“I agree with your wise counsel, Rum. Let us not be swayed from our intended destination, friends. I propose we proceed with all due haste, but keeping an eye out for Gmork and any other dangers that may be present.”Kaede adds with a competent whisper.
The band begins a quick procession down the thoroughfare they're on, passing between houses that are populated by moving shadows as they go. More than one of the jade buildings whispers out to them, whispers hideous things that are barely heard...
"You think you can esscape from me?" The Gmork says as the entrance to the Underdark, a pavilion with marbled columns over a yawning maw that leads into the bowels of the world. "You're pathetic. I will be there with you every sstep of the way on your journey and I will take you one by one by one..."
Lady Kaede whispers to herself "The Way of the warrior is to be found in dying, you scared mewling!" in response to Gmork's whisper. She'll then proceed to march, unwavering, through the pavilion into the tunnel leading to the underdark.
"This Gmork says we are pathetic, but it is the one crawling through shadows afraid to come out", Rum says shaking his head. "Let it's words wash over you fellow Remnants, for they are no more than the incessant chirping of a cricket or the buzz of a fly that you can't quite see".
"You see, our destination is at hand, at least the first waypoint anyway".
With that he carries on, his senses focussed now on the entrance before them and his body alert for any threat that comes their way, be it Gmork or something else.
The pavilion is made of jade, marble, and floored with lapis lazuli. It's beautifully and ornately crafted, like whoever made it made it with utmost care. It's roughly fifty feet across and deep and built in a giant hexagonal pattern, with a mouth that rises up and out of the ground that reveals a spiraling staircase leading into the underworld.
There are noises coming up from the underworld, but no immediately clear threats like surround them on the surface.
"I'll follow you." Gmork whispers from the dark. "You'll never be ssafe. You'll never be so far from me that I won't be able to get you when I am ready. I will sstalk you every sstep of the way, I will circle your camp in the night and drag you away one by one until I have killed you all. All of you. And when you are gone the Nothing will have thiss world and all of the pathetic beingss in it!"
"It is strange, fellow Remnants. The city is alive with shadowy creatures, but I do not see Gmork amongst them", Rum says as he approaches the stairs.
"As for the staircase, allow me to check out the path ahead a ways, and see if something lies in wait", he offers.
"If not, perhaps we can wait for Gmork a little further down. Although I am not sure Gmork is actually a threat right now, there is far too much talk and too little action", he whispers.
As Rum finishes the thought regarding the Gmork not being a threat, he spots something down the stairs, something moving. Watching it for a moment, he sees a humanoid roughly his own size. It wears bizarre clothing, vestments, purple skin, a bald head...its face is covered in tentacles...
"We have a problem, fellow Remnants. Something is coming. Those who were there when Ro opened the box will recognise it, it's one of the creatures that took him!", he says backing away towards the others.
Clink, clank. The sound of metal colliding upon metal can be heard as the figure takes several steps up the stairs. These steps are taken slowly and deliberately, with each banging of metal separated by the same amount of time. Like a slow beat of a drum, the tune is almost hypnotic as it hails in the mysterious figure. The being stops short maybe 10 to 15 steps from Rum, still enshrouded in relative darkness. Before any more of the figure's appearance is revealed, the first thing that becomes clear is their violet eyes. They almost seem to glow in the dark.
The figure steps halfway into the light, revealing more of itself but still keeping its face hidden in the dark. It wears black vestments littered with straps and belts that prevent Rum from gleaming any more information about the figure's equipment. As if to answer that curiousity, the being begins to unstrap several belts which allows the front of the vestment to open up. The gap in clothing reveals the chest piece to a set of plate mail; it seems to have been the source of the clanking. It's a set of armor that, though generic, seems somewhat familiar to the dragon-monk tabaxi.
As Rum gazes at the figure, the figure seems to do the same. Its purple eyes scan up and down the tabaxi. The glare focuses in on the tabaxi's forearm and the purple eyes widen.
"I see you still wear the bangle I made you..."
The figure's left hand peers out from the vestments. Wielding a shield, the figure uses the reflective property of its metal to catch the light behind the tabaxi and bounce it onto the figure's face. It was an illithid, tentacles and all, but with a very familiar set of purple eyes...
