Hin nods in Laurence's direction as they walk into the portal. She puts a hand on her shoulder on top of Barburry's, as if to say 'Thank you'. She takes a deep breath in and says, "Well, we wouldn't want to keep Lord Thul and Lord Aldir waiting." She takes a step forward and goes in the direction of  the portal after Laurence. Before she steps in, she looks at Aldir and sighs apologetically. "I'm sorry for keeping you, and for not recognizing you earlier." Unsure of what to say, she adds, "Have a good day," and steps through.

 Hin

Hin & Laurence (& anyone else who steps through the portal)

A god? But what could the great Loreweaver possibly want from us? Still not entirely sure that this isn't some sort of powerful illusion, Mythe follows Hin and Laurence through the portal

Barburry too, continues his gate straight through the portal.

 You all push through the portal.

*You're back in a familiar field. The small cottage in front of you, this time the door wide open. You can see the two miniature winged elephants running around the field again. The sky is still as interesting as ever. The area you're in seems to be lit as if it is day, but the sky is that of the night sky, with exaggeratedly large planets and stars.

Most importantly, looking up in the sky you notice something. Something familiar. The most largest and seemingly closest planet in the sky, you recognize it. It's Weskeilia, and more importantly you can see, albeit small, a complete overview of the Thearrothen Isles. You seem to be looking at the isles you're currently below, or you were below, before stepping through the portal. You soon hear a familiar soft and kind voice "Please, come in. No tricks this time." You all once again see the impossibly handsome visage of Thul. Still wearing a simple set of clothes and a brown apron, though his tunic is a lavender color in place of the white it was last time. "I want to apologize for my trick I played on you a few years-- recently" the man takes a moment before continuing. "You have to understand it's been a while since I've had a mortal visitor, and I thought all methods of travel to my domain were blocked. You managed to find the last one a few ye-- recently" he stops himself again "I had to be sure there were no other ways of travel here, and you couldn't be here while I did. But my pie has just finished, please, come in and join me for a piece."

(OOC: *Taken from post #323 spoiler. For anyone who enters his home, it is not a fruit pie he is talking about. As you enter you smell wonderful aroma of pizza pie. A delicacy that doesn't yet exist on Weskeilia.)

The firbolg conjurer momentarily leaves his consciousness as he enters and smells the freshly crafted dish. As he is prone to do, he uses Scritches sense of smell to attempt to identify ingredients ( a trick that has helped immeasurably in spicing his food appropriately).

Scritches Perception 12

Barburry returns to his own consciousness as Scritches scrambles out of his pocket with happy screeches, only stopping to offer overly enthusiastic bows to Thrull before trying to snag a small piece of food. "Scrreeeetch dook door doooook chibble."

 Barburry

Deeply unsettled, embarrassed, and still a little frightened by the exchange with Aldir, Hin walks towards the cottage slowly. She pulls out her repurposed notebook agin, and tries to take more in-depth notes about this plane. A feeling of awe is added to the confusing mix of emotions when she sees the islands above her head; she attempts to quickly sketch out the landscape and Weskeilia in a few different labeled figures in between the lines of her notes. As she approaches the cottage, she puts her notebook back in her bag. 

"Of course," she chides at Thul, "I'd like to apologize for our actions, too." She steps in and takes a deep breath, taking in the aroma. "This smells good. You say it's a pie; what kind of pie? It doesn't smell like a dessert pie."  She pauses for a second, recollecting her thoughts. After a moment of consideration, she decides it's safe enough to let out at least a few of the questions she's bottled up for the past few weeks, and a few new ones. "Forgive me, but I have so many questions from the last time we came here. Time doesn't work in the same way it does in Weskeilia, does it? And why did you call us here today? Do you still record history? Where is this place, rather, what is this place? What exactly are those gilded elephants that are playing outside? Why did you cut off almost all connection to Weskeilia? How much of history have you recorded? What counts as history?" She's tempted to go on, but decides against it. She feels like she's talked too much already today. 

