(IC) Festival of Heroes 5 - Thrymskvida - Main

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Umbear rolled things round in his head. He shakes his head.

"Unless you know about Helen and her.... crew of miscreants, I think thats most of everyone, unless you know about Pretty miss Viridessa. "

He chuckled under his breath.

He watched as they worked on qeteshes open flesh.

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix nods in acknowledgment, then changes the subject. "So...prepare yourself. We have arrived." Aurix lands at the temple and looks for assistance. "May I see the body that I had left here, please?" He looks at Nameless significantly and takes a deep breath.

[Wolfykins]

"The royal seneschal?" Qetesh asked, raising an eyebrow. "No, I don't really know anything about her. Why would you want to know anything particular about a random castle servant?"
"I guess you haven't met all that many of the nobles, huh? Seems like you know most of the ones that are politically active and spend most of their time in the capital. There are many others, of course. Most at least keep an estate in Juvelnord City, even if they spend most of their time away from the city. I expect there is going to be an influx of nobles coming in from their country estates, even though it's more dangerous here, to assert political influence. Especially as they begin to feel the effects from the lack of external trade."

---

A priest nodded, bowing to Aurix, and led him down to the catacombs.
It was very cold, the chill maintained by enchantments in the stones bodies were placed upon prior to final internment. The priest led the pair of guests to an alcove containing a figure wrapped tightly in a burial shroud, and unwrapped the head.
Pink eyes closed, glossy black scales now a dull gray, the wyvaran's corpse lay unmoving, traces of dried blood still visible on teeth exposed by the lips pulling back as the body tightened with death.
Nameless gulped and looked down at the floor, unspeaking.

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix lets out a breath he was barely aware he was holding as he views the body. He had worried Fraener might have had some contingency in place for this. Aurix looks to Nameless. "I wanted you to see for yourself, so you weren't just taking my word for it. Please, examine him in whatever way you need. Perform whatever rituals you might feel are appropriate. But here he is."

Aurix steps back, giving Nameless space to take things in, yet remaining available and present.

[Darius Vibrtrar]

"Sometimes I like to learn about the beautiful ladies around me, I mean... If I were to stalk them like some rogue, I might seem.... Creepy. Poor Ra.... Cant get a Date. "

He gives qetesh a playful leer.

"I think weve bored our attendents enough.... wanna sleep together?"

He chuckles as he motioned toward the sleeping draughts.

[Wolfykins]

"I... don't know any rituals for this. I've only experienced death of enemies, not death of someone I know or care about. I don't think dragons really do anything for their own dead? We're such solitary creatures, we aren't usually around when another dragon dies, unless it's a child or parent whose children haven't left the nest yet."
"I don't know what to do, I don't know how to feel, I just... don't know," Nameless said.

---

"Ha, what? You think Ra doesn't get girls? He's sleeping with the boss, so..." Qetesh stopped, eyes widening. "Er, I mean... Neither of them would probably like that I revealed that," she said, making a face.
"Yeah, we should probably take our draughts and go to sleep before I blurt anything else out due to tiredness," she said ruefully, reaching for the flask.

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Umbears eyes shoot wide. A smile of pure delight crept across his face. His mind raced and plotted everything Ra had said to him and his encounter Bast. His eyes flickered back and forth between remembering and plotting.

"Who can sleep now?!"

He had been injected with a sliver of knowledge that was a shot of adrenaline to his brain.

"So... when he said.... that means.... oh thats good.... oh.... and then.... oh hahaha!"

His face twisted into pure delight he looked at qetesh, so happy.

"Dont worry... My communing power only requires that I am familiar with someone... I could have communed to talk to Ra and... oh no... who is that underneath him... better look away.... in... like... 10 minutes...."

He smiled as he reached and took his draught.

"Im gonna have to sleep on this.... to plot everything out... Oh he is getting such a hug... when I see him."

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix goes down on one knee to look at Nameless directly. Torilee can feel compassion and sympathy welling up as he speaks. "Death is a loss, and also a change. To acknowledge death is to acknowledge that now, things will never be the same as they were before. The rites we have- funerals and wakes and such- they're a time when we confront our feelings. How did we feel about this person? How will we remember them? What did we learn from their lives? How will our lives be different now that they've passed on?"