Rum doesn't relax from the fighting stance he instinctively takes up as the creature closes on him, cocking his head to the side as he scans the figure before him. Looking closely, his eyes narrow.
"What trickery is this?", he almost hisses. "You really claim to be the companion lost mere weeks ago? You take me for a fool?", he adds as he starts to circle the being claiming to be his one time friend and ally of the Twilight Embers.
"This bangle was made for me by my friend, Ro Aleron, self proclaimed False Knight. In reality he was truly the Misguided Knight. I know not who or what you are".
And yet, the longer he looks into those purple eyes...
Jek stares at the creature that came up from below. He recognizes some of the equipment, but never really interacted with Ro too much. "Umm... Rum... What is happening? Uhh, do we fight? And there still the you-know-who out there!" While Rum is distracted, Jek will make sure to keep a watch on there backs, to ensure they don't get ambushed.
The illithid stands still as the tabaxi circles around him. When their gazes lock, the illithid's eyes give away no signs of what the alien may be thinking. They simply return the stare.
"Yes, I truly was misguided. But now I see with eyes unclouded," the illithid raises his other arm. As he does this his vestments shuffle a bit, revealing a glimpse of a sword strapped to his waist. With Rum being as perceptive as he is, the tabaxi notes that Kazek, Ro's sentient spellbook, is nowhere to be seen. The illithid raises out his free hand, a display to show that he meant no harm.
With his arm stretched out, numerous scars and lacerations can be seen on the illithid's exposed skin. In fact, it seems that wherever there is skin, scars and cuts follow. However, these scars were not the usual battle damage Rum's old friend once sported in his knightly training days. These were deliberate cuts into flesh. Every scar, every laceration, every cut was made in the shape of some arcane rune.
"Ro the False Knight was riddled with wounds, both physical and emotional. They hindered him. Prevented him from seeing the world for what it was, causing him to be unready for the consequences of being weak. Consequences which lead to the death of Greko and my own father... But now, I see. And I am far from weak. I am False Knight no longer..."
The illithid further removes the vestments that cover his arm to reveal the bare arm in its entirety. Predictably, it too, is covered in scars and wounds in the shape of arcane runes. Some are a lighter shade of purple as they sport scarred skin that has healed over, while others have the muddied red of oxidized blood and gore. All varying in shape and color, however at the illithid's command, each rune etched into his arm faintly glows red in the darkness. With a snap of his fingers, a rainbow-feathered hummingbird appears from thin air and perches itself on the illithid's finger.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
At first, Lady Kaede is quite alarmed by the approaching stranger, following Rum’s lead in assuming it’s something evil. She’s nearly ready to pounce, and in a flash of steel, behead this stranger for daring to approach the way it did. However, once it names itself, Kaede let’s her guard down a couple notches.
”Amongst my people, red is said to scare away evil spirits and represent protection, strength, peace, and power. That’s the kind of help we need, on our mission. What say you, curious stranger? Are you noble of intention, or do you share bread with the evil we are charged to vanquish?”
Rum does not take his eyes off the creature claiming to be Ro the Red, but replies to Jek making sure that he can hear.
"I don't know, friend Jek. Ro felt he was weak and wanted a quick path to power, that was why he opened the cube that brought the otherworldly creatures down upon us. Whatever this warped and twisted version of Ro is was birthed from whatever malevolent power those creatures possessed. How, I don't know. Whether the Ro we know is still in there, I don't know".
He shakes his feline head slowly as he surveys the growing red runic lesions across Ro's arm, as Lady Kaede addresses him.
"Ro the Red", he repeats under his breath as he too waits for the answer to Lady Kaede's question, his focus coming to rest on Prim. "Yes do tell us, Ro the Red. What are you doing here? And what have you done with Kazek?"
"Hurtful words, Rum. Or so they would have been, once upon a time. But I've come to shed such emotions,"the illithid turns his head to acknowledge Kaede and Jek, "I WAS weak. And now, I simply no longer am. You speak of me as though my current form was birthed from the death of the Ro you last saw. Let me correct that. There was no death; only growth. You wouldn't say a caterpillar had to die for a butterfly to emerge, now would you? Furthermore, you wouldn't claim a butterfly to be warped or twisted... just... different. I am merely different."