"Time very much works differently here than it does on Weskeilia. I can change the flow of time here to give me ample time to record everything." Thul cuts a slice of his pizza pie, giving each person a plate with a single slice on it. "Once upon a time a day on Weskeilia was a week here, now though, a single day on Weskeilia is an entire year here. Sometimes I have to extend the flow on particularly busy days." the deity puts his hand on your shoulder Hin "Don't worry, I summoned you all back to answer the questions that have been simmering inside you since your first accidental visit. Those little guys" he points outside towards the two playing elephants "are hollyphants. They make wonderful companions..unfortunately, they are almost completely extinct. Dancer and Whimsy there are two of the five still alive. They refuse to breed, and we deities have absolutely no idea why. As for where you are -- you're in the Sapphire Nexus. A divine domain of my own creation. A few others reside here as well, though they will not be of bother to you." Thul takes a moment as you rapid fire off your last few questions "I hear everything, and record most everything. History has no need to know exactly what time you woke up this morning. I know it, but others have no need for it. Open travel to a divine domain is dangerous, and can cause issues on the Prime Plane. Therefore Aldir was tasked with removing any permanent portals leading to a divine domain before he went missing. Very obviously, he didn't get to mine in time."

Donavera Isemist

Vera silently munches on the delicious piece of pizza pie and leaves some crumbs for Zodiac. She's still taken aback by the fact that Aldir could listen to her temper tantrum through a channel which was supposed to be encrypted. Does it mean that Thul had known about her desire too?

When Thul, the loreweaver shares information about different course of time, she suddenly starts coughing. She will gulp down a mouthful of water from her waterskin, trying to clear her throat so that she can prepare to speak. "I've traveled from Tepest to Toril, but I didn't encounter any sort of issues. Last time when we stumbled upon the portal to your domain, nothing happened that might suggest disruption in the timeline of Weskeilia. Isn't it contradictory? Or am I missing something of grave importance?"

Roquefort immediately squeaks and reaches its little grubby hands out for the pizza pie, Laurence rolls their eyes briefly and places the plate on the ground so the opossum can have at it, but not before breaking off a part for themself. Chewing thoughtfully, they take in Thul's words, "ah, that is why Lord Aldir disappeared from records... May I ask why he had to suddenly seal off all the portals?"

Time is weird. Thul can just change time to his will. Okay. By now, Laurence's sense of disbelief towards the extent of magical potentiality has somewhat been numbed. They swallow the pie and cover their mouth with a hand, wiping off any crumbs, before adding on to Vera's question, "there doesn't seem to be any issue that came about from us travelling to this realm, at least from what we and our professor know." Hesitantly, they ask, "has there been an issue with us travelling between realms? Is this visit affecting something we are yet to know of?"

"I know not of your true desires, hexling." He looks in your direction Vera. "Yes. I can read your mind. Only when you're around me, otherwise I only know what you do, not what you wish to do. I record history so I see everything as it happens, not before. I know not your intentions, only your consequences." Now listening to you as you speak Vera and listening to Laurence's addition to your question "It's not so much traveling between realms that is the issue. It's difficult to explain. Permanent portals, especially ones connected to a domain where time can be changed on a whim, have the potential to effect the area around them." Thul mulls about for a moment, seemingly trying to come up with a better explanation or example "Say you were all standing around my portal as you were once upon a time. And while you were, I changed the flow of time here. The laws of my domain effect a small area around any portal connected to the domain. You could have all aged millions of years in a matter of seconds, dying instantly. Being here, with the current flow of time, nothing will change except you. You'd have to spend an entire year here to even be missing for a full 24 hours on Weskeilia. Your bodies will continue to age appropriately though, so you'd return a year older, though being fully grown, it would be extremely difficult for others to see. The issue is being on Weskeilia and being under the effects of an outside domain at the same time. That is where the consequences begin."

