Same as It Ever Was (Part 29)

Leca'fi Amdamu.

With the heroes (and their alternates) having returned to the dreaming castle to rest and relax, Zeke emerges from his room, having finished a communing with his god and recording the answers that come to him. The news he has to bear is important.

Aelsec Aomirren, Runelei's father, is apparently hidden even from Daeus's sight, which is troubling news. However, Maxitia-Amana can be found in the Cave of Sorrows. It turns out that Taara is apparently Aelsec's benefactor, aiding him while Maugrim aids Maxitia. Aelsec is said to have powers over reality rewriting, darkness, and, perplexingly, "audacity and tenacity", with Daeus also warning to "be wary of shadows." When asked how to cut off Aelsec or Maxitia-Mayana off from their shadowy deities, the answer is to "call upon the Light or the Twilight. Believe in yourselves." Aelsec's weakness is apparently his ambition, whereas Maxitia-Mayana's hunger extends to longing to be connected to other people. Perhaps confirming the worst of Zeke's fears, Maxitia-Mayana is a cleric of Maugrim, whereas Aelsec appears to have no clerical or priestly connection to Taara.

Zeke's last remarks visibly worry Shankahar. "Spellkiller, destruction, war, evil: the domains and orders of Maugrim" and "Maugrim fed scraps of shadow and misery, calling it food" are not cheerful statements to be said about Maxitia-Mayana's powers and the life he has led up to this point.

"Poor kin," Shankahar rumbles quietly. "It hurts to think of him being hurt in such a manner."

Nala's also frowning, sitting on a couch with Telanmo braiding her hair (since the two can't really seem to stay away from each other's touch for too long). "The... Dragonfather said Aelsec can rewrite reality," she murmurs. "But... I'm the 'controller'. Nepantla called me that."

"There's always pretenders for the crown, my queen," Telanmo comments with a sly smile.

Zeke yawns at this, having completed his communion, and finding himself rather exhausted now. "Thisss one isss in need of ressst. Thisss one believesss that we sssshould ssseek out the Cave of Sssorrowss tomorrow." He really has no other ideas, his brain too full of tiredness to think properly now. Perhaps he will blessedly sleep and dream of nothing so that he might get some rest.

Unlike Shankahar he is not surprised by anything which he learned. Not even that his alternate is a cleric of Maugrim. His own nest-mother had been a devotee of that god before her death after all. In another life, she might have swayed him to that life as well. Perhaps in this one. All he can do is have faith that his slender plan will work.

The castle is a quiet, pleasant place of perpetual twilight. And being here... helps Telamon. He's not sure if it's the nature of the place, the workings of dreams, or just Ni'essa's kindness, but here he can -feel- Cor’lana in the back of his mind, even if they're separated by time and space.

"Just a little longer, love," he promises to her, kneeling in his quarters. "And then I'm coming home." A pause, considering, and then Telamon makes some quiet mental decision before rising to his feet. Zeke should be done with his communing now, and it falls to Telamon to be the good host.

And so they gather in one of the parlors, plates of food and tea placed at the ready to help refresh the party as they speak. Tel, for his part, has insisted on putting Zeke in the comfiest chair there (and granted, they're all quite comfy).

At Nala's musings, Telamon nods. "Which is why I have a plan. While we engage them, I want you and Telanmo to hold off, so that when Aelsec tries to rewrite things, you can snatch the pencil away from him and whack his knuckles with it."

The Goblin was eager to check in on the dragon, to find her resting in the larger dining hall. After much attention, and Zeke's communion, Simony's facial expression clouds with thought. To Nala, she nods.

"In a way, that sounds like my deity, too. Many gods can lay claim to that sort of power." She frowns then. "Even Telamon, and myself, and surely, Zeke and Harkashan... even Shankahar in time, if he cannot yet do so... we can change the very fabric of reality." She smiles faintly then. "It is very much a tool, yes? It is how you use it. Not something to be trifled with or taken lightly, but also, something that should be wielded when it is called for." Her grin is much brighter, imagining Nala whacking Aelsec's knuckles.

"Yes, indeed, whack his knuckles."

Simony sips at her tea. "So we've answers to our questions. Are we well equipped then?"

Rune has taken the time they had to work on writing this unusual story. She has a book set in front of her along with a quill ink, scrabbling hasty scrawl onto the page. Glasses rest on the bridge of her nose as she works, industriously.

It is only when the cleric returns that she looks up, pushing her lenses up as she forces herself to focus away from the page. "Of course, things have to be complicated. It couldn't just be... here's a large sign pointing in the single direction all your enemies have gathered so you can stab them all in one place..." Humor has always been Rune's way of dealing with tension.