Upon the inquiry upon Kazek's wellbeing, the illithid remains silent for a short moment before responding, "Kazek was a spirit in a spellbook. He was a kind spirit who sought to teach and empower me. But what I needed was not something he could offer, nor something he would ever want to provide. The plane I was taken away to was my cacoon. And as I learned and grew, Kazek determined that I was no longer in need of him, nor did he want to stay to watch what I was becoming. There was no quarrel; simply a difference in philosophy. So with civility, we ended our relationship and Kazek went on his way."
"As to what I am doing here, that is a complicated question with a long answer. To put it as shortly as possible, I was here for the Shard of Division. You see, time flows differently between this plane and the one I was taken away to. Rum, I recall you saying that it has been weeks since you've lost me. For me it has been years. And with those years, I have been working endlessly. I've honed my body, mastered new spells, and have amassed a wealth of knowledge. All so that I may one day return to Hyboria and eliminate the darkness that ails her.
"I was able to determine where the Shard of Division was and was planning to make use of the Cenobites plane shifting abilities to seize the crystal for myself. I was going to take it back to the other plane where I could take my time examining and experimenting with it. In hopes of gleaming new findings and, potentially, new powers from it. Afterwards, I was going to return back here with it, where only a matter of days would have passed. I planned to return the shard back to the heroes of Hyboria and re-enter the fray against the dark forces.
"Alas, not everything goes to plan. Something went awry as I tried to plane shift back to here. Not only was I sent to a place far from the shard; it seems there was a lag in the plane shift. So now not only will I be unable to take the shard; it seems I will have no time to experiment with the shard myself. A pity indeed."
After the longwinded, short answer, the illithid looks at Kaede. Their time knowing each other was extremely brief and, for the illithid, it had been years since they last saw each other. But the illithid was able to recognize the warrior from the ferocity she exuded. "Though I had not planned it so, it seems Hyboria has decided for herself that it is time I return. Greko once told me red symbolized power and proficiency with diplomacy. The time for diplomacy with the enemy has long passed. So let us have our combined powers do the talking, and I'm sure together we can do more than just scare away a few evil spirits."
"Enough with talking, there is a time and a place for such and this is not it. Not with Gmork loose about us." Wo-Dan turns to face Ro, "I don't know who, or what even you are, but we must move on from here and swiftly. This stairway is a natural place to set an ambush so if you would stand with us, then do so and let us move on."
“Let the Gmork attack if it will, it is what we have been waiting for after all, Remnant Wo-Dan. And with respect, these words are important”, Rum says holding a finger out to Wo-Dan indicating to wait.
He responds to Ro the Red. “A caterpillar turning into a butterfly is a part of their natural life cycle, and effects nothing but the caterpillar. What you did was call upon dark powers to come to this world and turn you into something different. Do you not understand what you did was as much of a betrayal as Lelith’s actions? What happened to you is neither natural nor did it only affect you. You say you are now better. I will reserve judgement, because there are more measures of better than mere knowledge and power. You say you wanted to study the Shard of Division, to take it away. That tells me you still thirst for power, thinking of yourself only, ignoring the consequences”, he says, his words tinged with regret and sadness.
“If you think you can use us to obtain the Shard for yourself, think again. I will not make the same mistake, you will not lay a finger on the Shard while there is breath in my body. So tell me, Ro the Red, would you betray me again? Would you go through me to further your personal agenda? Or will you pledge yourself to the cause, put your personal quest for power aside, and help us?”, he says as he looks his former friend in the eyes, maintaining the contact as he finishes his piece.
He takes careful note of everything Ro the Red says, not just the words, but the inflections, change in his breathing and body language, trying to determine whether Ro the Red was being truthful.
As Jek keeps watch, he finally notices Darla. She is intently staring at the new comer, a slight hiss coming from her. Oh no.
