The Thrice-Blessed IC

[Ridai]

The two cloud giant servants bringing the married couple breakfast are struggling to maintain their composure in the presence of Shiver and Drufi in their morningwear. Much like how Drufi has become quite partial to cloud giant beds, she is quickly becoming fond of cloud giant service as well, the servants eager to fulfill their every wish. It is obvious they wish they could stay with the frost giantesses for longer, perhaps even earn their favor, but take their leave when they can no longer justify staying (though that does not stop them from telling Shiver and Drufi to call upon them whenever they wish).

Shiver and Drufi's conversation over breakfast follows.

And with almost preternatural timing as Shiver mentions Sasha, the woman herself knocks on the door and enters their chambers. This close, both parties have much to take in, Sasha easily rising into the highest echelons of the most stunning giant women the frost giantesses have ever met. Iallanis' favored traits are strong with her, an effortlessly charming emissary to Sansuri's picture-perfect true nobility. Between the two of them, it is not hard to see how Sansuri wields so much influence. On Sasha's side of things, she is faced with the two most beautiful frost giant women to have ever lived in their nighties, and there is no lack of appreciation for the fact.

"Good morning to you. I trust you slept well? I would ask whether you enjoyed the amenities we provided, but frankly, I have been told your enjoyment was... difficult to miss." It is a little tease, in this case a good sign. There still is a bit of strain to Sasha given what Shiver did in her tower (deceived or not), but to her credit, she seems to try and move past this in some capacity. It would be easy to say Sasha is only doing this out of lust, and her desire is plain for Shiver and Drufi to see, but that would also be selling the cloud giantess woefully short.

Sasha collects the adamantite. There is a moment where she hesitates. Drufi telepathically says she recognizes this, guessing the cloud giantess is arguing with herself whether she truly wants to accept this material apology. Taking it is like letting you off the hook for what happened in the tower. Not taking it would be an open rejection. She could also take it without intending to forgive, but... well, Sasha strikes me as a social force to be reckoned with, but not as cut-throat or vindictive.

After a short moment, Sasha does take the adamantite, putting it into a small bag outwardly far too small to fit the massive ingots. She turns to leave, stops, and sighs.

"Look... I have had a night to sleep on it and you are genuinely making amends for what you did. You ultimately were Pencheska's victim, if perhaps not to the degree I was. I am sorry I tried to hinder relations between you and Sansuri, and I wish to start over. We aren't enemies, after all." Sasha looks to Shiver and Drufi, and she begins to give a small smile, a genuine one, and this little thing already has great effect on the frost giantesses. Something else seems to flare up beneath the surface as well. Sasha reaches out to Shiver, gently cupping her cheek, the touch making the frost giantess blush.

"You know, as soon as Pencheska met you, she would talk about little else but the three days and three nights with you. A mighty greater succubus, manipulating giantkind and the little ones, utterly love-struck for the first time in a lifespan of centuries. Enough to make her try a different style of rulership, one closer to what you would appreciate. Under Pencheska's spell as I was at the time, I could not help but feel jealous, made to feel even more as a plaything. But one freed of her influence, I also wanted to meet the woman that could steal a demon's heart and take a succubus' breath away." Sasha also reaches out to Drufi, cupping her cheek as well.

"And now that I have, I do not want us to remain strangers. Let us leave the past behind us, together. Do you feel the same?" The invitation is clear.

Slissht, my love. I am telling you this, having detected no magical shenanigans. For the love of the Goddesses, please say yes.

Spoiler: OOC heads-up

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Please note that I am getting a wisdom tooth removed and will be in pain and on ibuprofen for the next few weeks, so posting may happen a little more slowly and some weird mistakes might sneak in.

[MikelaC1]

If my plan goes according to the way I hope, there will be fewer people around foolish enough to meddle with demons. No good comes from dealing with them, they cant be trusted or controlled, no matter how strong the wizard thinks he or she is. Im sure you will put that adamantite to good use. I apologize once again for what happened...although the one time when the dwarves showed up and I tossed him out a window was very funny.