The idea of facing someone who is, for all purposes, this world's equivalent of her father, does not sound appealing, nor cathartic. Especially when her counterpart has a far closer relationship to the man than the rogue has ever had to her own father.

Setting down her quill, Rune looks over to Simony, "I don't usually require much preparation, unless there's something the magical folk think would be good to bring along outside of stabbing implements."

Harkashan had only raised a few more tactical inquiries on the matter of who they had to deal with. He's been rather quiet on the topic however, largely for Rune's sake. Or at least, in his mind, for Rune's sake.

"As needed, I can prepare spells. But if our enemy is able to rewrite history, we may want to be ready with Miracles and Wishes to revert anything too damaging." He bids to Telamon and Zeke as the group discusses tactics and the taking of the tool of rewriting.

"Especially if we wish to have the time to convince them to take different actions."

"Well-equipped, but not well-rested," Nala says to Simony. She yawns a little. "Bleeding from the nose and fainting takes a lot out of a girl."

Runelei nods almost half-heartedly to Rune's comment as she sits close enough to her alternate to observe Rune's scribing efforts. "Yeah. Wish things were... Simple." She scrubs a hand across her black-and-red hair, looking a little lost. "I just... I don't want to _kill_ him."

"I don't think anyone here would ask you to," Shankahar says gently, putting his clawed hand on Runelei's shoulder. His blue scales are a perfect match for his calming words. Where Harkashan is lava, he is water. "Besides... I don't think _any_ of us have to kill him."

Telanmo looks at Nala for a moment, his hands going in a slightly protective manner as they rest and clench a little on Nala's shoulders--then he starts massaging them a little. "Harkashan's got a point. Now's a good time to prepare. _And_ Nala needs her beauty sleep. I saw Yiara and Aryia went off to go rest and recuperate in their rooms, although I saw Yiara sign something along the lines of 'bitch, I'm going to rest better than you' to her. Awfully competitive, aren't they?"

"Myeah," Nala says, her golden eyes fluttering shut. The massage is working _too_ well.

Having partaken of Telamon's food, and having allowed himself to be given the most comfortable seat, Zeke is... his eyes half lid. "Thisss one would asssk... That thossse who ssserve the godsss keep in resserve a miracle. Thisss one wisshesss to casst it asss a Ritual upon.... alter..."

His eyes close and there's the very gentle sounds of snoring from him. It seems he was quite tired indeed.

"I won't deny him the chance at redemption, but we're probably going to have to beat him down first." Telamon's expression is sympathetic, looking at Runelei. "But: we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Some of this is very much going to be..." He pauses, and offers Harkashan a very wide grin, "'Winging it'."

He takes a sip of tea, as the dulcet sound of snoring intrudes. His eyes flick over to Zeke, and he considers, before shaking his head. "Let him be. I think that chair was crafted by a prior steward to allow you to sleep in it regardless of who you are and how you're sitting in it." His eyes sparkle. "But yes. Let's rest, and prepare, and then pay a visit to these Caves of Sorrow."

Simony raises two fingers in response to Harkashan's suggestion for preparing certain spells. "I have two such spells prepared. If needs be, if one should suggest I ask for more, I can do so. I am able to ready four if needs be." A look to Rune and she nods. "Well, while it sounds like Runelei might know her father better than you might have known yours, your insight is still going to be very useful. Two minds are better than one. And of course, I speak for all of us when I say, we very much appreciate your stabbing implements and the swift victory they bring in your wake." The Goblin's eyes take in Runelei then. "I don't think we're out to kill him, we must make him change his path in some manner. Maybe we can talk him out of it. Maybe we can simply imprison him for a short time while we sort out Zeke's alternate version. We have ... options. We don't, at this time, have or need to kill him. But if we must, if our hand is forced, I hope it is the last option. It shouldn't be the first."

Simony stands then and nods. "Zeke is quite right, it is obvious we could all use a rest. I wish you a good eve and pleasant dreams."

A sympathetic look is cast to her red-haired twin, "We'll try to avoid that outcome, if we can help it." If only to try to help take her opposite's mind off of things, she offers out the book. It may help fill in some of the gaps for parts of the tale that the other two were not part of.

Then, she looks over towards Zeke, "I serve the Sky-singer in a way, but I don't have any sort of natural magics. But... if someone can make scrolls, I can cast just about anything you put in my hands.” Her own father may not have imparted any of his magical skill, but he did teach her how to know her way around it, if needed. As for her blades, well, she gives a wink towards Simony, obviously all too pleased with the cleric's commentary.

Harkashan smirks back at Telamon at the callback to a discussion they had when Harkashan was... well, a bit less experienced than he is now. Yet, 'winging it' has still been the modus operandi for many Adventures he's been on, even if he tended to overprepare as best as he could with his spellwork.