Jek moves in front of Darla, bending down to be face to face with her. Darla reluctantly looks at Jek, mostly because he's blocking her view. "Darla, we worked on this. We knew we would eventually see them again. They are not worms. People who can talk are not food. Right? Good." Darla looks at Jek, then looks around him towards Ro the Red. Then back at Jek. She hisses at Jek, pecks at him, then turns and ignores everyone while surveying the surroundings.
Jek sighs in relief. Then keeps his watch while letting Rum deal with his... friend?
"It is more than fair that you would be angry at me for welcoming the cenobites to this plane of existence. If betrayal is how you see it, I will not argue that point. I made the choice to complete the Lament Configuration, and as you said others also had to pay the price. But you see, amongst all the chaos, therein lies the one constant: cause and effect.
"I was weak and the price was the death of Greko and my father. Cause. And. Effect.
"Of course I thirst for power! Tell me Rum, for how long could you allow others to pay the price for your weakness? I am sorry that you and the others had to deal with the cenobites upon my taking, but that is the last time I shall allow my weakness to hurt others. You were there the day Greko and my father were murdered in cold blood. You know firsthand the overwhelming power the dark lord wielded against us. Am I a fool to pursue such power for myself? We can only combat overwhelming power with overwhelming power. If it was my weakness that lead to the death of those I care for, then it shall be my strength that defends those that remain!
"My personal agenda is to see that those I care for make it through this era of destruction. Which can only be achieved if we stop the dark forces. Which can only be achieved if we are strong enough to defeat them!" the illithid pauses to compose himself from his passionate outburst.
"I thought I had more time, Rum. A cushion of time in which I could study the shard before Hyboria's heroes came looking for it. But because of the hiccup in my plane shift, that is no longer the case. Hyboria needs the shard, and I will do everything in my power to make sure she gets it. Of course I will aid you. You have never been anything else less than a dear friend, even now that holds true...
The illithid pauses once more. It seems as though his mind goes elsewhere for a moment, remembering a distant memory. The alien then looks back to Rum with silently fierce eyes, "But I will not hesitate to kill you should you defect to the dark forces. Just as I will not hesitate next I see that traitor, Lelith."
"Cenobites? What are those? Never have I heard of such a thing.... In fact during all my years in Hyboria I have never seen a creature like this Ro, what is going on here? Why is Rumble so intent on this being?"
“I understand how you feel, Ro. I saw what you saw, and although it was not my father that died, I felt the bitter taste of failure when he was killed. When Lelith turned and Greko sacrificed himself and the Embers were forced to turn on each other. Our power was always in our teamwork, our togetherness, but that fell apart in the face of the Lord of Darkness”, Rum says and his posture softens, realising his old friend still shares his own passion for defeating the darkness and his own anger at the thought of betrayal.
“You took that defeat on yourself. You always thought you alone had to be powerful enough to defeat the darkness, but that wasn’t and isn’t true. We have to be strong enough. I never abandoned hope of saving your father, of turning the tables on the Lord of Darkness, now combined with Ganondorf to become Ganon. I cannot do the former, but I am still doing my utmost towards the latter”, he adds and let’s out a long sigh.
“By the Great Dragon it is good to see you Ro. Even in this form, even after what happened”, he finally admits.
“It has been but two weeks, but much has changed. Lady Kaede has proved a strong ally. Tuto left. Oten has not been the same, he is still processing what happened I think, but it is like some other program is directing his actions now”, he says glancing at the large figure of Oten.
“Greko has returned, I am not sure by what means. He has not sought me out since and left quickly after, so I am suspicious. But most of all you should know, Lelith returned and there was a trial organised by Atreyu. She claimed she was coerced over a long period and has been set free with no consequence other than an instruction to make amends. I abide by the decision, but we both know Lelith does not take instruction”, he says with a shake of his head and a low growl at mention of Leliths' trial and abiding by the decision.
“If it is safe down the steps from which you came, maybe we should move as we talk, as you suggest Remnant Wo-Dan”, he says finally, giving Wo-Dan a nod.
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“I agree with your wise counsel, Rum. Let us not be swayed from our intended destination, friends. I propose we proceed with all due haste, but keeping an eye out for Gmork and any other dangers that may be present.”Kaede adds with a competent whisper.
