"The voices tell me to do things...things that I want to do..."
She casts her gaze on Yasmina.
"...but wouldn't have the courage to do on my own."
She turns her attention back to Cal.
"When I set the cultists on fire I felt...powerful. I thought the ring might be enough to keep them at bay but, after fighting those bandits, I'm not sure anymore."
"That's a lot of big trouble to deal with, kids!" Duwamilly sighs, moving her brown eyes, at the bottom of which she shines sincere empathy, from one accursed to the other "But don't be afraid!" she smiles positively "We'll find a solution! Lord Akkron has had his fair share of problems too... something tells me we will not forced to 'serve' him, Yasmina, honey" she turns briefly to the southern half-elf girl, but then she starts again immediately to look at everyone. "Not only did he, like Cal, have family tragedies, but he was also one of the heroes I told you about... The ones who prevented Sserah 'One Who Sleeps' Nightsbane from becoming a deity! So he must have one more reason for disliking 'Exalted' Firion - and liking us".
“I'm sorry the ring doesn't solve your problem, Cal, honey..." the ex-Preceptor turns to the massive bald warrior "Have you ever tried feeding the rod animals, instead of people? Or vermins? All in all, if the rod is 'simply' (simply as a way of speaking, I know there's nothing simple about it) hungry for life, perhaps it could even be satisfied with an ant. You crush it with the rod... A life is always a life. Or if an ant isn't enough, maybe a rat. Or a chicken... think if a chicken were enough! You buy it in the morning, alive. You kill it with the rod - which gets satisfied with its life - and during the day you'd eat it! You wouldn't be forced to frantically search for bad guys anymore. You could still do it, when it's worth it, but it wouldn't be mandatory for you anymore... Have you ever tried?"
Intrigued, the gnome cleric turns to the tiefling monk: "While in your case the voices don't ask you things that are foreign to you... but things that you would already like to do anyway. Did I understand correctly? Who knows, then, what if you changed interests? Powerful..." she snorts "If one day you were no longer interested in being powerful (which, frankly, in the long run must be a deadly bore - look at how Firion has become - he is more powerful than you and me together, but instead of enjoying his power - and his life - to kill time he had to invent this story that he wants to be a dragon waker!) but maybe in being happy? Or in being at peace? Who knows if the voices would then start giving you advice on how to achieve happiness and peace, instead of power?"
"They do want me to be happy or at least do things that make me feel happy. Like buying these," she indicates her new outfit, "or..."
She glances at Yasmina and then looks away, shyly, towards the ground.
"Things that, as an Ilmateri I'm not supposed to want or care about."
She forces herself to make eye contact with Milly, "I'm sorry, Preceptor, if I've been harsh with you. The followers of Ilmater and Garl Glittergold have very different ideas about what piety looks like. I'll try to be more considerate of that, to try not to confuse a sense of humor with a lack of seriousness. With what's ahead of us I imagine we'll need all of the happiness we can find."
She steals another quick, sideling glance at the Half-Elf as she says the last bit.
Just to determine if Duwamilly notices the sideling glance (not that it matters too much): Perception: 12
[[ OOC: No, she doesn't ]]
"Oh, don't worry, Delvindra, honey!" Duwamilly smiles friendly "I also know that our faiths are quite different... But this is probably because the needs of ordinary mortals are so many! Probably, neither a little good humor nor a little endurance will hurt!"
"But I have just one doubt, Delvindra, honey... Don't get angry, though, ok?" the ex-Preceptor asks "If really these desires of 'things that, as an Ilmateri you are not supposed to want or care about' are desires of yours... And if these things make you feel happy... Why choose the faith of Ilmater? Perhaps a less rigid faith would be more conducive to you - and would bring you more joy with less internal conflict, right?"
"I'm not saying this to proselytize, mind me..." the gnome cleric assures "I'm not trying to recruit you into my Garl's church - although we would both welcome you to open doors - I'm speaking in general... I wouldn't want you to have chosen a path of faith which, instead of enriching your life and soul (as the right faith should do) gets in your way... And if that were the case, why not change? There are many paths of faith that lead us to do good..."
The ghost of a smile twitches at the corner of Delvindra's mouth. If her eyes weren't so sad, it might even be mistaken for a smirk.
"Let's not bore the others with a debate over the doctrine of finite suffering. I'm an Ilmateri. I have been almost as long as I've been alive and, if I wasn't, I probably wouldn't be alive. If for no other reason, that should be enough."