"I'll make a Heroes' Breakfast in the morning. But for now, I too will retire." The Sith-makar notes, and then starts to retreat - while shaking his head a bit at the strange relationship Aryia and her Alter have.

GAME: Telamon rolls Will: (13)+25: 38
GAME: Simony rolls will: (14)+24: 38
GAME: Zeke rolls Will: (7)+26: 33
GAME: Rune rolls will+1: (9)+19+1: 29
GAME: Harkashan rolls Will: (18)+28: 46

As the adventurers drift into slumber, taking up their spots in their rooms and preparing and resting, all is well. All is quiet. Simony's dragon doesn't even make much of a noise in the palatial room that she's parked in.

Sleep comes.

And all, except Harkashan, dream.

...

Darkness.

In the hazy way that one can wake up to the world and find it dark, like waking up well before the sun and in the pitch black of a new-moon sky and not a light in the room, you are here. Darkness. Shadow. You lift up your hands. You breathe. You breathe and it comes out in a cold fog. Your body feels numb. Barely there. Barely here.

Then something changes. You're on your hands and knees, in the dirt--not grasping dirt on the ground, but _embedded_ into it, as though someone has tried to bury you here. Your breathing is uneasy. A wound is gaping on your back. You... have been left for dead.

You are dead.

"Would you really condemn this man to this ending?" A woman's voice purrs into your mind, lilting and yet accusatory. "Come now. Either stand aside for the story that is to come, or write one better than what I have. And I am not in the habit of _losing_ or being edited. Not to anyone. Not to anything."

Then more distantly, you hear her again even though you feel a hand on your shoulder. "Come on now. Get up. We have a story to write."

...

The 'morning' arrives. Nala looks worse for wear, as does everyone else, except, oddly, Yiara, who is signing, "Sup?" as she arrives to the breakfast table.

Runelei's eyes are a distant gaze, poking over and over again at a piece of food on her plate.

Zeke startles awake with the rise of the morning. Making his absolutions, and prayers to the Dragonfather. The dreams of the night before bother him, but they do not bother him as much as other dreams have in this place. He eats of the breakfast that Harkashan provides heartily, and grimly. With determination. He needs his strength for the coming day and will not allow himself to succumb to weakness now.

When he finishes his food he eyes Runelei. "You believe the dream wasss of your nessst-father?" He offers quietly. "Thisss one doesss. Thisss one believess that we can ressscue him from hissss fate and ssset him on a better path. Thisss one hasss faith."

Oh, that was a mistake. That was -such- a mistake. Telamon doesn't wake up depressed or mournful. He wakes up -angry-. Furious. How dare the False Hope intrude in this place, into his dreams? It actually takes Telamon several minutes, once out of bed, to calm down. Indeed, the whole castle seems to shift ever-so-slightly, reflecting that rage.

After taking that time, he splashes some water on his face, dresses and garbs himself for war, and then snaps his fingers, summoning the oaken staff capped with a rose-blossom. Inspecting himself in the mirror, he carefully adjusts his circlet minutely, before striding out the door.

"Bright morning, all of you," the sorcerer says in a businesslike tone. "I apologize for last night's intrusion. It seems -someone- wants to annoy me. And I am taking it personally."

If Rune's dreams were not already fucked by most standards, they have been more-so in this strange half-world. She sits up suddenly, groaning, and then rubbing at her eyes. With a shove to her mate, she mutters, "One of these days, I need you to come up with some kind of potion that just knocks me the fuck out." Poor Harkashan. He would have had a peaceful night's sleep, but alas, Rune will be sharing the details of that dream, even if all he might want in that moment is to go back to sleep.

Thankfully, by the time everyone is /actually/ up, Rune has gathered herself a bit. She's sipping on some hot tea and mouth full as she chews. Her eyes look over as Zeke speaks to her red-headed twin, but she doesn't comment on it.

Instead, she settles her gaze on Telamon, "One of these days, I'd just like a night's rest where some dark force isn't messing with me, or my own shattered psyche isn't playing havoc. Too much to ask, I know." She yawns, and then takes another bite of food. Nom nom nom.

Simony rolls out of bed late, and arrives bleary-eyed for breakfast. She sits and stares at the feast Harkashan has brought into being. Then her stomach gurgles and she looks down, considering.

Her gaze goes to Telamon a moment. "That is definitely the way of Taara. It is odd though. If she has been listening in on us, she would know we're not intending to kill Aelsec. We will turn him from his path. But the dream... it seems that she thinks we're out to end his life. If this is the case, she is sorely underestimating us."

The Goblin lets out a long breath, eyeing Rune with a rueful smile. "I do believe the saying goes, 'Live while you're alive, and sleep when you're dead.' But, I could see if there isn't a clerical spell for a good night's sleep. I'll make a point of asking Navos."