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
The band begins a quick procession down the thoroughfare they're on, passing between houses that are populated by moving shadows as they go. More than one of the jade buildings whispers out to them, whispers hideous things that are barely heard...
"You think you can esscape from me?" The Gmork says as the entrance to the Underdark, a pavilion with marbled columns over a yawning maw that leads into the bowels of the world. "You're pathetic. I will be there with you every sstep of the way on your journey and I will take you one by one by one..."
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
Lady Kaede whispers to herself "The Way of the warrior is to be found in dying, you scared mewling!" in response to Gmork's whisper. She'll then proceed to march, unwavering, through the pavilion into the tunnel leading to the underdark.
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
"This Gmork says we are pathetic, but it is the one crawling through shadows afraid to come out", Rum says shaking his head. "Let it's words wash over you fellow Remnants, for they are no more than the incessant chirping of a cricket or the buzz of a fly that you can't quite see".
"You see, our destination is at hand, at least the first waypoint anyway".
With that he carries on, his senses focussed now on the entrance before them and his body alert for any threat that comes their way, be it Gmork or something else.
Perception: 10+11=21
The pavilion is made of jade, marble, and floored with lapis lazuli. It's beautifully and ornately crafted, like whoever made it made it with utmost care. It's roughly fifty feet across and deep and built in a giant hexagonal pattern, with a mouth that rises up and out of the ground that reveals a spiraling staircase leading into the underworld.
There are noises coming up from the underworld, but no immediately clear threats like surround them on the surface.
"I'll follow you." Gmork whispers from the dark. "You'll never be ssafe. You'll never be so far from me that I won't be able to get you when I am ready. I will sstalk you every sstep of the way, I will circle your camp in the night and drag you away one by one until I have killed you all. All of you. And when you are gone the Nothing will have thiss world and all of the pathetic beingss in it!"
DM of AURYN: The Measure of Devotion - Escape from New York
"It is strange, fellow Remnants. The city is alive with shadowy creatures, but I do not see Gmork amongst them", Rum says as he approaches the stairs.
"As for the staircase, allow me to check out the path ahead a ways, and see if something lies in wait", he offers.
"If not, perhaps we can wait for Gmork a little further down. Although I am not sure Gmork is actually a threat right now, there is far too much talk and too little action", he whispers.
As Rum finishes the thought regarding the Gmork not being a threat, he spots something down the stairs, something moving. Watching it for a moment, he sees a humanoid roughly his own size. It wears bizarre clothing, vestments, purple skin, a bald head...its face is covered in tentacles...
"We have a problem, fellow Remnants. Something is coming. Those who were there when Ro opened the box will recognise it, it's one of the creatures that took him!", he says backing away towards the others.
Clink, clank. The sound of metal colliding upon metal can be heard as the figure takes several steps up the stairs. These steps are taken slowly and deliberately, with each banging of metal separated by the same amount of time. Like a slow beat of a drum, the tune is almost hypnotic as it hails in the mysterious figure. The being stops short maybe 10 to 15 steps from Rum, still enshrouded in relative darkness. Before any more of the figure's appearance is revealed, the first thing that becomes clear is their violet eyes. They almost seem to glow in the dark.
The figure steps halfway into the light, revealing more of itself but still keeping its face hidden in the dark. It wears black vestments littered with straps and belts that prevent Rum from gleaming any more information about the figure's equipment. As if to answer that curiousity, the being begins to unstrap several belts which allows the front of the vestment to open up. The gap in clothing reveals the chest piece to a set of plate mail; it seems to have been the source of the clanking. It's a set of armor that, though generic, seems somewhat familiar to the dragon-monk tabaxi.
As Rum gazes at the figure, the figure seems to do the same. Its purple eyes scan up and down the tabaxi. The glare focuses in on the tabaxi's forearm and the purple eyes widen.
"I see you still wear the bangle I made you..."
The figure's left hand peers out from the vestments. Wielding a shield, the figure uses the reflective property of its metal to catch the light behind the tabaxi and bounce it onto the figure's face. It was an illithid, tentacles and all, but with a very familiar set of purple eyes...