Aurix pauses, swallowing. He continues, "People are scared of change, just as much as they're scared of death. So we tend to come together when dealing with both. We support each other during the most difficult times." Aurix puts a hand on Nameless's scales. "One tradition I think would be appropriate right now is to speak. How are you feeling now? What would you say to him, if he was standing here right now? This is your chance to accept that what has happened is real, and deal with any lingering feelings you have. Did you love him? Did you resent him? Maybe both, or neither? Do you wish him well in the afterlife? Just...say whatever comes to mind. It doesn't have to make sense. You've changed because of his absence, and will change even more as time goes on. What parts of your time with him will you carry with you?"

[Wolfykins]

"Oh, no, don't do that. He hates when you do that," Qetesh said, brow knit in a sheepish expression of regret. Pink coming to her cheeks, she downed her draught and looked away.

---

Nameless looked lost.
"Is it alright to be sad? To miss him? To have regrets? Is it wrong that I love him as much as I hate him? I know he was cruel, and mistreated me, but he was... my father. He protected me, raised me, taught me magic, taught me dragon history. I know I was just a tool to legitimize him, but..." she shrugged and looked down at the floor.
"He's left me with scars that will never heal, and shreds of a legacy I'm not sure how to puzzle together into something that makes sense. He did good things, for bad reasons. And I'm scared that he was right and he's the only one who could unify the dragons, even if his method was bad."
The young sovereign dragon sat back and raked claws through her mane, fluffing it absently.
"The ancestors say I'm different from other sovereign dragons, but since I've never met any others, I don't know how or to what extent. I don't know why, or what it means. Maybe he was right, and I am meant to be the guide and arbiter of the conflict between chromatic and metallic dragons, but how much time do I have for that? Is it supposed to be going on now? Will it happen when this demon threat is taken care of? Will it be a thousand years in the future?"
"I don't know what I'm doing anymore, or how I should feel. It's so mixed up that it's just kind of... numb."

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Umbear smiled as he watches her facial expressions.

"ill have to work on doing something overly affectionate and embarressing that doesnt involve that.... I could go with kisses, but I doubt the boss would like that."

He chuckles as he lets his eyes close.

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix strokes Nameless's back. "Nothing you feel is wrong. I fought so you could live your own life. You don't need my approval or anyone else's."

The paladin sighs. "Sometimes, even when a parent is cruel, you can't help but love them. Children wish for the approval of their parent. Even when they've wronged you, it's hard to let it go. I know, too." Torilee feels Aurix's sadness as he speaks of his own past. "But that approval shouldn't come at the cost of losing who you are. I think...a good parent embraces the things that makes a child unique and helps them come into their own. I wish my own parents had. Fraener, in his own way, started you on that road, though he had his own reasons to do so. It's not wrong to be sad that he won't be able to finish it with you."

"Freedom...can be hard. That confusion you're feeling, it comes when you come of age and suddenly realize you've never once had to make your own way. You realize you've always had the safe guiding hand of a parent to tell you what to do. A world of infinite possibilities can be frightening...but Nameless, let me tell you, it can also have joy. If you take time...if you stop to learn who you are and what you want from life...you can make a way that is all your own. It doesn't come fast or easy, but it's yours. You care a lot about dragons, and dragon-kind. You can walk that road, travel amongst the dragons and learn of them. But you're not Fraener. Your way isn't to control. You'll find your own way of forging peace, in your own time. No one is setting a goal or a limitation on you. As long as you're alive, you can choose your own way now."

A tear springs to Aurix's eye. He feels sadness, sympathizing with Nameless's confusion and strife. But he also feels pride. This is what Aurix hoped for during his life and death struggle with Fraener. This is what he risked his own life, his own mind and soul, to gain for the young dragon. This is, in Aurix's mind, what a Paladin stands for.

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Gorrun sighed, No, I'm afraid I don't remember him sharing the exact details. I'm beginning to think this a fool's errand anyway. It's been 20 minutes and you haven't felt his condition change. It may be safe to assume he and Camille have the situation under control.

