PeaceKeepers of Northmorrah

The bard and the spider continue their conversation through the last leg of the journey, keeping somewhat to themselves as Gewyn probes the old ward of the Fae land of winter for information connected to his destiny. The group as they approach are headed off by a patrol of griffon riders wearing shenohan garb. Hector flinches a little, his time being a wanted man working on stealing resources for the shattered isle seems to have built a bit of muscle memory into him as his vampiric claws momentarily show as the guard approaches. They fly along side you all and identify the group for who you are, the djiini having at least the forethought to have warned of your return.

As you are escorted to the hall of the elders upon the mount of the shattered isle, you find that the meeting of the djiin is still going on. Upon the table, Daudi has conjured small tangible shadows to act as pieces on the war table. Hector embraces Serafina. Ginro and Duun look somewhat saddened by your return. Kohso is asleep on a pile of two Xorns who are also snoring away in stark contrast to Akiin who stands by the table looking like he has never felt tired in his life. Vinghov, Sol, and Shenoh are all leaning in the table going over tactics and plans for more efficiency and minimal losses. Everyone quiets as you all enter.

Surprised to see the meeting still going on, Elthana enters, but walks to the side a bit, letting the others go before her.  She doesn't feel she should be the one to report anything as she feels there is always a shadow over her, always disbelief lingering around her and her words.  She looks to Ginro, the one she almost murdered and immediately looks to the floor.  She can't help but feel ashamed and helpless all over again.  She so misses being in control, the way she had led her entire life.  Sighing, she waits for another to start the conversation.

Vin steps into the hall, and looks around. He notes the shadow-pieces, the sleeping Xorns, and the sadness in Ginro and Duun. He assumes due to the lack of their brother Gojiin in the returning party.

As Elthana moves to the side, he keeps his focus forward as he leads the massive fae spider into the room.

"The meeting is still going, I see," he says, gesturing toward the silken bundle the giant spider carries. "We have Wren Cloudhop. And this is Lady Urchin, of the Fae. If you're looking for an edge against the frost, perhaps she is it in the absence of your brother, Gojiin. I am afraid his madness proved fatal. I am truly sorry for your loss", he says, his voice tinged with empathy mixed with pragmatism.

He waits to see whether the others will add more, or for the response from the room. Beside him, Neferox moves to his flank, her embers-bright eyes fixed on the Djinn.

Urchin makes use of the large doors of the mount made for Ömertyr to comfortably walk through. The assembled leaders look up with a mix of confusion and awe as the giant spider enters and crawled up to the ceiling to make sure everyone still has enough room around the table. "I am here to assist" comes the clacking greeting from the maw of the ice spider. 

"Good, we're gonna need all the help we can get" Shenoh responds, not looking up all too much from the war table.

Ginro steps forward to the group with a compassionate look on his face, "we thank you for doing what you could for our brother, we felt his presence a few hours ago and knew he had gone. This will make the plan a little more difficult but it also gives us another reason to succeed... Once Ömertyr has passed the rune of vox onto Lumithor, then we may be able to bring the latent spirit of Gojiin back. It won't be him, not like we knew him, but it will be a djiin of the elemental spirit and they will be our sibling." 

Elthana listens to Ginro, and appreciates his matter of factness.  Yes, his brother is no longer, but then again... everyone seems to lose someone at some point.  Life is like that.  Her thoughts start tumbling down as she waits for the rest.  She takes glances at Urchin.. she can't help it, the giant spider almost commands it.

"He was frozen with grief it seemed...We did what we could. Apologies to you all for your loss. Where he ruled is chaos now....groups fighting for control....What plan have you come up with while we were checking on your brother?"

"we have" Shenoh states drawing everyone's attention to the war table. She closes a book she has had out and clears it to give a better view. Glancing warily at Elthana for a long moment before starting "Sol will spearhead the first wave and shine radiant light upon the undead guarding the spires. We are hoping this will draw attention so that us djiin can do our jobs in lowering the shield, once the shield is down we engage ground troops first from a distance we have 30 hafgufa that clerics will bless the waters of and duun monks to force it upon the enemy. This should weaken a great swathe of them."