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
Rum doesn't relax from the fighting stance he instinctively takes up as the creature closes on him, cocking his head to the side as he scans the figure before him. Looking closely, his eyes narrow.
"What trickery is this?", he almost hisses. "You really claim to be the companion lost mere weeks ago? You take me for a fool?", he adds as he starts to circle the being claiming to be his one time friend and ally of the Twilight Embers.
"This bangle was made for me by my friend, Ro Aleron, self proclaimed False Knight. In reality he was truly the Misguided Knight. I know not who or what you are".
And yet, the longer he looks into those purple eyes...
"This cannot be, can it?"
Jek stares at the creature that came up from below. He recognizes some of the equipment, but never really interacted with Ro too much. "Umm... Rum... What is happening? Uhh, do we fight? And there still the you-know-who out there!" While Rum is distracted, Jek will make sure to keep a watch on there backs, to ensure they don't get ambushed.
The illithid stands still as the tabaxi circles around him. When their gazes lock, the illithid's eyes give away no signs of what the alien may be thinking. They simply return the stare.
"Yes, I truly was misguided. But now I see with eyes unclouded," the illithid raises his other arm. As he does this his vestments shuffle a bit, revealing a glimpse of a sword strapped to his waist. With Rum being as perceptive as he is, the tabaxi notes that Kazek, Ro's sentient spellbook, is nowhere to be seen. The illithid raises out his free hand, a display to show that he meant no harm.
With his arm stretched out, numerous scars and lacerations can be seen on the illithid's exposed skin. In fact, it seems that wherever there is skin, scars and cuts follow. However, these scars were not the usual battle damage Rum's old friend once sported in his knightly training days. These were deliberate cuts into flesh. Every scar, every laceration, every cut was made in the shape of some arcane rune.
"Ro the False Knight was riddled with wounds, both physical and emotional. They hindered him. Prevented him from seeing the world for what it was, causing him to be unready for the consequences of being weak. Consequences which lead to the death of Greko and my own father... But now, I see. And I am far from weak. I am False Knight no longer..."
The illithid further removes the vestments that cover his arm to reveal the bare arm in its entirety. Predictably, it too, is covered in scars and wounds in the shape of arcane runes. Some are a lighter shade of purple as they sport scarred skin that has healed over, while others have the muddied red of oxidized blood and gore. All varying in shape and color, however at the illithid's command, each rune etched into his arm faintly glows red in the darkness. With a snap of his fingers, a rainbow-feathered hummingbird appears from thin air and perches itself on the illithid's finger.
"... I am Ro the Red."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
At first, Lady Kaede is quite alarmed by the approaching stranger, following Rum’s lead in assuming it’s something evil. She’s nearly ready to pounce, and in a flash of steel, behead this stranger for daring to approach the way it did. However, once it names itself, Kaede let’s her guard down a couple notches.
”Amongst my people, red is said to scare away evil spirits and represent protection, strength, peace, and power. That’s the kind of help we need, on our mission. What say you, curious stranger? Are you noble of intention, or do you share bread with the evil we are charged to vanquish?”
Perception: 18
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
Rum does not take his eyes off the creature claiming to be Ro the Red, but replies to Jek making sure that he can hear.
"I don't know, friend Jek. Ro felt he was weak and wanted a quick path to power, that was why he opened the cube that brought the otherworldly creatures down upon us. Whatever this warped and twisted version of Ro is was birthed from whatever malevolent power those creatures possessed. How, I don't know. Whether the Ro we know is still in there, I don't know".
He shakes his feline head slowly as he surveys the growing red runic lesions across Ro's arm, as Lady Kaede addresses him.
"Ro the Red", he repeats under his breath as he too waits for the answer to Lady Kaede's question, his focus coming to rest on Prim. "Yes do tell us, Ro the Red. What are you doing here? And what have you done with Kazek?"
"Hurtful words, Rum. Or so they would have been, once upon a time. But I've come to shed such emotions," the illithid turns his head to acknowledge Kaede and Jek, "I WAS weak. And now, I simply no longer am. You speak of me as though my current form was birthed from the death of the Ro you last saw. Let me correct that. There was no death; only growth. You wouldn't say a caterpillar had to die for a butterfly to emerge, now would you? Furthermore, you wouldn't claim a butterfly to be warped or twisted... just... different. I am merely different."