[Ridai]

Hours pass in Sasha's company until the early afternoon. At the end, before she takes her leave, the cloud giantess tells Shiver Sansuri would like to see her, and that she is likely in her office up in the central tower at this time.

Drufi gives her wife a kiss and says "I'll do a bit of investigation how things are in Lyn Armaal and the cloud giants on a ground level. See you tonight."

On her way through the cloud castle, the cloud giants seem to have an even more favorable opinion of the frost giantess, given the new diplomatic ties with Sansuri. And she has the distinct feeling that her activities with Drufi and later Sasha were noticed (given how heavily the two servants attending the couple were blushing, they might be a likely source for local scuttlebutt, even if they did not mean to let something slip). Wherever she goes, Shiver is greeted heartily, many inviting her to stay with them for a while to pass the time, drinks, dinner, attending various sources of entertainment, one or two servants offering massages and/or baths. Even poems about the frost giantesses seem to already be in the works, and at least one artist asked if Shiver and her wife would like to model for a grant portrait, followed by another being interested in creating statues of them. In short, nearly everyone, be it nobility or commoner, is hoping to get her attention and company, and there are a few more intimate offers, the culture of the good cloud giants apparently open about such things.

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Shiver also swings by where Echo and Slider are staying, being given more open accomodations near where Lyn Armaals griffons are kept. Slider has a servant girl tending to her, the winter wolf being her usual playful self, and evidently having little objections to a dedicated groomer after some tactical treats by the shrewd young woman.

Echo also has someone tending to her, a shy young cloud giant man who looks like he could be someone's personal servant. "O-oh, Lady Slissht, it is a pleasure to meet you. My Lady Nimbia is visiting Lyn Armaal at the moment and asked me to attend Lady Echo, given I take care of my Lady's pet griffons and dire wolves." The young man blushes and bows deeply to Shiver. Echo (who seems to be very pleased by being refered to as Lady Echo) also chimes in. "Faenas has been a very attentive and skillful gentleman. So attentive that he seems quite taken with me." What would have been mere immature ego before, seems rather confident and charming now, Faenas smiling sheepishly and blushing harder, before excusing himself to fetch a few brushes.

Another thing Shiver notices, since she entered Echo's "chambers", is that the winter wolf is far, far bigger (size category Gargantuan) than she normally is (size category Large), making her big enough to have Shiver ride on her in her true giant size, and somehow, she seems more mature, refined, charismatic. It feels like the winter wolf has taken after her mistress and followed her example. "I can return to my previous size at-will, don't worry. But I enjoy this much more. And I don't think dear Faenas minds the extra work. We've been having some lovely chats. I'll let you know what I learn, because I get the impression something's not right with this Lady Nimbia."

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Reaching Sansuri's office up in the central tower of Lyn Armaal, Shiver finds the countess inside. The tastefully furnished room also has her ceremonial armor on a stand nearby, the woman herself having opted for a more comfortable dress, concealing less of her lithe physique, driving home that she is Sasha's equal in beauty and grace.

"Thank you for coming. I hope our hospitality has been to your satisfaction. Sasha could not speak more highly of you and Drufi." Sansuri offers Shiver a seat, alongside refreshments, seating herself opposite of Shiver.

"You most likely have seen how things are within Lyn Armaal. I wish I could say this is just a sign of good morale, but sadly, this is not the case. Since the dissolution of the Ordning, I have been dealing with the consequences. With the storm giants mysteriously absent, many of my kind feel they are now the greatest giants in existence, which has... fed ambitions and feelings of grandeur rather viciously in some cases. Truth be told, the threats cloud giant kind faces are mostly internal at this point. Our existing schism between the more benevolent and the ruthless examples of us has also only worsened. And only recently we discovered just how much damage the succubus Pencheska did not just to my people, but the influence she had on other cloud giants as well, making matters much worse, and having gone unnoticed for months. I am telling you this because we are allies. I have plans to deal with the situation, crucially with Sasha's help. And there are likely spies within Lyn Armaal."