[Wolfykins]

"Bast wouldn't care, but Ra is uncomfortable with public displays of affection," Qetesh murmured sleepily as the draught took effect.

---

Nameless sighed and looked at the floor again.
"It's fine, I would be leaving the nest and striking out on my own around this age anyway, so I guess it would be normal. It's hard to pin down or explain... it's not the loss of a parent figure that's really got me feeling cast adrift. It's more like..." she sucked on the insides of her cheeks for a moment, trying to arrange her thoughts in a way that made enough sense to put into words.
"It's more like, I'm not sure I'm as ready for it as I should be? I don't think I was prepared for the world the way I would have been with dragon parents," she paused to chuckle ruefully and looked at the wall opposite Fraener's alcove.
"I guess that's so obvious it's silly. Of course I wasn't. I wouldn't have been a slave to my real parents. But I guess that's part of the problem... there wasn't a future for me to be independent. I never had to think about or prepare for what it would mean to be completely free to make my own choices and go my own way. And it's not that I'm scared of that freedom. It's just... I guess... choice paralysis? There are infinite choices I can make and I have no sense of structure or guidance for making any of those choices. I think that's why I gravitated towards Jaylyn. She doesn't always make good choices, but she doesn't seem to have much trouble making choices. And I would rather make bad choices than be stuck like this with no clue what to do next. Maybe I can help her make smarter choices, and she can help me to be more decisive."

---

"Well, Boss," Malaika said, "we can keep Ais with us in case something changes, and we can still find Aurix and get him to contact Horofay for us. We should probably debrief her anyway in case anything has changed with those goblins. And then we can have her on hand if we need to travel. And in the meantime, if you want to blow off some steam before bed, we got a few options. We could spar, we could go get really drunk, we could go get really drunk and start a tavern brawl," she winked, "or we could find a brothel. I know there aren't supposed to be any in Juvelnord City, but you and I both know nothing can stop them from popping up," she said with a chuckle.

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix chuckles and smiles slightly. "Well I can't argue with that. I hope you find what you're looking for there." Aurix rises and looks around, waiting for Nameless to finish.

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Going to the training grounds right now may put undue worry on the Master-at-Arms. Let's try to track down Aurix for now, then maybe I'll take you up on that drink. Gorrun replies to Malaika. The Brothels are out of the question. One thing I don't need is more woman troubles. He half-joked.

[Wolfykins]

Nameless sat in silence for a few minutes longer, expression listless as she stared at the corpse of her former master. Finally she took a deep breath and let it out in a long, slow sigh, and looked away. She got to her feet, expression more determined, but with a broodiness behind it.
"Alright," she said with quiet resolve, "let's go."

---

"First of all, isn't the purpose of brothels to get what you need without the 'woman troubles'? And secondly, I never mentioned women," Malaika said, smirking and elbowing Gorrun playfully.
"They have other options, you know!" she laughed.
"As far as sparring, we don't have to go to the training ground. The arenas are empty," the rogue pointed out.

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Gorrun just shakes his head. Smartass and starts trying to determine which direction Aurix and Nameless flew off.

(1d20+48)[63] Survival + Scent
(1d20+38)[50] K. Local
(Crossing lingering scent with wind conditions against the locations of suitable temples or other facilities.)

Picking up a faint trail he begins moving toward Aurix's destination. Got them. This way.

[Andrew Markham]

As Aurix and Nameless step out of the temple, the gold-scaled man is startled to find the imposing figure of General Gorrun bearing down on him. He blinks, shakes his head, and says, "What's up? Did I miss a signal?"

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

I didn't mean to startle you, and I know you're busy with your own matters, but Ais here has detected that Markas has been injured. I believe that he and Camille are still in Hillvale. I was wondering if you could send word to him and check his status. Also, if you could scry on Horofay for us and send her a message as well, to come in for debriefing. We may need her to shadow-walk us to Hillvale at some point as well. I of course would be willing to pay for scrolls or components as necessary. The General seems a little off as if internally distracted or perhaps flustered.

