"Camiela was the one that stopped Jonathan from whatever was happening. Shamara is the mother of the new gods and it seems to me that sshe's gone and done something on her own. We know that Aiden is on his one side from that note and Lugh just made it clear that the other two were not to be harmed. Seems like Shamara has gotten a little power hungry to me." 

Falaine, back in her elven form, tries to pass off the elf's comment. "I get that a lot." she remains silent for now.

"Greatness is not easily quantified." Jay comments. "Yes, we understand what the network is used for. What I asked was how we can make use of it. It may even be useful in aiding these people who want to be 'guardians' the location of these relics you speak of." Jay's speech is slightly swifter than it was before, perhaps he is getting impatient with what is happening. The talk of these items, perhaps he could mention that one point. However, it is none of his concern finding items for the gods. He has a task, that is what he needs to complete, other tasks come afterwards. He gestures with the illuminated hand. "I may be able to aid, but there is no guarantee..."

 A hint of blush spreads on Tanni's face as Paren corrects her. "Oh. But my point stands, why did Jonathan get stabbed with the shard? Because I will make the one responsible pay for that." Tanni lovers her warhammer from her shoulder and starts tapping it against her palm.

The elf looks to Jay and says, "The circles are a one way trip to the Frozen Shrine. Only the trained Wardens of Lugh are able to access the circles and make the journey. I'm afraid that going to the Frozen Shrine will not help in finding the offerings. It is one of the last places these new gods would be able to get to and contains little reward for them.  

The elf nods at Paren's statement. "I never trusted Shamara. Her acolytes acted more like a cult than I liked. With the Shrine in Holden Heights gone, I'm afraid that I don't know where they'd rendezvous. Holden Heights had always been her main domain. Talos has Caterona. Camiella has Thornwood. And Aiden had all the spaces between."

The elf offers a slight smile at Falaine's deflection. "My apologies. You remind me of a friend I had in the forest before I became a Warden."

When Tanni steps to the elf aggressively, the elf does little to react. "Gods have their way of getting things done. It doesn't always make sense. If Lugh has called on Merveille's aid, then things are far worse than I had imagined. Merveille is less conservative in his approach to problem solving. It would make sense that he's been awoken if the offerings have been taken though. The quicker that the offerings can be returned, the better it will be for all those living here." He thinks for a moment on what Tanni said. "Tell me more of what happened to them."

The other Wardens that stand by their vaults seem to be waiting for orders from the elf as though he is their commander. It's unclear what they plan on doing with the passages out of this place all blocked with rubble. It would be quite the site to see this small army squeezing through the hole in the floor. 

"It seems the circles may have been reworked over the years. We all arrived here using them but none of us have been to the Frozen Grove. We three came from the Red Grove and I don't know where Jay came from." 

"I think you misunderstand the potential of these circles." Jay informs the elf. "They are not bilocational. You may interpret it as a web, and where each thread connects is one of these circles, each with its own pattern to define it. If we potentially altered the formation of the target, it would reach elsewhere; at least that is a current theory."

Tanni lowers her warhammer and begins to explain. "A group of guards of this castle were possessed by Mervielle to search for a shard we had. The shard came from a monument similar to this one," she points at the obelisk," but they were interrupted by a servant. She grabbed the shard and was possessed by Mervielle. Jonathan confronted her and the servant stabbed him with the stone. The shard began corrupting Jonathan but then Camiela appeared and stopped the corruption and released the guards and the servant from the possession. Mind you, we did not see this ourselves, we only heard it through a door and the servant in question explained afterwards what had happened." She lovers her gaze and adds thoughtfully, "As for the relics, I know of only one, the dagger that was taken by followers of Aiden. I'm not sure if it's one of these artifacts, but both Shamara and Aiden wanted it, so it seems important."

The elf seems rather puzzled by Paren and Jay's explanation of the changing in the circles. "That was never the intention and could lead to one compromised shrine being a gateway to all others. These obelisks create a zone where the magics of the new gods cannot enter. If one uses the circle to bypass that protection, they have access to anything we previously thought to be secure."

He turns to Paren. "You said that you lost the Red Shrine? What happened to its obelisk?"

Turning his focus back to Tanni, he says, "Merveille does not have a physical form on this plane like Lugh does. It is possible that Merveille was attempting to empower this Jonathan with the magic of a god in order to fight off the threat if he found Lugh's efforts lacking. Warden Camiela has sworn an oath to protect life and would see this corruption as a blight that needed to be stopped. She has always been the most devout of Lugh; following the creed strictly. Had your friend become a herald of death, only destruction would be left in his wake until the balance was restored."