Sansuri pauses, letting all that sink in for a moment. "I would like to make you an offer. You and your wife are remarkable women, as well as being an outside factor. Thus, you have great power to disrupt what has been set in motion, as well as being able to engage with my kind in a way Sasha and I could not, due to our positions and reputation. I would like the both of you to aid me in ending this internal conflict before it escalates and Pencheska's corruption spreads out of control. Still, Sasha and I are not helpless damsels in the face of this threat. If you would rather wish to stay out of these cloud giant matters, I understand, and I will do what I can that in the end, you will still be able to count on us as your allies, same as we expect to count on your new clan in the future."

Sansuri takes a sip from a tea cup. "I should add that if you are still curious about the eponymous monolith stolen from the settlement of Nightstone from where Sasha's cloud tower picked you up from, as chance would have it, the very same object plays a role in all this as well."

[MikelaC1]

Shiver considers for a moment. On my way to meet with, I received numerous requests to pose, both by myself and with Drufi for either portraits or statues. If I do so, publicly, while the artist is working on his masterpiece and giants are watching, they might have loose lips in terms of whispers. Or maybe the artist lets an opinion slip while he is working. If you could recommend the best painter and best sculpter, I will get Drufi and I to do the posing and see what we hear. I dont suppose you have any sort of innocuous magic or items to boost hearing for us while we do our surveillance? If Sansuri gives the names (and if she does the magic requested), Shiver will go off to make the arrangements, both with the artists and Drufi to set up the spy work, and then spend some exercise time with Echo

[Ridai]

(Well, here we go)

Sansuri gives a small smile as Shiver implicitly agrees to help, and considers her proposal, taking a sip of tea as she does. "An unusual approach, but given the current situation, perhaps a surprisingly effective one. One of the creeping effects of Pencheska's corruption is a spread of lust-related traits and hedonism. Beyond the norm for any given giant, I should perhaps say. The three goddesses are held in particularly high esteem as of late, with Iallanis an easy favorite among my faction, though my people are slowly drifting towards the excessive side of indulging their wants and desires. The less savory faction of the cloud giants have awakened to a very strong religious zeal centered around our three goddesses. Normally, this would be overall a good development, as all three of them are goddesses of Good. The Triumvirate Acolytes, as they now call themselves, or Acolytes for short, have arrived at utterly misguided interpretations of their teachings."

"Hiatea's portfolio of motherhood, raising children, nature as creator and destroyer, and the hunt, were interpreted as cloud giants being divinely ordained to rain destruction on their enemies and claim their prizes, with a particular penchant for hunting down other giants they wish to conceive children with, doing so forcefully if they do not relent, often even crippling their mates so they can't escape. They are also heavily involved in indoctrinating children, to ensure the cult will perpetuate."

"Iallanis' role as goddess of love has been turned into a brain-washing cult, where all must be united under the flag of what the Acolytes deem love. From persuasion to deception to outright mind-affecting magic to enforce 'seeing the light', there is little they are not willing to do, and the highly stratified cult has all lower-ranking members do whatever the higher ranking ones wish, with the ranks determined almost solely by beauty and open sexuality. In the end, it feels like they are on the way to creating almost a hive mind, willing to do absolutely anything for their saints."

"And finally, Diancastra's daring, trailblazing, craftiness, and carousing ways were taken as carte blanche to commit whatever transgression they wish. Her love for worldly pleasures and physical gratification led to the Acolytes embracing excess and debauchery. All rules are there to be broken if necessary in pursuit of one's own pleasures, everything is permitted, and those proving less formidable than oneself in body or mind are to be treated as playthings. And it would not surprise me that the Acolytes closest to their version of Diancastra also serve as their spies."