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix regains his composure, then says, "Well you're in luck. I learned Greater Scrying some time ago, and I can cast it in an instant instead of an hour. The bad news is that you resist it subconsciously, so I can't guarantee it will work. If you have something of theirs or a piece of their body, you increase the odds. Also if they use Mind Blank, I won't be able to reach them. So choose your targets carefully."

"Greater Scrying is a 7th level spell. If I recall, that shield of yours lets you cast a whole range of Paladin spells. If you could put that amount of spell energy into Wergontix, I could cast the spells without using my own...painfully few remaining spell slots. But otherwise yes, I would be glad to make the attempt for you."

[Wolfykins]

Malaika held out the pouch of nail trimmings.
"We have that covered. She gave me nail clippings for exactly this purpose. You can't keep any, obviously, she wouldn't like that. Horofay probably won't have Mind Blank on because she knows that would make it impossible for us to contact her. If she has that on, it means bad things went down on her mission and she felt the need to hide. So let's hope that's not the case."

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Absolutely Gorrun agreed. He reached out and channeled a 4th and 3rd level spell slot into the crystal blade. And as for the sending? I can spare more energy or I can pick up some scrolls.

[Wolfykins]

"Why would you need that?" Aistriú asked. "Aurix can use the Message cantrip through the scrying. In fact, that's easier to do with Greater Scrying anyway. The normal version of the spell doesn't make that kind of thing all that easy. There's a chance to fail. I wouldn't worry about it. The main concern is going to be that Aurix wasn't with us and didn't meet Horofay. So he's going to need something to tell her to prove his message's legitimacy."

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix nods. "Ais is correct, but let me try this connection." Aurix focuses on Horofay and casts Greater Scrying.

Horofay needs to make a Will save, DC 32, at -5 to resist.

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Sending a message to Horofay through the scry is fine, but I'm thinking of Markas. Seems that scrying is unnecessary when sending would be effective. Gorrun answers, puzzled.

[Andrew Markham]

As the connection attempts to form, Aurix mutters, "I'm not a big fan of Sending because it takes 10 minutes to cast. But if you have a scroll or wand of it, I'll cast it for you. Otherwise I can attempt scrying on Markas and/or Camille, I at least know them."

Aurix blinks, then says, "I see her. She seems to be hiding under a bush covered by an illusion. I don't see anything going on nearby. She seems focused but not in immediate danger. What do you want me to relay?"

[STDM Grizzly Ad]

Tell her that you're a friend of mine and that I've asked you to call her in to debrief. She can meet Malaika and I at the castle gate. If she doubts you, tell her that I gave her a small silver raven when we parted ways. That should suffice.

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix casts Message through the scrying. Aurix begins mouthing words softly.

Spoiler: Horofay/Perception DC 25

Show

"Incoming message from General Gorrun Dunestrider, delivered via scrying. He asks you to return to the capital for debriefing. Your services may be needed to Shadowalk him and Malaika to Hillvale as well. Verification of identity available upon request."

[Wolfykins]

Horofay jumped, ears flattening to the back of her head, tail shooting straight out behind her, every hair on it standing on end. "Gaaaaah," she hissed under her breath as she rocked back and landed on her butt.
"What... how do I know you're not just casting from within the spell's normal range? Fine, alright, if you're scrying, you can see me. I'm hidden by illusion, and surrounded by bushes, but that wouldn't keep someone scrying me from seeing me. So how many earrings am I wearing? Even Gorrun and Malaika wouldn't be able to tell that sight-unseen!"

[Andrew Markham]

Aurix grumbles under his breath.

Spoiler: Horofay/Perception DC 25

Show

"Gorrun and I got some True Seeing goggles from our last fight with the Drow. Let me have a look here...one, two...can you look up a bit? Three...hold still!...four, five? That one on your left ear looks like it's got two parts, but I think that only counts as one. Or are they right next to each other? It's hard to tell from up here. Also, if it helps, I have no idea where you are, as the General didn't tell me. I can only see about 10 feet around you. But Malaika had your nail clippings. Which is a little weird but hey, I guess an experienced group plans for that sort of thing."