Upon the inquiry upon Kazek's wellbeing, the illithid remains silent for a short moment before responding, "Kazek was a spirit in a spellbook. He was a kind spirit who sought to teach and empower me. But what I needed was not something he could offer, nor something he would ever want to provide. The plane I was taken away to was my cacoon. And as I learned and grew, Kazek determined that I was no longer in need of him, nor did he want to stay to watch what I was becoming. There was no quarrel; simply a difference in philosophy. So with civility, we ended our relationship and Kazek went on his way."
"As to what I am doing here, that is a complicated question with a long answer. To put it as shortly as possible, I was here for the Shard of Division. You see, time flows differently between this plane and the one I was taken away to. Rum, I recall you saying that it has been weeks since you've lost me. For me it has been years. And with those years, I have been working endlessly. I've honed my body, mastered new spells, and have amassed a wealth of knowledge. All so that I may one day return to Hyboria and eliminate the darkness that ails her.
"I was able to determine where the Shard of Division was and was planning to make use of the Cenobites plane shifting abilities to seize the crystal for myself. I was going to take it back to the other plane where I could take my time examining and experimenting with it. In hopes of gleaming new findings and, potentially, new powers from it. Afterwards, I was going to return back here with it, where only a matter of days would have passed. I planned to return the shard back to the heroes of Hyboria and re-enter the fray against the dark forces.
"Alas, not everything goes to plan. Something went awry as I tried to plane shift back to here. Not only was I sent to a place far from the shard; it seems there was a lag in the plane shift. So now not only will I be unable to take the shard; it seems I will have no time to experiment with the shard myself. A pity indeed."
After the longwinded, short answer, the illithid looks at Kaede. Their time knowing each other was extremely brief and, for the illithid, it had been years since they last saw each other. But the illithid was able to recognize the warrior from the ferocity she exuded. "Though I had not planned it so, it seems Hyboria has decided for herself that it is time I return. Greko once told me red symbolized power and proficiency with diplomacy. The time for diplomacy with the enemy has long passed. So let us have our combined powers do the talking, and I'm sure together we can do more than just scare away a few evil spirits."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
"Enough with talking, there is a time and a place for such and this is not it. Not with Gmork loose about us." Wo-Dan turns to face Ro, "I don't know who, or what even you are, but we must move on from here and swiftly. This stairway is a natural place to set an ambush so if you would stand with us, then do so and let us move on."
“Let the Gmork attack if it will, it is what we have been waiting for after all, Remnant Wo-Dan. And with respect, these words are important”, Rum says holding a finger out to Wo-Dan indicating to wait.
He responds to Ro the Red. “A caterpillar turning into a butterfly is a part of their natural life cycle, and effects nothing but the caterpillar. What you did was call upon dark powers to come to this world and turn you into something different. Do you not understand what you did was as much of a betrayal as Lelith’s actions? What happened to you is neither natural nor did it only affect you. You say you are now better. I will reserve judgement, because there are more measures of better than mere knowledge and power. You say you wanted to study the Shard of Division, to take it away. That tells me you still thirst for power, thinking of yourself only, ignoring the consequences”, he says, his words tinged with regret and sadness.
“If you think you can use us to obtain the Shard for yourself, think again. I will not make the same mistake, you will not lay a finger on the Shard while there is breath in my body. So tell me, Ro the Red, would you betray me again? Would you go through me to further your personal agenda? Or will you pledge yourself to the cause, put your personal quest for power aside, and help us?”, he says as he looks his former friend in the eyes, maintaining the contact as he finishes his piece.
He takes careful note of everything Ro the Red says, not just the words, but the inflections, change in his breathing and body language, trying to determine whether Ro the Red was being truthful.
Insight: 17+11=28
As Jek keeps watch, he finally notices Darla. She is intently staring at the new comer, a slight hiss coming from her. Oh no.