"Aldir took it upon himself once to make the life of mortals easier. He created portals to some divine domains, allowing mortals to travel between worlds. We didn't know of these consequences at the time, and the portals were causing mortals to die unexpectedly in very bizarre ways. Spontaneous combustion and rapid mummification being the most common. So, he was tasked with removing all of his portals from the Prime Plane." Thul looks around at each of you "I truly brought you here only to answer question. I have seen what happens to those who meet the divine, and never get their questions answered. I know each of your histories and you truly have something to give; I'd like to see you all keep your current path. You may leave whenever you wish by simply stepping through my doorway again, but this may be the last time you ever see me."

Diligently writing all of this down, Hin is in awe. Thul's hand on her shoulder doesn't feel real, none of this feels real. But boy, does it feel glorious. She takes a bite out of the slice of pie that was given to her, and continues writing. All of the history of the world, and all I have to do is ask.

"Thank you, for this opportunity. And the pie. It's good." Not giving herself even a second to breathe, she launches right back into a sequence of rapid-fire questions as they come to mind. "Since you could speed up and slow down your perception of time on Weskeillia at will, does that mean that you know, or could know, what happens in the future? Why bring us here, three weeks later---in Weskeillian time---instead of three weeks ago, or even later? Where are the other hollyphants? Is there anyone researching why they refuse to breed, or have you just accepted that as fact? Do you have any other interests, other than recording the history of, well, everything? Are there other planets other than Weskeillia? Other universes?" She stops and thinks again. I wonder if I should ask him about my parents. Or maybe that's a mystery better solved on my own time, at my own pace.

The images of pages ripped from books and nights alone, thinking become lodged into her mind. She leans over to Thul, keeping her voice low, trying to prevent her companions from hearing. She's not trying to be secretive, she's just self-concious. "And one more thing. As much as I want to know about what actually happened to my parents, I'll save that for when I'm ready to discover more. But, I've become stuck in a little rut here. I've been looking into how my parents died, and I've seen a lot of pages missing from the books I've picked up. Any idea on who I could ask about those?"

"hah" Thul chuckles "No, the future is not my department. I only know the past. I can speed time up, slow it down, or even halt it, but never reverse it." As you ask why he brought you here, Hin, and why he waited so long "honestly? An old man gets lonely from time to time. It's refreshing to have the company of someone who thinks differently than I do, and mortals think very differently than us deities. I had some things to take care of when you originally appeared, I needed time to prepare." As you finish asking your final question in quiet, and before the deity can respond an absolutely stunning silvery skinned celestial appears in the doorway to the cottage and speaks up "Loreweaver! I realize you asked for no interruptions, but this deems the need for an interruption. The hollyphants are missing. I called for them for feeding, and they're no where to be found. You know Dancer and Whimsy, they never miss a meal, and they almost always beat us to mealtime." Thul looks slightly concerned as he speaks, though his tone betrays his looks. "What terribly wonderful news. An adventure for the ages. I think I'll call this one The Hunt for Dancer and Whimsy." You notice the celestial rolls his eyes "This is serious Loreweaver-" but Thul cuts him off "yes, it's very serious, but the people for the job are sitting right here with me now." He looks towards all of you now "What do you say? Would you help a lonely deity find his missing companions?"

The silver skinned celestial has beautiful white feathered wings on his back, and while his facial features are very basic and unmemorable, just looking at him, you get the sense this is the epitome of what it means to be beautiful. For the lack of features, this celestial is definitely the most beautiful thing any of you have ever seen.

Laurence opens their mouth but decides against it and just nods along as the Loreweaver explained. What good would it be to ask if people are on their tracks? They don't have another place to go other than the academy. Roquefort finishes the pie at this point and climbs back onto Laurence's shoulder, crumbs and all. They dust off the crumbs without even looking and smile appreciatively at Thul for explaining, "I did not expect the divine to have all the answers, anyhow. I personally don't have any questions for the present, since anything I can think of is out of my control... but do you happen to know the Khi'mur house and Kaethius house in the 3rd era? We were looking at discoveries about these houses before we were invited here."