"And I suspect the voices don't really have my best interests at heart, or anyone's for that matter."
"Uuuu. I know this is probably no place for me to butt into this conversations about 'gods,' but I don't believe that any of them are gods. They are just beings who have reached incredible amounts of power. But with all power, comes weakness. Every 'god' can be killed, if you know the right method."
He pauses for a moment, realizing that others may have taken that as a threat to their own gods.
"I DIDN'T MEAN IT THAT WAY! I just mean no god is 'all powerful' is all.
"Uuuu. I know this is probably no place for me to butt into this conversations about 'gods,' but I don't believe that any of them are gods. They are just beings who have reached incredible amounts of power. But with all power, comes weakness. Every 'god' can be killed, if you know the right method."
He pauses for a moment, realizing that others may have taken that as a threat to their own gods.
"I DIDN'T MEAN IT THAT WAY! I just mean no god is 'all powerful' is all.
Wyvern glares at Godrick
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Hey, I’m moon, i‘m aged between 3 and 300. Pronouns are She/They/It/It’s/Them/Her. I love D&D. I am chaotic neutral irl. I’m not afraid to punch someone. Mess with me and you’ll find out the hard way. extended sig
I am the goddess of the moon, the tides, and the axolotls
Delvindra hardly acknowledges Godrick before pointedly ignoring him.
"What about you, Wyvern? Why did you decide to tag along with us?"
“Oh, sticking with him of course,” she nods towards Godrick “But, you know. You seem trustworthy, and I doubt we would be able to do this on our own.” She twirls her staff in her hand.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Hey, I’m moon, i‘m aged between 3 and 300. Pronouns are She/They/It/It’s/Them/Her. I love D&D. I am chaotic neutral irl. I’m not afraid to punch someone. Mess with me and you’ll find out the hard way. extended sig
I am the goddess of the moon, the tides, and the axolotls
"Wyvern, stop beating around the bush. You can tell them it's fine. They seem trustworthy enough, and they might be our only shot to get rid of these things, and get rid of her.
You've always been better at talking to people, so I'll let you explain what happened. I'll pitch in here and there."
"Of course we are trustworthy!" Duwamilly puts on her best encouraging smile "What's the matter, kids? Don't I inspire confidence in you? Come on, come on, tell us what happened - maybe, by thinking about it together, it will be easier to help you get rid of 'her', right?"
“To your questions earlier, I have tried killing animals but it does nothing for the Rod and it only grows in its rage. But I am happy we are bonding in our suffering, this will help us when things become life and death.”
“Duwamilly, why is such a wise and powerful Gnome with us and not painting the world red for her God? What could have possibly pledged you enough to not jump between realms and realities everyday?”
"Oh, you're too good, Cal, honey..." Duwamilly blushes upon hearing the idea that the gentle giant has of her "My wisdom and my power are certainly not yet of an exceptional level! If you have seen me doing something that impressed you, consider that it was probably not just my doing... I, since was chosen by Garl Glittergold, I kind of... fell in love with him. Now, don't take it literally, Cal, honey - it's not the same way I could fall in love with a mortal... but I used this term because it conveys the idea: my life is his and his life is mine. When I manage to immerse myself in this unique mystical union... I am no longer alone, facing my challenges; the inexhaustible wit of my Sire is with me and, through it, I can accomplish what I could not by myself".
"However, although the condition I have just described may seem exceptional to you - and indeed it is! - it is not too rare" the gnome cleric continues her explanation. "Garl Glittergold doesn't love me exclusively. He loves me in a personal way; he loves me for the way I am, for my qualities, for my flaws, as well as for things that might seem small, but that drive him crazy, like the funny way in which my hair doesn't want to be combed into this bun that I always try to form - and I can tell you that he doesn't love anyone else in the same exact personal way that he loves me. And yet, he doesn't love me exclusively. He calls - and loves in an equally wonderfully personal way - many other souls".
"I am but one of the last souls that Garl Glittergold has called, Cal, honey" admits the ex-Preceptor. "I still have a long journey to travel with him - and every single step of this journey amuses and delights me - but among my Sire's chosen ones I am probably among those with less experience - and power - ever".
