"Amazing", Vin says as he looks over the mural. "Vox Tontritor is but one of many siblings, birthed to this giant, each sent to a different plane", he adds looking at the giant figure.
He then shifts his focus to see what detail there is of the other children, and the other planes they were sent to.
"If Vox Tontritor became a god in this plane, it stands to reason that the other children were equally powerful. And yet we do not know of such an entity in our plane. Do we?".
He watches Hector and then the other Shadar-Kai descend the stairs, not really sure what to make of it all, especially the fog that brings the chill.
"I guess each elder occupies a different area of this place?", he surmises as they go in different directions.
"Doesn't every people think their god is the strongest god?" Sam asks offhandedly as Vin inquires of such on our own plane. "Their dude had lightning from the get go and so was special over the rest of the children who went elsewhere... Typical arrogance, no?"
Sam hasn't paid over much attention to the mural but now looks at it a bit more closely. "Which one is supposed to be Elthana's clone?"
Muir looks atthe children of the original giant....It wouldn't make sense to him that Nivarra would be one of the children...She had siblings. He takes a close look at all of the children to see if he recognizes any of them from his research. "If these are the ones who created the planes we live in it wouldn't make sence that one of these would be Nivarra....perhaps she's behind a different curtain. If we think about the daughters of the fae realm...there were several from one...perhaps we can recognize which of these went to the fae realm."
“Perhaps it is a history”, Vin suggests. “This would be the beginning of life on this plane. Nivara would come later, as you say Muir, behind a different curtain”.
Upon closer inspection of the other children of the original giant, Gewyn, Vin and Muir find no distinguishable characteristics, simply symbols used as place holders for the fact that Vox Tontritor indeed had siblings.
Moving over to the next mural the curtain is pulled back and another story is revealed,
The storm giant holds the lands together, now fully grown. There are sentient beings in the lands now and an evil has begun corrupting them and the land itself, a neighbouring realm is shown and inside a great battle between two symbols, one of a raven with it's skull showing, the other of a dead snake choking on its own tail. The giantess gathers the spirits of Thaeir, the essence of air itself and gives these spirits form. The spirits are sent off to watch closely over all of the isles, but one. For the last isle the giantess takes a bone from her own body and concentrates the air around it to form a dragon, a child of her own. Lumithor, he is sent to the last isle to guard the realm from the neighbouring plane which now only holds the dead snake symbol as the raven leaves the circle of the realm and now shows three highlights, it's ribs, it's skull, and a shadow of energy surrounding it.
The female shadar-kai exits the door to the ground floor west wing, and by her side is a wizened kobold draped in furs and walking with a crystal staff which radiates arcanum. They make little fuss of the party observing the murals and instead enter through the doors to the main hall, closing the doors behind them.
Muir finishes up looking at the first mural and comments "5 children but 7 realms....perhaps our realm does not have a giantkin, same as the celestial realm." Muir pauses a moment "Sam didn't you mention something about a giant and the mining town you come from....Chattel was it? Now there is a portal there....Coincidence?" Muir lets it linger before moving on to the second mural. "Ah this is the battle between the Raven Queen and Nectyran. The Raven Queen sacrificed her own plane to trap Nectyran. This is what Lumithor guarded and Nivarra sought...the shadowlands. See these here Vincent....the rib, skull and shadows....this is what's left of the Raven Queen....We have all met the skull, Morris, but you...." Muir stops and coughs a bit "These murals are fascinating"
"Chattel?" Sam grunts noncommittally as he chews it over in his head.
“Not me,” Sam finally answers.“My parents though.Or if me not for long.But earliest memories are here… Well, Marblestead.They came there from Chattel.More or less with Jimmy… And Drawlin, my friend from the forge.Once upon a time Chattel was Orc and Dwarf lands.Eventually others came in wanting to mine and strip the land…. You know, as they do.Anyway, until ‘modernization’ or whatever, the Orcs and Dwarves lived on and worked the land peacefully enough.They cared for it.Tended to it.Before my time though… All I really know is what Jimmy told me.My parents are from there.They had the acorns even before he did.He held on to them until I came into my own, I guess….”
