Aisha has nothign to add currently.

Harmony listened to Hyperion, and then Mitsi as she was shocked. "Returned, as in Undead. They're usually evil and not nice back in our world, but you don't seem bad though." she had said back. Once she had heard Garu, she thought about it. "Only started recently? Wait, what if Kayel is the one who did this, and this is what we have to stop?" Harmony had then suggested to Garu and Aisha.

As Mitsi announces Hyperion's 'life-challenged' status, he chuckles a little bit at the absurdity of it, but quickly falls silent when he realizes that no jest was being made.  The strange woman's countenance was stone-sober, her explanation made too much sense.  The lights of his armor flicker and dim once again, his bearing much more subdued as the man grapples with his situation.  He only half-hears Harmony's suggestion that 'Kayel' was the cause.  He wordlessly causes some of the enchanted sections of his splint mail armor to shift, revealing a pallid arm beneath the steely gauntlet.

"Ah."

Aisha crosses her arms, effectively covering her otherwise bare chest as she listens to what everyone was saying around her. her tail flicks with annoyance though not at anything in particular. Though this time, something harmony said triggered a thought or two in her own mind, aside from the fact that she was surprised no one in the library cared about her situation at all - then again there were more pressing things on the table, and she wasn't doing it for that reason (for once). Aisha had noticed the constant 'flicking of lights' and other small oddities, the way the 'man' moved and acted, but it hadn't really clicked in her head (though she was likely wrong in her assumption anyway...

He does seem akin to a .. whatever those things magic people use to guard things. The metal ones, and the rrrock ones... the things that prretend to be statues until you get near, or touch something. But if he is a corpse, with his ... purrsonality intact.. wouldn't he be a ..  she struggled for a moment, trying to think of the word, lich, but it wasn't one she knew... she knew what she was trying to say but didn't have the word for it. One of those dangerous undead that kill themselves to...live forever? Orr.. if like Harrmony said, this is Kayels doing, then Aisha suspects the city will need to be put on guarrd.... as raising the dead rarrely leads to 'happy' outcomes..... But if it is the case... it just means we're going to be busy.

Aisha, unless the 'allied deities' 'recovered' our 'stamina' like a long rest, she will suggest the party get a good nights sleep before anything else, and proceeds the next day to get started on looking into anything.

Mitsi nods along with Aisha, her eyes still squinted in their study of Hyperion.

"I do not believe that the Returned are a threat to our city...not by themselves, at least, for there may indeed be a greater menace at the heart of it. I will suggest to you the same that I have suggested to the others. Whatever memories remain, wherever it is that causes you to feel a pull, or a longing...seek it out. There is surely a reason that those memories remain, as there is surely a reason that you are Returned," she says.

"And for the rest of you...is there anything I can do for you? Some clothing, perhaps..."

Harmony listens to Aisha and Mitsi, nodding and thinking of anything else. "Do you know of Arketh? How can we get there as fast as possible?" she then asked, remembering now that they need to go there.

Aisha shook her head 'no' in reference to the 'need for clothes'  - sure, the clothes would be fresh, but she hadn't had a chance to get out of the ones she had removed earlier in what felt like months. What Harrmony said. The long and short is... one of the deities betrrrayed the others - for whatever rrreason. Each time we come back, there seems to be some greaterr issue. But it seems the forrrmula is the same. There is some crazed creatures... so far scaled folk, and most rrecently ogre-kin. 

Each of them seems to gatherr together near .. wherever they're intending to unleash their 'diety' or whatever you wish to call it. When we defeat the.. 'thing' that seems to be the mead to the alcoholic... she said, hoping the order would understand she meant catalyst but didn't know the proper word for it, as she shifted from leaning on one foot to the other... And when it is destroyed.... the first time.. if Aisha recalls... it was a dam. And rrrecently it was a skull ... totem ... thing - It tends to explode or something like an explosion.

So Aisha suggests that you speak with the guard and let them know that we made this suggestion... but keep an eye out for large gatherings. In every story this one has ever hearrd, that had a 'hero' or whatever you wish to call them... this city is likely the next place that such a thing will happen. That or Arrketh. 

And no offense to our frriend here, but I believe the rrreturned as you call them arre the most likely to either be the grrreatest counter force against what is to come.... or they will be the one who causes it. When we rreturn let us know if such things occur. 

Mitsi nods along with Aisha, "Yes, your words echo those of Ruskivek's leadership. Trust me when I say that a very close eye is being kept on the Returned. The whole city is terrified, and guard patrols have tripled. I'm sure you noticed the difference in the streets."

Turning to Harmony, she says, "Yes, as I mentioned, Arketh is quite some distance. On foot, it will be a lengthy journey for you - months, at even a brisk pace. I do know of one less...conventional means of getting there. It is potentially harrowing and unpredictable, but if there is a crew that can manage it, they are standing before me."

'He', that is to say, Hyperion, doesn't interject immediately as the conversation continues.  If he's offended by Aisha's terminology, the heavy armor serves to help hide it.

"I understand everyone's trepidation regarding the undead in general.  However, for a crime to be a crime there must generally be either intent or negligence.  I did not intend to do this to myself, certainly, nor do I know how I could have prevented it.  I'm not even sure how it happened."

Here, he pauses, uncertain if he wants to speak further.