"Given this," Garl Glittergold's chosen one concludes "I admit that I cannot fully understand the divine jokes with which my Sire strives to cheer up and improve the world; however, knowing you, you all seem like splendid kids to me... I would have been very happy to have a class of kids like you, when I was still teaching! Why shouldn't Garl Glittergold have sent me to you, considering that, among other things, you, like me, have problems with some curse? Maybe my Sire has thought well of solving our problems together - sending me to you so that, when he orchestrates things to help me, he will help you too - and the world will be a more fun place for everyone - or at the very least for us! Maybe, in the meantime," she shrugs "someone more experienced than I am will paint the world red for him - at least as long as he likes red - he obviously changes his favorite color, from time to time".
"Oh, and as for 'jumping between realms and realities'..." Duwamilly finally admits, mindful among other things of her own very recent excursion into the Feywild "Maybe it's not like I can do it every day of my life... but you can be sure that I do it every day that I can!"
"Of course I'm in my right mind, Cal, honey..." Duwamilly smiles "You can also ask anybody's opinion, for confirmation... You could ask Delvindra, for example..."
"My curse," the ex-Preceptor sighs "has no effect on my mortal life - but it will, unfortunately, have an effect on my otherworldly fate. The cube I inherited" she shows the esoteric planar dice allows her to travel between the Planes of Existence "will imprison my soul, upon my death... preventing me from reaching Garl Glittergold - or at least my final otherworldly destination. I will find myself a prisoner in the cube... in a void cubic space... with nothing to do... until I manage to perform a highly unlikely feat - something which I will be able to do only after a true infinity of boring repetitions".
"So, basically," the gnome cleric summarizes "if I don't break the curse, upon my death, a very long period - if not an eternity - of boredom awaits me..." she pronounces 'boredom' with a quite unusual frightened tone "Boredom, do you understand? It will be worse than a stay in the Lower Planes! It is precisely the desperation at the thought of such a fate that pushed me to change my life, to leave my job as a Preceptor to dedicate myself entirely to Garl Glittergold. This is how my love for him matured. However, there's no point in worrying to much in advance - of course we'll make sure we all free ourselves from our curses!" her optimistic smile is there again "The cube won't have me!"
Delvindra lowers her eyes.
"Because I'm afraid of who I am."
"The voices tell me to do things...things that I want to do..."
She casts her gaze on Yasmina.
"...but wouldn't have the courage to do on my own."
She turns her attention back to Cal.
"When I set the cultists on fire I felt...powerful. I thought the ring might be enough to keep them at bay but, after fighting those bandits, I'm not sure anymore."
"That's a lot of big trouble to deal with, kids!" Duwamilly sighs, moving her brown eyes, at the bottom of which she shines sincere empathy, from one accursed to the other "But don't be afraid!" she smiles positively "We'll find a solution! Lord Akkron has had his fair share of problems too... something tells me we will not forced to 'serve' him, Yasmina, honey" she turns briefly to the southern half-elf girl, but then she starts again immediately to look at everyone. "Not only did he, like Cal, have family tragedies, but he was also one of the heroes I told you about... The ones who prevented Sserah 'One Who Sleeps' Nightsbane from becoming a deity! So he must have one more reason for disliking 'Exalted' Firion - and liking us".
“I'm sorry the ring doesn't solve your problem, Cal, honey..." the ex-Preceptor turns to the massive bald warrior "Have you ever tried feeding the rod animals, instead of people? Or vermins? All in all, if the rod is 'simply' (simply as a way of speaking, I know there's nothing simple about it) hungry for life, perhaps it could even be satisfied with an ant. You crush it with the rod... A life is always a life. Or if an ant isn't enough, maybe a rat. Or a chicken... think if a chicken were enough! You buy it in the morning, alive. You kill it with the rod - which gets satisfied with its life - and during the day you'd eat it! You wouldn't be forced to frantically search for bad guys anymore. You could still do it, when it's worth it, but it wouldn't be mandatory for you anymore... Have you ever tried?"
Intrigued, the gnome cleric turns to the tiefling monk: "While in your case the voices don't ask you things that are foreign to you... but things that you would already like to do anyway. Did I understand correctly? Who knows, then, what if you changed interests? Powerful..." she snorts "If one day you were no longer interested in being powerful (which, frankly, in the long run must be a deadly bore - look at how Firion has become - he is more powerful than you and me together, but instead of enjoying his power - and his life - to kill time he had to invent this story that he wants to be a dragon waker!) but maybe in being happy? Or in being at peace? Who knows if the voices would then start giving you advice on how to achieve happiness and peace, instead of power?"
"They do want me to be happy or at least do things that make me feel happy. Like buying these," she indicates her new outfit, "or..."