Hearing of the dagger, the elf nods. "The dagger of Aiden was his offering. It was a blade so sharp it could split hairs and cut memories from those it pierced. Aiden offered it to Lugh as part of the ceremony. If Shamara had been trying to get the dagger, there's only one real use she'd have for it. She planned to kill Aiden and take his power. If Aiden has the dagger, we will have to find it and return it to the sanctuary before he too has plans to gain his full. For now, Lugh doesn't seem concerned with him for whatever reason. Has Talos done anything since all of this happened?"

The elf, feeling confident in the groups role in all of this, begins to describe the offerings.

"Aiden offered his dagger. The blade is made of a material that looks like glass. The hilt is made of bone with ornate carvings that make it look more like a dagger used in a ceremony or sacrifice."

Shamara offered her mother's necklace. It had an abundance of jewels crafted into it and was known to have magical healing properties that could heal the sick or cure the poisoned. It seemed to amplify her magical capabilities to a level beyond any trained wizard that I'd ever met. 

Camiela offered her shield which bore the symbol of Lugh. Her time serving as a Sentinal among the Wardens shaped her into the warrior that Lugh needed. The shield was known to be able to stop any attack that hit the crest no matter the force or intensity. It did little to protect Camiela from attacks from the side, but she was a skilled enough fighter to never have to worry about that. 

Talos offered a rather extensive tome that had been passed down through the generations of his family. It had pages added to it over the years and became a sort of heirloom that chronicled the lives of his ancestors. He'd always had a thirst for knowledge and record keeping. That is most likely why he founded the libraries."

"Talos has not acted from what we have seen." Another very sad look overcomes Paren as he thinks about the Grove. "The obelisk in the Red Grove was broken, snapped in half by a wall of water. Since it's destruction the Grove has been slowly dying, the forest around it looked like fall the last time we visited."

Paren then stops and thinks for a bit. "You're saying that all of the new gods were once mortals like us? That Camiela was a Sentinal and Shamara was a wizard? If this in true then could they walk around in a non-godly form? We have seen an elven man at many of the locations we've investigated, could this be one of them?"

The elf nods to Paren. "If the stone falls, the shrine becomes vulnerable. My Wardens will need to restore the circle here so that we can report to the Frozen Shrine. The Warden there will fill us in on everything else that has happened. If your forest is changing, I will send a team of Wardens to investigate it. They should be able to restore the stone and thus restore the protective aura it offers. If the circles have been manipulated, we'll also need to send a team to investigate the sanctuary. Someone has most certainly used the circle to get there to pilfer the holy offerings. I will be able to look for clues there to hopefully identify the individual capable of such a egregious act. I should be able to convince them to tell me where Shamara has gone."

When Paren mentions the mortal forms of the gods, the elf says, "They were humans before they were gods. Though I'm sure they can make themselves look however they see fit now that they are gods. This elf could be their disguise or someone just interested in what you've been learned. I would be cautious of them though. Those that deal in godly ordeals are often dangerous when left to their own plans."

"I theorise that your adversary is already working these effects. Your ways are archaic and it would be foolish to think that because you do not use the circles in this manner that others will not." Jay tells the elf. "If I require one of these Wardens of Lugh then they will be needed to assist me with my work within the cellar of that duke." Jay shifts the chest on his back, ready to leave this place. It bores him, and there is nothing else of use in his opinion. 

Falaine pulls out the book from the library. "Was Talos's book something like this?"

"I can take a group to the Frozen Shrine, using the circle below us. The Warden there taught me how to use the circles as they function now, in a limited fashion. I can also get another group to the Red Grove. If you are truly going to restore it then I feel it is my duty to be there, I am still the protector of that grove after all." 

Jay seems to be making his way back, regardless of what the rest of the party is doing. "I advise we leave. If you had an assailant who used the circle last night, then it is likely they were searching for one of these items in the duke's estate. Perhaps the shield lies on a coat of arms somewhere in the vast halls or something similar."

Tanni glowers at Jay, sighs and says, "Grim and pale here has a point. People here don't seem to think much of Shamara. We could tell the duke about these relics and ask his help in recovering them. While he uses his connections, we could make chase after the fiend that assaulted the castle and slew those guards and mages."

The elf looks at the book offered by Falaine and says, "It was very similar in size to that one. I don't recognize that binding though. It looks to have been done by one of Merveille's elders. The book at the offering had a much more plain binding." 

All may roll an insight check

He turns to the group and says, "I must confer with the elder before addressing the issues. I implore that you continue your research and we will meet you again when the time comes." He looks to Paren and says, "If the circle still functions here, we will need you to send us to the Frozen Shrine. I will call on you when we're ready to restore the shrine."

Insight: 9

"Very well. The circle is down below us. I can take you all there and then come back here to join my friends." He gestures to the hole in the floor.