Jek moves in front of Darla, bending down to be face to face with her. Darla reluctantly looks at Jek, mostly because he's blocking her view. "Darla, we worked on this. We knew we would eventually see them again. They are not worms. People who can talk are not food. Right? Good." Darla looks at Jek, then looks around him towards Ro the Red. Then back at Jek. She hisses at Jek, pecks at him, then turns and ignores everyone while surveying the surroundings.
Jek sighs in relief. Then keeps his watch while letting Rum deal with his... friend?
"It is more than fair that you would be angry at me for welcoming the cenobites to this plane of existence. If betrayal is how you see it, I will not argue that point. I made the choice to complete the Lament Configuration, and as you said others also had to pay the price. But you see, amongst all the chaos, therein lies the one constant: cause and effect.
"I was weak and the price was the death of Greko and my father. Cause. And. Effect.
"Of course I thirst for power! Tell me Rum, for how long could you allow others to pay the price for your weakness? I am sorry that you and the others had to deal with the cenobites upon my taking, but that is the last time I shall allow my weakness to hurt others. You were there the day Greko and my father were murdered in cold blood. You know firsthand the overwhelming power the dark lord wielded against us. Am I a fool to pursue such power for myself? We can only combat overwhelming power with overwhelming power. If it was my weakness that lead to the death of those I care for, then it shall be my strength that defends those that remain!
"My personal agenda is to see that those I care for make it through this era of destruction. Which can only be achieved if we stop the dark forces. Which can only be achieved if we are strong enough to defeat them!" the illithid pauses to compose himself from his passionate outburst.
"I thought I had more time, Rum. A cushion of time in which I could study the shard before Hyboria's heroes came looking for it. But because of the hiccup in my plane shift, that is no longer the case. Hyboria needs the shard, and I will do everything in my power to make sure she gets it. Of course I will aid you. You have never been anything else less than a dear friend, even now that holds true...
The illithid pauses once more. It seems as though his mind goes elsewhere for a moment, remembering a distant memory. The alien then looks back to Rum with silently fierce eyes, "But I will not hesitate to kill you should you defect to the dark forces. Just as I will not hesitate next I see that traitor, Lelith."
Ro Aleron (Ro the Red) -> Illithid, Wizard 8 (Chronugist) // AURYN
To Jek Wo-Dan asks,
"Cenobites? What are those? Never have I heard of such a thing.... In fact during all my years in Hyboria I have never seen a creature like this Ro, what is going on here? Why is Rumble so intent on this being?"
“I understand how you feel, Ro. I saw what you saw, and although it was not my father that died, I felt the bitter taste of failure when he was killed. When Lelith turned and Greko sacrificed himself and the Embers were forced to turn on each other. Our power was always in our teamwork, our togetherness, but that fell apart in the face of the Lord of Darkness”, Rum says and his posture softens, realising his old friend still shares his own passion for defeating the darkness and his own anger at the thought of betrayal.
“You took that defeat on yourself. You always thought you alone had to be powerful enough to defeat the darkness, but that wasn’t and isn’t true. We have to be strong enough. I never abandoned hope of saving your father, of turning the tables on the Lord of Darkness, now combined with Ganondorf to become Ganon. I cannot do the former, but I am still doing my utmost towards the latter”, he adds and let’s out a long sigh.
“By the Great Dragon it is good to see you Ro. Even in this form, even after what happened”, he finally admits.
“It has been but two weeks, but much has changed. Lady Kaede has proved a strong ally. Tuto left. Oten has not been the same, he is still processing what happened I think, but it is like some other program is directing his actions now”, he says glancing at the large figure of Oten.
“Greko has returned, I am not sure by what means. He has not sought me out since and left quickly after, so I am suspicious. But most of all you should know, Lelith returned and there was a trial organised by Atreyu. She claimed she was coerced over a long period and has been set free with no consequence other than an instruction to make amends. I abide by the decision, but we both know Lelith does not take instruction”, he says with a shake of his head and a low growl at mention of Leliths' trial and abiding by the decision.
“If it is safe down the steps from which you came, maybe we should move as we talk, as you suggest Remnant Wo-Dan”, he says finally, giving Wo-Dan a nod.