She glances at Yasmina and then looks away, shyly, towards the ground.
"Things that, as an Ilmateri I'm not supposed to want or care about."
She forces herself to make eye contact with Milly, "I'm sorry, Preceptor, if I've been harsh with you. The followers of Ilmater and Garl Glittergold have very different ideas about what piety looks like. I'll try to be more considerate of that, to try not to confuse a sense of humor with a lack of seriousness. With what's ahead of us I imagine we'll need all of the happiness we can find."
She steals another quick, sideling glance at the Half-Elf as she says the last bit.
Just to determine if Duwamilly notices the sideling glance (not that it matters too much): Perception: 10
[[ OOC: No, she doesn't ]]
"Oh, don't worry, Delvindra, honey!" Duwamilly smiles friendly "I also know that our faiths are quite different... But this is probably because the needs of ordinary mortals are so many! Probably, neither a little good humor nor a little endurance will hurt!"
"But I have just one doubt, Delvindra, honey... Don't get angry, though, ok?" the ex-Preceptor asks "If really these desires of 'things that, as an Ilmateri you are not supposed to want or care about' are desires of yours... And if these things make you feel happy... Why choose the faith of Ilmater? Perhaps a less rigid faith would be more conducive to you - and would bring you more joy with less internal conflict, right?"
"I'm not saying this to proselytize, mind me..." the gnome cleric assures "I'm not trying to recruit you into my Garl's church - although we would both welcome you to open doors - I'm speaking in general... I wouldn't want you to have chosen a path of faith which, instead of enriching your life and soul (as the right faith should do) gets in your way... And if that were the case, why not change? There are many paths of faith that lead us to do good..."
The ghost of a smile twitches at the corner of Delvindra's mouth. If her eyes weren't so sad, it might even be mistaken for a smirk.
"Let's not bore the others with a debate over the doctrine of finite suffering. I'm an Ilmateri. I have been almost as long as I've been alive and, if I wasn't, I probably wouldn't be alive. If for no other reason, that should be enough."
"And I suspect the voices don't really have my best interests at heart, or anyone's for that matter."
Her eyes dart again.
"No matter how much I wish that weren't true."
"Uuuu. I know this is probably no place for me to butt into this conversations about 'gods,' but I don't believe that any of them are gods. They are just beings who have reached incredible amounts of power. But with all power, comes weakness. Every 'god' can be killed, if you know the right method."
He pauses for a moment, realizing that others may have taken that as a threat to their own gods.
"I DIDN'T MEAN IT THAT WAY! I just mean no god is 'all powerful' is all.
-Archie
Wyvern glares at Godrick
Hey, I’m moon, i‘m aged between 3 and 300. Pronouns are She/They/It/It’s/Them/Her. I love D&D. I am chaotic neutral irl. I’m not afraid to punch someone. Mess with me and you’ll find out the hard way. extended sig
I am the goddess of the moon, the tides, and the axolotls
I am not a furry, I am a fishie.
Delvindra hardly acknowledges Godrick before pointedly ignoring him.
"What about you, Wyvern? Why did you decide to tag along with us?"
“Oh, sticking with him of course,” she nods towards Godrick “But, you know. You seem trustworthy, and I doubt we would be able to do this on our own.” She twirls her staff in her hand.
Hey, I’m moon, i‘m aged between 3 and 300. Pronouns are She/They/It/It’s/Them/Her. I love D&D. I am chaotic neutral irl. I’m not afraid to punch someone. Mess with me and you’ll find out the hard way. extended sig
I am the goddess of the moon, the tides, and the axolotls
I am not a furry, I am a fishie.
"Wyvern, stop beating around the bush. You can tell them it's fine. They seem trustworthy enough, and they might be our only shot to get rid of these things, and get rid of her.
You've always been better at talking to people, so I'll let you explain what happened. I'll pitch in here and there."
-Archie
"Of course we are trustworthy!" Duwamilly puts on her best encouraging smile "What's the matter, kids? Don't I inspire confidence in you? Come on, come on, tell us what happened - maybe, by thinking about it together, it will be easier to help you get rid of 'her', right?"
“To your questions earlier, I have tried killing animals but it does nothing for the Rod and it only grows in its rage. But I am happy we are bonding in our suffering, this will help us when things become life and death.”
"Really a wicked rod!" comments Duwamilly "But I'm sure" she smiles in anticipation "that we'll be able to prank it in the end!"