Sansuri takes another sip as she lets Shiver absorb what has been told. "So you may see the developments among my people might also make them fertile ground to have the cult take root in the future. Luckily for us, while the Acolytes are a threat, they are still a nascent one, and not yet organized enough to launch a true shadow campaign on me and my people. If we act quickly enough, we may nip this threat in the bud before it truly blossoms. And thus, your idea of publicly posing for an artistic masterpiece may serve as a veritable honey pot. Acolyte spies will have trouble resisting you and your wife putting on such a bold display."

"As for artists, I can think of two. If you wish for a painting, Cirrus is the best in Lyn Armaal. An older and quite disciplined kind, but having refined his craft for centuries, and when he sees a new muse, he still feels the same fire as he did as a young man. His works are opulent yet tasteful, widely recognized as works of a master. If you feel daring enough for something more bold, Srata is the woman of choice. Hailed as a young genius sculptor, she is positively obsessed with the giant form and recreating it in stone, managing to make her works look natural, soft, and malleable. I have little doubt she would drop everything to have you model for her, though she likes to insist on as little 'obstructing' clothes as possible, preferably none. And many of her works have been ascribed at the very least erotic undertones, some outright sexual, so her works can end up divisive in some circles. Srata has been hounding Sasha and me nigh ceaselessly in recent times, until I was forced to outright forbid her from offering."

Sansuri rises to cast a spell, before touching Shiver's forehead. "This should aid you in listening for any potential targets, and perhaps reveal some degree of surface thoughts. Share it with your wife with a kiss. Thank you for doing this. And... thank you for fulfilling Sasha. You are some of the very few that allow her to keep her corruption at bay, and I would rather have her be with you than with anyone else."

[MikelaC1]

After a bit more idle chatter while Shiver takes in what Sansuri has outlined, Shiver takes her leave of the cloud giant. She seeks out Drufi to explain to her what Sansuri wants, and how this potential posing for both a painter and sculptor can work toward that aim. Even if they dont unearth something ground breaking, they are still earning brownie points for trying to help out. As Sansuri explained, she then kisses Drufi to share the eavesdropping powers that Sansuri gifted her with.
Once this is all set up, Shiver sends notes to both Cirrus and Srata, telling them that both she and Drufi have heard of her great artistic talents and would be excited about getting the chance to pose for them as her latest subjects.
And as she had planned, once all of this is taken care of, she still has time for at least an hour of exercise and play with Echo.

[Ridai]

"Can't say I saw that one coming, but sure. Which one are we doing first?" Drufi says in regards to the posing.

On her investigations: "Got to know a cute boy. Entertains the higher class as a dancer, and does some networking for the lower one. He seems pretty uneasy with how things are developing and what sort of requests he has been increasingly getting. Was pretty happy to have someone to talk. I'll follow up, see what I might learn. Outside of that, a lot of people seem pretty damn focused on Sansuri and Sasha. And I'm no stranger to people wanting me, but not like people here do, damn."

When Shiver goes to see Echo, the enormous winter wolf nuzzles her caretaker and whispers something to him, young man leaving with a happy blush. Shiver finds Echo to be full of energy (alongside looking quite fabulous, given the professional grooming she received, while retaining her overall appearance, Echo not wanting weird haircuts) and surprisingly powerful. Echo seems quite pleased with herself, remarking that she had grown rather sick of being barely any threat compared to Shiver and Drufi.

Answers by the artists reach Shiver soon. Both are quite pleased to have both frost giantesses willing to model for them. Cirrus requests them for three days in his atelier to do them justice. Srata "guesstimates" a day or two, inviting Shiver to come discuss what they are feeling up to and comfortable with.

[MikelaC1]

We will go to see Srata first, she needs to know what we are comfortable with posing for. She is known for insist on as little 'obstructing' clothes as possible, preferably none. Once set, she will only take a day or two so Cirrus will not have long to wait for us.