At this point Daudi speaks up her rasping tone vibrating through the crystal room "I have convened with the raven and they are willing to forgo offerings at cost to the selves in order to bless such vast quantities. But gods being as they are, a price must be paid."

Shenoh sighs and presses on, "Once that is done we engage on their level. We have several group leaders who we are hoping can be taught to cast a radiant light spell. They will illuminate specific areas and make the undead less resilient.

Whilst this is happening you all enter the castle. Daudi and Ömertyr will accompany you, and once the djiin are finished with the spires half will help outside, the others will enter.

Once Nivara is dead we withdraw all troops. Without the lich holding their souls we hope that their commands will leave them and they will become listless, a problem to be dealt with once we have rested our troops and cremated our dead. Speaking of such things this battle is going to happen far away from anywhere that we can take our injured for treatment. This is an issue we need to address. 

Either way we need a three day minimum to prepare everything. We have the rocks and a Spier for your travel as well as Mori's wyvern for Elthana. You should all rest before we launch. Get your own preparations and affairs in order" Shenoh leans back off the table and looks to the group. Urchin chitters eagerly above but says nothing, waiting for the response or some direction of her own.

Vin listened to the plan, his eyes tracking the movements on the war table. It was a solid skeleton of a strategy, though the meat on those bones looked a bit lean in places.

"The bones of it are good", he said, his voice neutral. "But Daudi - about this 'price' for the Raven Queen. I’ve found that they rarely give anything without an angle of their own. What is this price and when is it to be paid?".

He glanced toward Shenoh. "As for the injured, if we can't move them, we bring the healing to them. We should designate a rally point, somewhere protected by Sol’s light or some other anti-undead magic. Even if it has to be atop a Hafgufa or something. If that is any way possible".

He straightened himself, a faint, determined spark in his eyes. "Three days to prepare, a lifetime to wait. And remember we have the sending stones to co-ordinate once the battle commences. We go for the throat, we kill the Lich, and we end this. Simple enough... in theory".

Muir listens to the plan...seems sound enough...what could go wrong besides everything. "We have to be nimble and able to change tactics on the fly. Who knows what preparations Nivara is making. These sending stones will come in handy. Each tactical leader should have one to coordinate. In the meantime, over the next 3 days is there something we can do to aid in your preparations?

"bones is right" shenoh answers a little abruptly, "but bones is all we can plan for when so many variables are at play, with a general framework we can more easily adapt whilst remaining steadfast to the things we know will work, you're right, communication will be key, which is why those who we cannot communicate with in the heat of battle need to rely upon these bones."

At the point of discussion about the medical need, the chittering above seems to speed up, excited. "I could make a faerie circle, it acts like a gate of sorts. Weave a web between two points. How close together are these spires that you speak of?" 

Daudi doesn't answer when vin asks about the price, shenoh sighs a little in frustration and Duun steps forward placing a hand on her shoulder before addressing the group. "The price is yet to be worked out but we have made sure none of our people will be on the hook for it." 

Gewyn perks up at the mention of the faerie. So many mysteries yet to unravel about how his kind works. He hopes he'll the opportunity to witness it in action. Or is he just trying to distract himself from the impending battle? He's not the same as he used to be, but... he still can't deny the creeping anxiety he feels in anticipation.

Vin’s eyes narrowed as Duun spoke. The phrasing "none of our people" stood out like an alarm bell. He cast a quick, protective glance toward the hellhound at his side and his other companions.

"None of your people", he repeated, his voice dropping a register. "An interesting phrasing. I’ll keep that distinction in mind when the bill comes due", he added with a short, humourless sigh.