With a small bow, Laurence acknowledges the arrival of the celestial. They peek at the celestial and Thul, in slight perplexion more than anything else. Why is everyone so attractive? Is it a feature of this realm? Is this also enchantment? Clearing their throat, they answer, "Lord Thul, I would be honoured to help locate the hollyphants. However, before we depart, may we have some more information about the Sapphire Nexus first?"

Previous to being interrupted by the celestial

 "I do know of your history, yes." Thul hums looking towards Laurence and Mythe "your ancestors took part in the raid of Dae Y'sa, a small elven village. In the remains of the village three infants laid. Your ancestors took them. The infants grew, living as servants, for many generations, in fact, until just before the fall of..us." His facial expressions turn grim as he says this "Your ancestors provided the elves with nobility and a mystical boon which provided the Kaethius' with their superb magical powers and connection to the weave."

Up to date

Thul looks at you Laurence, and you get the feeling he's listening to your thoughts "it's a celestial thing. Mortals find calm and trust in beauty, so celestials present themselves this way. It makes it easier for messenger celestials like Sathiel here to deliver messages to mortals."

"What would you like to know? The Sapphire Nexus is my home. There are no threats to you here, unless you anger a celestial, though they have been instructed to not obstruct you while you're here. I will be going with you anywho ... I wish to go on another adventure." Thul stands up "surely we can walk and talk, yes?" You all watch as an absurdly over the top suit of very decorated white plate armor apparates around Thul's form. In similar fashion, shortly after, two white greatswords apparate on his back. "Alright!" he claps his gauntleted hands "I am ready!" You all notice, where you're use to hearing metal clanging with heavy armors, his armor is dead silent. "Where should we go first?"

"Poor critters.  Well I've never turned from a creature in need.  Sure we will lend a hand.  Is there anything in the place we should be wary of?"  Barburry tries to mind his thoughts but they come unbidden anyway.  This seems pretty menial for gods and celestials...can't they just make them appear when they want?  How are we of such interest?  I have probably just fainted in the cave and imagined this whole thing.

Scritches on the other hand is loathe to leave this "pie".  Indeed even as Barburry stood up, the ferret runs around all of the firbolg's head grabbing morsels of the pie stuck in Barburry's beard and then the ones in his hair atop his head where the ferret had been supping on his god given delight. "Dook chirp chirp sreetch dook!"

Scritches says:

Slightly disappointed, but not sure if she should also feel relieved, Hin lets out the air she had been holding in as she waited for Thul's response. She finishes writing her notes, and puts her book back in its holster on her belt, while waving her quill away with an elegant flourish. In response to his offer, she's speechless once more. Of course! I would love to! she thinks, forgetting that she has to speak in order for her enthusiasm to show. She shakes her head, fingering her brooch, and tries again. "Of course, I would love to!"

She stands in awe as Thul transforms, and she feels the need to do so as well. Maybe once we get outside, I'll get a better feel for it.  "I'm not sure where to go, you know the Sapphire Nexus better than we do." With an over-the-top flourish that matches that of the extravagance of his suit, she points out the door. "Lead the way! Adventure awaits!" She is completely captivated by his excitement, caught up in the promise of adventure in a new dimension.

Donavera Isemist

Vera eagerly takes in all the information, as much as she can so that she might incorporate these in her own arcane research. She attempts to figure out the true form of that particular celestial creature, at the same time realizing the fact that her level of intelligence might not be sufficient enough for the task. Thus, she will assume a fictional form of the celestial in her mind.

"I agree with your opinion regarding celestials' temporary shape. In fact, I've seen Mother Lorinda assuming a humanoid, less deplorable physique while socializing. But, you know, she rarely reverts to her actual shape believing that it will affect our sanity."

She shudders at the thought of seeing the dark lord in her true form, wishing that she could have an opportunity to undo the encounter. "Aldir told me something about Mother, it sounded a lot like a prophesy. Do you know what he actually meant to say? Thul, will I really cease to exist?"

Barburry exits the home and walks towards where the 2 aviating pachyderms were last seen.  Releasing Scritches, he looks as the ferret (Weasel) survey the area... the firbolg looking for signs of any other creatures and the ferret trying to fetch a scent.