“I don’t really about no giant though,” he adds, slumping on the bench and resting from all the thinking and talking.Sheesh, how does Muir do it all day?“I think there is some connection…. Between Giants and Orcs.Maybe Dwarves.But what do I know?Nothing, really.I know the language.Parents taught me when I was young.I know a bit of their runes…. That’s what lets me do some of the weird stuff I do.Not sure if the ‘rents taught me or what though…. But that’s it.That’s all I know.”
Elthana hangs back a bit as the others dive into the murals. She's honestly worried about what she might learn. As they move on to the next one, she does peer over though, giving them a look, she can't help herself.
She does take the parchment from Sam, a few choice words she chokes back as she does, figuring now isn't the time, her head is swimming as it is. She starts writing randomly as she looks. She does her best to keep her face out of sight as the elders come in and out of the room.
Vin hears Muir start to speak, but his focus is on the part of the mural with the forming of Lumithor.
"If this is true, Lumithor was created using a piece of Vox Tontritor herself. No wonder the piece Sergor took is capable of allowing the treasury to float. And no wonder it is considered sacrilege to take it from this plane", he mumbles full of concern. How will they persuade these elders to let them take another?
Realising that Muir is speaking of the Raven Queen, he simply nods at the part unspoken, before trying to concentrate on what Sam is saying.
"Surely there is difference between these giants, and regular giants.Why do you think the giant in Sam's past is one of these?", he asks of Muir, not knowing much of Sam's history. Or, at least, having forgot what he did know.
Muir all too happy to explain "You see Vincent, Chattel's portal is linked to the realm of earth, similar to the way Marblestead is linked to here. If there are giants in the earth realm, which seems plausible with the children being sent to other planes, it is all too possible that those giants mingled with folks in Chattel creating a larger race of humanoid begins in our plane. Just a hypothesis until I can read the history books or travel to the realm of earth itself. Wouldn't that be a treat."
"Hard to imagine," Gewyn says, "All of these realms and peoples, this world being so much wider than just the mortal plane, and with us being none the wiser for so long. Stories can fade over time. But it's curious that the histories have been preserved here, despite far more time passing compared to our home. Makes one wonder if history has been intentionally buried."
But his attention is not fully on the mural. He eyes the shadar-kai and kobold over his shoulder, taking in whatever he can of the duo.
Muir hmms loudly "That is an interesting point you make Gewyn. These histories are clearly recorded here but yet not where we come from....I had to cojole my way into Cavalcade to do research there. It seems these histories are tucked away with little to no access....but I suppose when you are a vampire that's lived as long as Sergor, you wouldn't want that hisotry out either....."
"I am surprised no-one has noticed that he has been around forever and never ages", Vin adds about Sergor, a little confused as to how it wasn't common knowledge.
"I have been seeing his home, there are pictures of his 'father' and 'grandfather' going back generations, but it is painfully obvious to those who are looking hard enough that they are all Sergor but with having differing clothing styles and hair. Maybe people are not caring enough to notice these things over the years" Griff responds to Vin.
As the interested part of the group finish taking in the second mural, the tall doors to the east wing open and out comes Hector followed by a 12ft tall blue giant, his lower body mostly made of mist, the air in the room drops to a deathly chill and Muir and Elthana recognise with horror a mist giant, it doesn't seem to attack and hector is more than comfortable around it. "Vin, Gewyn, if you'd join us. Everyone else we won't be a moment."
(Vin and Gewyn I'll take the next part in your shared channel in discord and let the rest of the group talk here if they wish)
Letting the others discuss the mural and Sergor's past, Elthana gets a response from the bag. Scowling as she reads it, she looks up to the group, "We have less than a day."