“Duwamilly, why is such a wise and powerful Gnome with us and not painting the world red for her God? What could have possibly pledged you enough to not jump between realms and realities everyday?”
"Oh, you're too good, Cal, honey..." Duwamilly blushes upon hearing the idea that the gentle giant has of her "My wisdom and my power are certainly not yet of an exceptional level! If you have seen me doing something that impressed you, consider that it was probably not just my doing... I, since was chosen by Garl Glittergold, I kind of... fell in love with him. Now, don't take it literally, Cal, honey - it's not the same way I could fall in love with a mortal... but I used this term because it conveys the idea: my life is his and his life is mine. When I manage to immerse myself in this unique mystical union... I am no longer alone, facing my challenges; the inexhaustible wit of my Sire is with me and, through it, I can accomplish what I could not by myself".
"However, although the condition I have just described may seem exceptional to you - and indeed it is! - it is not too rare" the gnome cleric continues her explanation. "Garl Glittergold doesn't love me exclusively. He loves me in a personal way; he loves me for the way I am, for my qualities, for my flaws, as well as for things that might seem small, but that drive him crazy, like the funny way in which my hair doesn't want to be combed into this bun that I always try to form - and I can tell you that he doesn't love anyone else in the same exact personal way that he loves me. And yet, he doesn't love me exclusively. He calls - and loves in an equally wonderfully personal way - many other souls".
"I am but one of the last souls that Garl Glittergold has called, Cal, honey" admits the ex-Preceptor. "I still have a long journey to travel with him - and every single step of this journey amuses and delights me - but among my Sire's chosen ones I am probably among those with less experience - and power - ever".
"Given this," Garl Glittergold's chosen one concludes "I admit that I cannot fully understand the divine jokes with which my Sire strives to cheer up and improve the world; however, knowing you, you all seem like splendid kids to me... I would have been very happy to have a class of kids like you, when I was still teaching! Why shouldn't Garl Glittergold have sent me to you, considering that, among other things, you, like me, have problems with some curse? Maybe my Sire has thought well of solving our problems together - sending me to you so that, when he orchestrates things to help me, he will help you too - and the world will be a more fun place for everyone - or at the very least for us! Maybe, in the meantime," she shrugs "someone more experienced than I am will paint the world red for him - at least as long as he likes red - he obviously changes his favorite color, from time to time".
"Oh, and as for 'jumping between realms and realities'..." Duwamilly finally admits, mindful among other things of her own very recent excursion into the Feywild "Maybe it's not like I can do it every day of my life... but you can be sure that I do it every day that I can!"
"But what is your curse? You seem in your right mind." Cal says jealously.
Delvindra makes a strange coughing noise as she holds back a comment.
"Of course I'm in my right mind, Cal, honey..." Duwamilly smiles "You can also ask anybody's opinion, for confirmation... You could ask Delvindra, for example..."
"My curse," the ex-Preceptor sighs "has no effect on my mortal life - but it will, unfortunately, have an effect on my otherworldly fate. The cube I inherited" she shows the esoteric planar dice allows her to travel between the Planes of Existence "will imprison my soul, upon my death... preventing me from reaching Garl Glittergold - or at least my final otherworldly destination. I will find myself a prisoner in the cube... in a void cubic space... with nothing to do... until I manage to perform a highly unlikely feat - something which I will be able to do only after a true infinity of boring repetitions".
"So, basically," the gnome cleric summarizes "if I don't break the curse, upon my death, a very long period - if not an eternity - of boredom awaits me..." she pronounces 'boredom' with a quite unusual frightened tone "Boredom, do you understand? It will be worse than a stay in the Lower Planes! It is precisely the desperation at the thought of such a fate that pushed me to change my life, to leave my job as a Preceptor to dedicate myself entirely to Garl Glittergold. This is how my love for him matured. However, there's no point in worrying to much in advance - of course we'll make sure we all free ourselves from our curses!" her optimistic smile is there again "The cube won't have me!"
"BOREDOM!" Godrick burst out, slamming the table, knocking pieces of paper and pens to the floor.
"I CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN! Boredom is the worst fate imaginable! I will to anything withing my power to save you from this wretched curse.
For without fun, what is the point of having lived? And without fun, what is the point of eternal joy in the afterlife!"
Godrick pauses for a moment, whipping out a notebook from his pack.
"ooooh. That were some really good lines. Gonna add those to my next song."
-Archie