Leaning over the table to look at the distance between the spires, he muses, "The faerie circle is a strong play. If we can extract the wounded instantly, they are at least of being turned. Same goes for the bodies of the fallen I suppose". He turns to Lady Urchin, "If you weave this web, how easy is it for something unintended from the other side to crawl through it? I’d hate to give the Nivara or her minions a back door into our rally point".

He straightened, his mind already moving to the next three days. "As for preparation, I don't intend to sit idle. We need to scout - perhaps with the crystal ball again. We need to know if she is moving her pieces or fortifying the spires. Three days is a long time for a Lich to get creative".

"you and yours are included in that. Though I'm not guaranteeing your survival since you're heading off the lich." Duun states stoic in response to Vin's concerns.

Urchin twists her head in curiosity, "rally point? Hmm. I do not know. I was going to open a warren hole into Harpy Hare's burrow. If she is still alive after all this time she will protect the wounded..." 

With the meeting down to the vague details which won't become solid until the actual day, the general planning seems to be over, with kohso and the Xorns still snoring in the corner, Sol excuses himself and leaves, going to begin his preparations with the death clerics of the shattered isles. 

Shenoh also begins packing her things, again flashing an odd book that Elthana recognises before making for the door. 

Ginro looks to Vin, "you guys are our spearhead, let us handle reconnaissance, you all need to be on top form and are at a disadvantage with this time dilation thing. I would offer to do the same as I did last time with the orb but I am going to need use of it in the coming days. I'm sorry."

Griff looks to Elthana and ushers her to one side wanting a bit of a private conversation.

Muir tries to temper Vin's eagerness "I agree Vin that sitting idly may not be a good use of time but we need all that time to be fully rested...We need a full 32 hours in order to ebat full speed....We cannot be tired going into this."

"It has not been long since my last rest, Muir. I will be fine after a few hours, I am sure", Vin replies with a shrug. "I didn't exert myself that much looking for Gojiin. Neither did Neferox", he explains.

"Survival was always a bonus, Duun. At least we don't have to worry abut what happens if do happen to walk away from this, though. So thanks", he says with dry humour, giving Neferox a brief, grounding pat on the head.

He looks over at Ginro, acknowledging the news about the orb with a short nod. "I don't intend to sit idle, Ginro. Once we've had our few hours of down time, Neferox and I will want to be useful. So what can we do?", he asks, genuinely not sure what he can do to be of greatest assistance.

"If you have no ideas, I will give the crystal ball a try, but I am not the closest to Nivara so it might be best for someone else to drive that", he adds.

Muir nods "Indeed I just worry if you exert yourself too much, you won't be your full self for the fight...But alas you know your abilities and such better than I. Just try not to overdo it."

Elthana stays quiet as the conversation wanes, but walks over to Griff as he motions for her.

Vin considers Muir's words for a moment, realising that although right now he felt fine, the battle was not happening right now. And if in two days time he started to tire, he would not have the luxury of enough time to rest.

"You make a good point, Muir. I don't want to get to the start of the battle and start to yawn, I guess", he replies with a smile.

With that, he determines to take rest the same as the others.

As Elthana gets into conversation with Griff, Ginro gives the group a nod, "three days from now is when we attack. That's 72 hours. Only 36 of them you need to be resting. I'll be on my isle seeing to enchantments and potions during that time of you need me, but you four and the other djiin have free access to my teleportation gates" With that Ginro readies to leave and Duun steps forward offering in his deep and precise voice "I'll facilitate as much as I can before you rest. What do you all need to prepare?"

After the meeting concludes the Djiini scatter to their isles and begin their own preparations, the group are left to their own devices. 