Her stomach gurgles more loudly this time, and she begins to eat slowly.

Lacking the dream, Harkashan gets a third person retelling of the matter - allowing him to analyze it rather than be too emotional about it.

"It makes sense." He rumbles eventually, when the group re-unites, "They wish for us to know the reason behind this. A dream like this is either shared to make us hesitate, or to make a statement..." The Sith-makar taps his cheek and considers the matter. "It could be either. But I would like to believe it's a statement."

He takes in a deep breath, and then out again.

"So then the question is, what's the point of the statement? I imagine they did not enjoy this timeline ending, and doesn't enjoy the idea of it possibly coming to an end again..." He glances towards Nala, then to the others again.

"Is it annoyance? Or is it just a 'back off, this is mine' sort of thing?" Shankahar murmurs, gently touching Runelei's shoulder. "She has a vested interested in Aelsec, that much is true. But my alternate has a good point. Why? Why him? Why... us?"

"I don't know, but I'd rather she not." Runelei grumbles, and then she looks at Zeke. "If it's him... We _have_ to do everything we can. I mean... She did this to him."

She looks at Rune. "Right? Your mom was trapped... Wasn't she?"

Nala frowns. "I don't know. Gods don't... _Hurt_ specific people like that. I don't think." She smiles, looking over at Telanmo as he unfailingly pours a cup of tea for her, accepting it from him. "Maybe he was already in a bad situation."

Zeke shakes his head, having little in the way of distinct answers, but then... They already have the answers they need. "Thisss one knowss what we mussst do next. We musst go to the Cave of Sssorrow. We mussst try to call Maxitia-Mayana from Maugrim'sss ssside. Thisss one will ssshare wordsss with him. Thisss one will give him a chancse for underssstanding and a hope of friend-ssship." He sets aside his fork.

"Thisss one isss ready to go."

"It depends. But... the dark gods, and others, can offer temptations. Those temptations can be very bad for a person, in the long run." Telamon chews on a roll contemplatively.

"I suspect you have the right of it, Shankahar. The gods are forbidden from applying a personal touch, save through their chosen. But that would not stop them from trying to warn off interlopers."

Tel shakes his head. "In any case, it is irrelevant. As Zeke says, we shall go to the Cave of Sorrow and wrest his counterpart from the Tyrant's grip. We will not fail, for his sake."

The question draws Rune's attention back, meeting the eyes of her counterpart, "She was, but it was different. She was bound to try to free the beloved of a Fae entity she served. This seems quite different." Her brows furrow. "My key to all that, was my necklace." She draws out the small puzzle pendant, then tilts her head, "Do you have something like it that your father gave you? Do you know how to use it?" The blue-haired rogue isn't making any assumptions that things run exactly parallel here.

With everyone seeming to be readying to go, Rune closes up her book and tucks it into her bag, checking the rest of her gear before draining the last of her tea. "I think this part of the story goes to you, my friend." She nods to Zeke. "Where you go, I'll follow."

"Whatever the answer may be, we do not have the answer right now. So unless we wish to try and commune with that being ourselves, I think the plan continues to be 'wing it'." He suggests to the crew, motioning out his taloned hand.

"This timeline was meant to be wrapped up. Certain Gods may have felt that more direct intervention would be overlooked.", Simony says quietly, between chews. She pauses to sip tea before continuing. "We must be prepared for that fact. We may face the most dangerous foes we've ever come across. But we must call upon the Light or the Twilight and believe in ourselves."

A final gulp of tea, and she stands, bowing to Telamon, and then Harkashan. "My thanks for your hospitality. I, too, am ready to go."

One gate spell provided by Telamon later, and the group is standing in the jungles of Am'shere...

Where there's a pit in the earth. There's a rumble from beneath the surface, and Shankahar makes a face (as much as sith-makar muscular structure will let him make one that's intelligible to the softskins). "That's the Cave of Sorrow, all right," he says, looking to the others. "It is... infamous. Stories tell of explorers who come in and try to enter. They usually die. But it's never been a--"

His words are cut off as the earth shakes for a moment, and then there's the sound of laughter from further in.

"One moment." Shankahar focuses, then he sighs and looks at the group. "Fiends. Fiends are in there."

Nala blinks, and she clings close to Telanmo. "Fiends?" she squeaks. "I... I don't know..."

"You almost got married to a man as bad as one, I think you can handle a pit fiend, Miss Controller," Yiara signs casually, smirking. "Now let's go and fuck up some demons. Or devils. Or... whatever the hell."

"Right," Nala says with a soft sigh, and then she nods. "Onward."

Into the Cave of Sorrows.

-TBC