She then holds out the letter to anyone if they want to read it, "I do believe that Hog is fine there. If it was me, I wouldn't leave the treasury either. But I do wish they would tell us more."
Elthana gives a start when she sees the mist giant and about to get ready to defend herself when she sees Hector's body language. "Vin, Gewyn, you alright? Don't be gone long."
"Is he free to share whatever he wishes with us?" Sam asks though trying not to be accusatory about it. "If they are holding his tongue then he is still a captive." Sam accepts the letter and gives it a read before passing it on to whoever is next.
"Ask if he can ease up on the AC, will ya?" he grumbles about the mist giant...
"Not sharing everything with us is not holding him captive. He can leave whenever he'd like."
The letter for those around that want to read it, (not Vin and Gewyn obviously):
'Elthana, I'm relieved that your stubborn associate finally saw sense and handed over the bag. As I stated to him, Hog is not being kept here, he is free to leave whenever he pleases but has chosen to stay to be close to the bag and watch over it. His constant need to fill you in on the happenings here are unimportant, that has been decided by not only me but other council members. Please stay on task, the retrieval of that lodestone is the number one priority, you have less than a day. I gained the original lodestone as a gift from Akiin, it was part of a collection of relics that he had attained via his military's expeditions, likely before travel to that isle was prohibited by their giantess god. I'm happy to hear that Hector is alive, I shall inform Mori immediately, please have him return to us as soon as possible. Sergor'
up to the second mural and mutters to Muir, "I am wondering if that is where the story ends because that is when this Ilse began worshiping Nectyran, and that is when they were punished for their heracy..." His taloned finger traces the snake within the circle depicting nectyran's imprisonment...
As Vin and Gewyn enter the hall with hector and the elders, neferox sits and waits, her nose near touching the door, she anxiously exhales and whimpers faintly.
"Amazing", Vin says as he looks over the mural. "Vox Tontritor is but one of many siblings, birthed to this giant, each sent to a different plane", he adds looking at the giant figure.
He then shifts his focus to see what detail there is of the other children, and the other planes they were sent to.
"If Vox Tontritor became a god in this plane, it stands to reason that the other children were equally powerful. And yet we do not know of such an entity in our plane. Do we?".
He watches Hector and then the other Shadar-Kai descend the stairs, not really sure what to make of it all, especially the fog that brings the chill.
"I guess each elder occupies a different area of this place?", he surmises as they go in different directions.
"Doesn't every people think their god is the strongest god?" Sam asks offhandedly as Vin inquires of such on our own plane. "Their dude had lightning from the get go and so was special over the rest of the children who went elsewhere... Typical arrogance, no?"
Sam hasn't paid over much attention to the mural but now looks at it a bit more closely. "Which one is supposed to be Elthana's clone?"
Muir looks atthe children of the original giant....It wouldn't make sense to him that Nivarra would be one of the children...She had siblings. He takes a close look at all of the children to see if he recognizes any of them from his research. "If these are the ones who created the planes we live in it wouldn't make sence that one of these would be Nivarra....perhaps she's behind a different curtain. If we think about the daughters of the fae realm...there were several from one...perhaps we can recognize which of these went to the fae realm."
“Perhaps it is a history”, Vin suggests. “This would be the beginning of life on this plane. Nivara would come later, as you say Muir, behind a different curtain”.
Upon closer inspection of the other children of the original giant, Gewyn, Vin and Muir find no distinguishable characteristics, simply symbols used as place holders for the fact that Vox Tontritor indeed had siblings.
Moving over to the next mural the curtain is pulled back and another story is revealed,
The storm giant holds the lands together, now fully grown. There are sentient beings in the lands now and an evil has begun corrupting them and the land itself, a neighbouring realm is shown and inside a great battle between two symbols, one of a raven with it's skull showing, the other of a dead snake choking on its own tail. The giantess gathers the spirits of Thaeir, the essence of air itself and gives these spirits form. The spirits are sent off to watch closely over all of the isles, but one. For the last isle the giantess takes a bone from her own body and concentrates the air around it to form a dragon, a child of her own. Lumithor, he is sent to the last isle to guard the realm from the neighbouring plane which now only holds the dead snake symbol as the raven leaves the circle of the realm and now shows three highlights, it's ribs, it's skull, and a shadow of energy surrounding it.