Vin, holding up his crystal ball gets right to work, he recruits the help of Elthana to give him an edge in doing more reconnaissance of Vox's isle in the sky. The two view the thunderclouds, the astral dreadnaught within, and the castle upon the nape of it's neck which is shielded by the spire- like spines on the back of it's head, the spires from which the shield is being produced... or wait. Vin recognises this type of shield, an arcane energy that gives a dark shade to all within, but he's seen something like this before, though thicker, he realises that the shield is not a shield for repelling but more an aura, a malaise of dark energy which he points out to Elthana. 
Elthana also recognises the malaise and reports to Vin that she has seen such an energy before, within Nivara's memories. Elthana tells the story of the first time Nivara landed upon the shattered isle, before it was shattered, the would be lich met with Lumithor and was refused entry to the shadowfell, at this refusal Nivara left, but was sure to leave a havoc and undeath in her wake. this energy was present when Nivara went on a killing spree upon the pre-shattered isle, the effects of this malaise seemed to automatically resurrect any who died within its reach as undead, these undead then immediately went on to attack more people, who, in the presence of Nivara's energy were also reanimated as malicious and violent corpses.

Vin takes this information to Ginro upon his isle to disperse the findings to the other Djiini, and whilst on that scientific isle he asks what help he can be.
There are a lot of questions that Vin finds he is able to answer. Ginro, for all of his (and by extension the folks on his isle) arcane and mechanical invention, is ever so interested in the developments and discoveries of the material realm, the realms having been separated for the past 1000 years having made Ginro curious, and Vin's own academic studies helping to fill in some of the gaps. During this conversation Ginro is attentive but also is conducting several experiments asking Vin now and again to stir a concoction or reduce the flame under a boiling pot, though the work is not vital to the fight at hand and Vin feels he should be doing something more active, Ginro is insistent that the sharing of knowledge is vital as part of the larger picture, that talks like these are what progress societies and give a future to work towards, something to fight for. Towards the end of his visit Vin is asked to spend some more time with the Xorns, if the beasts are to accompany the group to eat the phylactery once it is opened then these creatures need to feel safe with members of the group, Vin finds that they, whilst highly receptive to food in the way of gold and gems, are also very playful, and much to the chagrin of Neferox they find great joy in chasing her around the biology lab with the great tree within. 

Gewyn retreats into conversation with Urchin after the meeting, He discusses things on his mind about the groups previous adventures and the effects of the charm fruit, things that spyro has not been able to answer are answered instead by the giant spider. His findings are that there is an oddity about the faewyld and it's portal, an oddity that separates that realm from any other, and that difference is time. When entering or exiting the Fae there is no knowing when you might end up, there are reports of folk travelling to the fae and when they get back it is before the time that they left. this oddity is likely the cause of the portal being unstable in the last years and months before the realm gates opened up once more. energy leaked out, a concentrated form which imbued the surrounding flora with powerful fae magic, when eaten in its concentrated form this produced the 'soulless' children who had found a stash of the fruits and eaten them, but the harvest of them were likely going to be distilled and diluted into more practical forms giving charm effects to those who may imbibe such a concoction. If anything the charm fruits themselves were merely an abberation in the material realm. The discussion on wibbly wobbly timey wimey gates does lead Urchin on to further explain her role in the up coming fight, she explains that because the Harpy Hare's burrow is in the Fae, the gate to that plane would need to be tended to, to be kept open to receive the injured for the duration of the fight, if it were to close, then there would be no telling when the injured would return, if ever. Urchin asks what, if anything, Gewyn knows about Harpy Hare which then leads to a discussion on Gewyn's lineage and why he has never seen the Fae himself, that conversation passes several hours before Gewyn politely breaks it off and excuses himself, leaving Urchin a few things to think on and he takes his leave. 

Making his way to Ginro's isle, Gewyn too spends a little more time in the biology lab woth the large tree, he sits and plays music, hoping to coax out and speak with the Chwingas who reside there, though they have no real language to speak of, Gewyn does manage to convince two of them to follow him, they take up comfortable if temporary residence in the floral leaves of spyro's scales, Spyro himself is deeply discomforted by this decrying how much it tickles to have such spirits inside of you, but the pair, and two passengers make it back to the shattered isles to share their successes woth the others and continue some more personal gravity control training. Griff offers his assistance once again in the training and Gewyn is able to use a few hours to learn how to change degree of gravity by smaller increments, this gives him much better chances of landing after a fall as he is able to switch gravity sideways at the last moment and the slowly bring his gravity down so that he slides to gradual stop whilst retaining a standing posture, Griff is very impressed.

