt of the longsword of ice he had found in the temple garden the year before. "You were the one who gave me the arcane power I've wielded since then. You've done so much for me, and I will do what I can for You. If that's what You want of me when the time comes, I'll do it." He smiles, fully this time, and the color returns to his face as the snow about him slows and stops, returning to merely a light chill to the air. He listens to the plan Sehanine proposes, nodding and breaking into a grin as it's discussed as he thinks over both it and what his friends have said. When Corellon addresses him once again, he snaps from his reverie and looks to his god, nodding.

"I think it's actually quite a good plan. We don't risk an attack against someone we may not be able to match yet, nor do we risk humiliating and angering him by theft of his possessions. We get Tiandra somewhere we can keep her safe, and make him nervous and perhaps more prone to negotiating by showing that his power can be countered without a direct humiliation. If he thinks his power is not absolute and can be convinced that the drow and formorians will be able to take over the Feywild, he will act to protect it. He wants to rule it, not destroy it. Seized by evil or no, he's still one of the fey, and he'll still act to save them if need be." He rubs his chin and grins.

"I like it. It's dirty and underhanded and exactly the sort of thing he won't expect from us. And definitely a ragged retreat is called for; we don't want him thinking the drow are so weak that we can easily defeat them, that would go completely counter to our purposes." He purses his lips.

"One issue, though. How in all nine hells are the lot of us going to manage to sneak in? We're not exactly masters of stealth, as we've discovered to our chagrin several times..." He thinks back to the cave in the Winter Lands when he'd had to go in openly and improvise upon Lucan's slip-up to enable Pavick at least to sneak in.

"Perhaps we should go in openly, but in disguise. Lowly male soldiers, led by a priestess, sent as reinforcements. Though some of us," he looks at Pavick, Asheroth, and Shep, "are going to be harder to disguise than others..." He smiles cheerfully, warming to the idea.

He frowns in concern as Lucan once more turns to talking to both himself and animals. Lena he can understand, but the unicorn and the self-conversation...

"It would be quite difficult to find a dragon willing to help; and even more difficult trying to find one both willing and powerful enough, and you've already raised my other objections. But I wouldn't rule it out entirely this early." He looks again at the unicorn and the seemingly mad Lucan. Well, maybe the unicorn he could understand. Most of the time he was convinced that Frank was as intelligent as he was and only didn't talk because he didn't feel like it.

Frank.

He turns to Corellon and Sehanine, worry filling his voice.

"Wait, you said earlier that Frank had come back wounded. Is he alright? Was anyone with him? Did he know anything about what happened to the crew of the Spelljammer?"

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick smiles as Eltain finally seems to get it. Eltain's realization was quite awhile in the coming, and hopefully this would bring him some more peace.

"We heard you Lucan. Are you feeling okay? This is getting a little odd even for you. What's all this about dragon fire? I'd love to free Tiandra too, but I think you're right. It would be tough to find a primordial dragon and even if we did, I don't know that it would work. I think we'd best stick with the plan we've got."

"Speaking of which, Eltain brings up a good point. While I may be a master of stealth, I know not all of us are. We should consider all routes to our goal. I do have a few rituals that I think might help." He reaches into his bag of holding and pulls out several spell books that he begins to page through. "Ghost Walk and Seeming spring immediately to mind... but there are probably others in my personal library here somewhere..." he trails off as he examines the first book. Slick makes his way up Pavick's arm and pokes his head out of Pavick's collar and begins reading over his shoulder.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

At Lucan's outburst, the avatar of Melora turns her attention from the Shepherd to Lucan. "There is a wildness in you...though you may not yet understand it, young one." Her voice echos around Lucan, crackling like a wind through autumn leaves. The waves at her feet begin crashing and splashing with a new intensity, but the dryad-like figure does not speak again.

Sehanine smiles, and the globe of magical darkness vanishes from around you. "You search your spellbook with the entire library of Nath Seldarie available to you?" she says to Pavick. Her eyes, however, dart back to Zyrr, and there's a slight sparkle of amusement as if she knew what the Drow wisely kept his tongue from speaking.

At Eltain's worry, Corellon motions to a centaur seated near the edge of the vast dining hall. "Cyraallin looks after the sacred stables. I'm sure he can take you there if you wish to see for yourself." The fey god turns, and takes his seat again on the crackling throne of arcane energy. "Now I must give thought to the godsmeet. We shall speak again before you set off on your quest."

[Orsik Vondal]

At the mention of the library Asheroth's ears perk up.

"Ummm...excuse me? Might there be any information on the betrayal of Asmodeus and the fall of the angels in that library? It would help me a lot to be able put all of these things that have been happening with the devils in perspective. I know much of the Dawn War, but my knowledge of The Betrayal and Fall is very limited."