The female shadar-kai exits the door to the ground floor west wing, and by her side is a wizened kobold draped in furs and walking with a crystal staff which radiates arcanum. They make little fuss of the party observing the murals and instead enter through the doors to the main hall, closing the doors behind them.
Muir finishes up looking at the first mural and comments "5 children but 7 realms....perhaps our realm does not have a giantkin, same as the celestial realm." Muir pauses a moment "Sam didn't you mention something about a giant and the mining town you come from....Chattel was it? Now there is a portal there....Coincidence?" Muir lets it linger before moving on to the second mural. "Ah this is the battle between the Raven Queen and Nectyran. The Raven Queen sacrificed her own plane to trap Nectyran. This is what Lumithor guarded and Nivarra sought...the shadowlands. See these here Vincent....the rib, skull and shadows....this is what's left of the Raven Queen....We have all met the skull, Morris, but you...." Muir stops and coughs a bit "These murals are fascinating"
"Chattel?" Sam grunts noncommittally as he chews it over in his head.
“Not me,” Sam finally answers. “My parents though. Or if me not for long. But earliest memories are here… Well, Marblestead. They came there from Chattel. More or less with Jimmy… And Drawlin, my friend from the forge. Once upon a time Chattel was Orc and Dwarf lands. Eventually others came in wanting to mine and strip the land…. You know, as they do. Anyway, until ‘modernization’ or whatever, the Orcs and Dwarves lived on and worked the land peacefully enough. They cared for it. Tended to it. Before my time though… All I really know is what Jimmy told me. My parents are from there. They had the acorns even before he did. He held on to them until I came into my own, I guess….”
“I don’t really about no giant though,” he adds, slumping on the bench and resting from all the thinking and talking. Sheesh, how does Muir do it all day? “I think there is some connection…. Between Giants and Orcs. Maybe Dwarves. But what do I know? Nothing, really. I know the language. Parents taught me when I was young. I know a bit of their runes…. That’s what lets me do some of the weird stuff I do. Not sure if the ‘rents taught me or what though…. But that’s it. That’s all I know.”
Elthana hangs back a bit as the others dive into the murals. She's honestly worried about what she might learn. As they move on to the next one, she does peer over though, giving them a look, she can't help herself.
She does take the parchment from Sam, a few choice words she chokes back as she does, figuring now isn't the time, her head is swimming as it is. She starts writing randomly as she looks. She does her best to keep her face out of sight as the elders come in and out of the room.
Vin hears Muir start to speak, but his focus is on the part of the mural with the forming of Lumithor.
"If this is true, Lumithor was created using a piece of Vox Tontritor herself. No wonder the piece Sergor took is capable of allowing the treasury to float. And no wonder it is considered sacrilege to take it from this plane", he mumbles full of concern. How will they persuade these elders to let them take another?
Realising that Muir is speaking of the Raven Queen, he simply nods at the part unspoken, before trying to concentrate on what Sam is saying.
"Surely there is difference between these giants, and regular giants.Why do you think the giant in Sam's past is one of these?", he asks of Muir, not knowing much of Sam's history. Or, at least, having forgot what he did know.
"Neferox smells giant-kin approaching", Vin whispers. "A scent that was faintly present in Sergor's basement portal room too".
He looks about towards the doorway emanating the chill fog.
Muir all too happy to explain "You see Vincent, Chattel's portal is linked to the realm of earth, similar to the way Marblestead is linked to here. If there are giants in the earth realm, which seems plausible with the children being sent to other planes, it is all too possible that those giants mingled with folks in Chattel creating a larger race of humanoid begins in our plane. Just a hypothesis until I can read the history books or travel to the realm of earth itself. Wouldn't that be a treat."