Muir takes some time out alone to write some messages to send back home, one to Sam and one to Goodall. 
 To Sam he writes; 

'Dear Sam
I hope you are well. We are days from assaulting Nivara. I have a prophecy of the realm of Earth. Lim is the realm of earth. Though I've heard it prophesied that one of his ilk will be some kind of resurrection of the primordial giants. The giants in this realm were born from cloud giants, children of vox, created by her to rule over the vast. But she also had a shine for elementals and so she created the djiini. They took rule and the gints here were pushed to the wayside...But I digress..... The Fae had the fomarian....their own giants.... the hells have fire giants, but Lim... Lim created no giants of his own all of that power of creation was put into a different group of folks that came from there.... Goliaths...The prophecy I read of that realm is that someone will come, the 'Mutually Assured'.....Gewyn is the chosen from the fae realm, Vin is the chosen of the fire realm, Elthana and Nivara are somehow a part of this world....Sam that leaves you. I know you don't like to tell me about yourself and your upbringing but please if you have not done so already check out the earth realm....it is not a coincidence you've all been brought together.
Muir'
With his letters sent Muir leaves the portal bag in Elthana's care temporarily whilst she writes her own letter home and once that is done he spends some time with the rocs who have taken up residence a little way behind the mount in an old abandoned building which has been converted into a stabling area, The Rocs know that something is afoot and speak familiarly with Muir on the plan, they accept their role as the mounts for Daudi and Ömertyr and are comforted with the information and history that Muir provides on the relationship giants have had with Rocs as their mounts in the stories of the past.

Elthana after assisting Vin and spending some time with the portal bag sending her own missives, decides to prepare by laying out all her equipment and taking stock, she organises everything into places where the most useful things are more accessible and then has an idea. Her arrow, whilst effective, could use a little boost, and so using some of the necrotic resin she found, starts carving recesses in the arrow heads to melt some of the resin in, providing her shots with a more lasting and damaging effect on a hit, happy with these alterations and more acquainted with her stock of useful items she sets out to find Gewyn to ask a favour...

As the party members all gather before resting, the shattered isle feels more alive than it ever has before, shenoh's soldiers are spending money in the shops and visiting the clerical raven house for blessings, traders are landing at nearby ports and offering the towns people discounts on materials and wares that until now have only been attainable through Hector's resource and supply finding ventures, and for an isle that was being persecuted and oppressed, it feels as though the rest of the realm is showing up to help out even in the midsts of preparation for war. As a group you are found by Ingram who has stopped by with the mounts for your journey, you are all led to the building a short ways behind the mount around which the Rocs, and several griffons are stabled along with the wyvern that once belonged to Mori but now responds to Elthana. After being led back to the mount Kohso makes you all aware that Ömertyr's room has been made available for you all and a guard has been arranged to watch the door as you all sleep, on your way to the large room you find the familiar face of Kudd the dragonborn who you met when you first arrived in this isle, through his broken common he assures you that nothing will happen as you sleep, but in doing so he betrays some concern and understandable bitterness of seeing so many outsiders to the isle wandering around as if the last several centuries of persecution of his and the kobold kind never happened.

As you all settle for your needed long rest before the battle, Elthana asks her favour, The last time she attempted to peer into Nivara's mind she was terrified by the sight of the Astral Dreadnaught and was put under some kind of magical duress because of this, which in turn allowed Nivara to enter her body and attack Ginro. Elthana asks if Gewyn would lend assistance in countercharming or providing her an inspiration, or protecting her from good and evil whilst she makes a new attempt, the chosen assistance calming her beforehand, she also asks in the rest of the group would watch over her whilst this is going on.