"You. . . tell me to follow the call, the longing, if I hear it.  But if there was a catalyst for these other disasters, involving large numbers of a type of people. . . and the Returned are suspect. . . should I be concerned that the call is a siren's song?"

Garu listens intently to the situations developing. She looks at Hyperion - "You seem sincere about your concern with the issues confronting us. So far, I have been challenged in figuring out what to expect next from this wicked scenario that has been exposed to us. You must be in the same position."

Harmony listens to everyone, feeling bad for Hyperion as she nods. "It's okay. You didn't ask to be returned after all and you seem like a good person. So we'll figure it out together and keep you from going bad if it happens, alright?" she says to him with a smile. "What is the other way of getting there then? Surely we can handle it!" Harmony then asks Mitsi.

Mitsi answers Hyperion in a much more playful tone than his. "That, my dead friend, is not for me to determine. I know two things; one, do not question the words of the companions you have found yourself alongside, no matter how ridiculous they may sound on the surface...and two, if there is anybody that you want to have at your side when the siren draws you in, it is they."

She winks at the rest of the party before anyone can react to the praise. "You might say Benedict was an apprentice of sorts. I've heard of your exploits in Lyrikav last year. You made quite the crater where a certain set of statues once stood."

Lastly, she explains to Harmony, "You may remember that arcane guilds in the great standing cities each control access to the moons of our world through teleportation circles. One may reach the fiery hellscape of Vandyr from here, or the fairer Galasir from Lyrikav. From Arketh, one can reach the fey moon of Skogyr. Suffice it to say, you could cut your travel time to Arketh significantly by reaching Skogyr, and teleporting to the city from one of their portals there. Ordinarily that would be quite a feat, but Skogyr is a...tricky little celestial orb."

"There are a number of places in this world that have been touched by the fey, where a connection to their spirit lingers. At the right time, during the twilight hour, one could find themselves transported to Skogyr simply by being in these conduits - conduits that are largely avoided, mind you, for this method of transportation is highly unreliable. You never know where you are going to end up, or how unhospitable a place you will wind up in."

Aisha had been paying attention ,less out of interest and more out of necessity. Not paying attention meant this would all last longer, and increase the odds of failure. But her mind almost instantly latched onto a few specific words that Mitsi says. Impatiently allowing the woman to finish her words... Since Aisha generally liked Mitsi.. she was willing to wait that much atleast. Then mitsi's last few words caught her attention as well. Aisha's tail flicking with anxious impatience by this point, crossing her arms more tightly before saying:

This one supposes she shouldn't be surprised at this point, but you said we left a crrraterrr at statues ''last year" ... so it is safe to assume we have been 'gone' for a year. Swimming through time... apparently. she said aloud, not caring anymore if it held any implications that may raise eyebrows. Not as though she wasn't surprised a bit herself. Doesn't matter much either way. How long ago did all this 'resurrecting' start again? And do you have any clues as to where these 'dangerous and unpurrdictable things may be?

"Mmm...now I can't say exactly when the Returned started arriving in this world, but their arrival to Ruskivek has begun only within the last tenday, as I mentioned. As for the conduits to Skogyr, there is a pond deep within the forest west of the city that is one such place. Some have said that as twilight draws near, the area smells strongly of roses," Mitsi answers.

Harmony listened to Mitsi, surprised by the praise before hearing the last year. "Last...year? Wait, it's been a year?!" she said back, confused and wondering what happened since then. Weren't they in a rush to save this world? How is everything still okay after all this time and why did it take so long for them to come back? Then she heard about how to get Arketh via Skogyr and the conduits. "I was coached by a fey back in my world some time after I first discovered my magic and left home, so maybe we'll be lucky and get to the right place through my connection." Harmony had said back with a smile, hoping that would be the case. But she wasn't sure how different the fey are here compared to back in her world.

Aisha perks up to that information, too world-weary to be shocked by the 'year' news, considering they had all been summoned by force to another world entirely to begin with anyway... 

If you can mark it on a map, even if the location is only general.... Aisha can trrry to find it from there. That would be appreciated. But one last thing before we go.... well purrhaps two.... Aisha has hearrd enough of these stories to believe this city may become a 'final battleground' of some sort, so have everyone make prrreperations. Maybe even get the citizens out of the city and leave only fighters here so that the fighters can focus on fighting and not prrrotecting a legless beggerrr.

And We will pay if you can handle getting us some food for the rroad, and if the others wish it... some horrrses. Aisha can rride T'savi. to which the Panther seems less than pleased. Huffing.

"Well, you seem to drastically underestimate three things," Mitsi chuckles, "The number of people in this city that can hold their own in a fight, my ability to organize a mass exodus, and the number of places this world has to hold that many people. Nevertheless, I assure you that the Order's eyes are upon everything that is transpiring. If something happens from all of this, we will do our best with the information we have been given."

She repeats her instructions to find this method of transportation to Skogyr, and provides directions to reach the forest it resides within.

Harmony listened to Aisha and then Mitsi, nodding back and paying attention to the instructions and the directions. "Thank you for all the help. Okay, we should get ready and prepared then before heading out." she said back to everyone, smiling as she was ready to get going on all that they need to do.

OOC: Sounds like things have wrapped up here at the Order of Thalassa. If the party is heading to this forest now or gearing up beforehand, I'd like to get confirmation of that before assuming that you're heading straight for it.

((OOC: Ready to move on.))