"Hard to imagine," Gewyn says, "All of these realms and peoples, this world being so much wider than just the mortal plane, and with us being none the wiser for so long. Stories can fade over time. But it's curious that the histories have been preserved here, despite far more time passing compared to our home. Makes one wonder if history has been intentionally buried."
But his attention is not fully on the mural. He eyes the shadar-kai and kobold over his shoulder, taking in whatever he can of the duo.
Insight: 8
Muir hmms loudly "That is an interesting point you make Gewyn. These histories are clearly recorded here but yet not where we come from....I had to cojole my way into Cavalcade to do research there. It seems these histories are tucked away with little to no access....but I suppose when you are a vampire that's lived as long as Sergor, you wouldn't want that hisotry out either....."
"I am surprised no-one has noticed that he has been around forever and never ages", Vin adds about Sergor, a little confused as to how it wasn't common knowledge.
"I have been seeing his home, there are pictures of his 'father' and 'grandfather' going back generations, but it is painfully obvious to those who are looking hard enough that they are all Sergor but with having differing clothing styles and hair. Maybe people are not caring enough to notice these things over the years" Griff responds to Vin.
As the interested part of the group finish taking in the second mural, the tall doors to the east wing open and out comes Hector followed by a 12ft tall blue giant, his lower body mostly made of mist, the air in the room drops to a deathly chill and Muir and Elthana recognise with horror a mist giant, it doesn't seem to attack and hector is more than comfortable around it. "Vin, Gewyn, if you'd join us. Everyone else we won't be a moment."
(Vin and Gewyn I'll take the next part in your shared channel in discord and let the rest of the group talk here if they wish)
Letting the others discuss the mural and Sergor's past, Elthana gets a response from the bag. Scowling as she reads it, she looks up to the group, "We have less than a day."
She then holds out the letter to anyone if they want to read it, "I do believe that Hog is fine there. If it was me, I wouldn't leave the treasury either. But I do wish they would tell us more."
Elthana gives a start when she sees the mist giant and about to get ready to defend herself when she sees Hector's body language. "Vin, Gewyn, you alright? Don't be gone long."
"Is he free to share whatever he wishes with us?" Sam asks though trying not to be accusatory about it. "If they are holding his tongue then he is still a captive." Sam accepts the letter and gives it a read before passing it on to whoever is next.
"Ask if he can ease up on the AC, will ya?" he grumbles about the mist giant...
"Not sharing everything with us is not holding him captive. He can leave whenever he'd like."
The letter for those around that want to read it, (not Vin and Gewyn obviously):
'Elthana, I'm relieved that your stubborn associate finally saw sense and handed over the bag. As I stated to him, Hog is not being kept here, he is free to leave whenever he pleases but has chosen to stay to be close to the bag and watch over it. His constant need to fill you in on the happenings here are unimportant, that has been decided by not only me but other council members. Please stay on task, the retrieval of that lodestone is the number one priority, you have less than a day. I gained the original lodestone as a gift from Akiin, it was part of a collection of relics that he had attained via his military's expeditions, likely before travel to that isle was prohibited by their giantess god. I'm happy to hear that Hector is alive, I shall inform Mori immediately, please have him return to us as soon as possible. Sergor'
Muir takes a quick peak at the letter and scoffs...."Well let's see what's behind curtain number 3. I have not seen Nivarra yet and am quite curious."
up to the second mural and mutters to Muir, "I am wondering if that is where the story ends because that is when this Ilse began worshiping Nectyran, and that is when they were punished for their heracy..." His taloned finger traces the snake within the circle depicting nectyran's imprisonment...
As Vin and Gewyn enter the hall with hector and the elders, neferox sits and waits, her nose near touching the door, she anxiously exhales and whimpers faintly.