Though his gaze does not pass over her, the disdain she sees in his eyes for the house behind them cuts deep inside Nimue. If he knew, would he hate me? Would they all?
"There is only one way to find out, dearest Melda."
It only takes Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Nimue a few minutes to walk back up across the city to the Black Sheep, where Andrei still awaits the bogatyr's return.
"...and?" He demands with an amused grin. "Glorious battle? A little fast for that, perhaps."
"Heh... Battle. Nothing so exciting I'm afraid." Astrid says approaching Andrei. She pulls out a few coins and lays them down on the bar. "But still, enough excitement for a few drinks still."
The dwarf carries the drinks over to their table and sits quietly stating into her drink for a few moments before turning to Caio. "So... Uh... Caio. The vision I had was of Clarissa and another - a bald and pale elven man - celebrating some victory. And it sounded as if they are working with the Ninety-Nine-Hundred."
There is a sharp inhalation of breath, then silence. Caio is motionless, not blinking, not breathing, it's even as if his pulse has stopped while he processes this unexpected information. After what feels like an eternity he finally lets out the air out of his lungs in a long, pained sigh. "Is that so? I'm going to rip that woman's tongue from her mouth." He presses two fingers to the spot between his eyes and closes them tight as if trying to alleviate a sudden migraine. "What exactly did they say?"
Astrid mirrors Caio has he holds his breathe. She watches expectantly as the pressure within the shadar-kai rises and reminds herself that this was another reason she had chose to wait to divulge what she discovered. As the worst appears to be over, the dwarf quickly lets out her breath and takes a drink to recant what her vision of the past brought her.
"Well, as I said it looked as if they were toasting to their success... of the Imperial gala, Mr. Morgenstern mentioned. He went on to say that the Ninety-Nine Hundred brought them - the Morgenstern's - a step closer at retrieving some codex. Which Clarissa then commented that would then bring them closer to the power of... the Reaper?" Astrid pauses, tapping her chin with a finger as she thinks back on her theological lessons. "Hmm... I think I remember my teachings from Elder Foustoul. He mentioned this name. A god of death in some cultures. Pretty on the nose, now that I think about it."
Caio’s knuckles are white around the handle of his tankard. “Valentine.” Theres another tense exhalation before he turns to Nimue. “How did your meeting with Morgenstern go? You seem shaken.”
Nimue's gaze falls again to her cup. "He killed my family. And he enjoyed it. Even seemed to relish the memory." For a moment, she thinks she may cry, but her eyes are dry. The feeling passes, and she takes a drink. She briefly considers telling them about the familial connection, but decides against it. Not yet. I don't know enough to trust they wouldn't hate me.
"Are you hiding from this again, Melda? Hiding won't do any good. It will only hurt you more later." Nimue pointedly ignores her grandmother.
Some of Caio's stifled rage seems to subside for a moment. It's blatantly clear to him that Nimue is withholding something big, some revelation beyond the conclusion that she could have easily drawn without venturing into the belly of the beast. "Did you not already assume those truths? Something you learned in there blindsided you. What was it?" The question is pointed as a dagger, but the hard edge is softened. He's genuinely concerned but not trying to interrogate the girl.
Nimue closes her eyes, drawing her hands up to her face and rubbing her temples. "Undómiel is the Evenstar. What do you think Morgenstern translates to?" She lets the question hang in the air, holding her breath and waiting for the sky to fall.
Caio presses, a little more intently this time, "Morning Star. So there is relation then. But what exactly is that relation? If there is a connection between this family and yours, that's one more avenue for hunting down their secrets."
Nimue continues to hold her breath. When the sky doesn't fall, she tentatively looks over everyone seated at the table. She places her hands deliberately on the table, exhaling slowly. When she's sure her voice won't shake, she locks eyes with Caio. "Valentine Morgenstern is my cousin. And my family came here to kill him." She lowers her gaze slightly. "And they failed." Her voice grows softer, offering all gathered a slight peek into the depths of her grief.
Caio's eyes close and his head nods in sympathetic understanding. "I see. Families are quite the complicated thing as I understand. But if Valentine was your kin, why would the rest of your family seek to end him in the first place?"
Nimue furrows her brow. "That's exactly what I don't know. It has...…something to do with my mother. He was very specific about that....." She rubs her eyes. "Something about her sins."
"Melda, you know what that means, right? She wanted him dead. That in and of itself could be considered a sin."
So you did know. But why didn't you tell me? What purpose did keeping me in the dark serve?
"Cousin is really a wide term." Astrid takes a sip from her ale and clears her throat before offering. "So, uh, maybe they knew about his wanting to get his hands on the power of this Reaper. I'm not sure how long ago my vision was - not too long I'd think, but it sounded if this is something they've been chasing for awhile. Questing after the the power of a god of death isn't something I'd be happy about any of my family taking part of."
"I---" Nimue can hear the apprehension in her grandmother's voice. It seems a long moment before she continues. "I didn't want to taint your memories. Your mother and father....they loved you very much. They didn't want the truth of our family to cause you harm. I didn't want that. But perhaps I was wrong."
She takes a long pull of her drink, almost without thinking, setting it back on the table with a bit too much force. Some of the liquid splashes up into her eyes. Cursing silently, she wipes it away with her sleeve as Astrid speaks. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I saw it in his eyes. The same eyes that I grew up with as a child, the eyes that look back at me in the mirror." She shrugs helplessly. "I can't fool myself into believing anything else."
Astrid sips from her tankard and looks on with sympathy. She lays a hand down on the table palm up in front of Nimue. "I know your hurting, hon. But having the same eyes don't mean a thing. Who you going to believe you're more like... some stranger you just met, or the family that you loved? You seem like an okay person... for an elf." Her smile brightens a bit as she jests. "Just yesterday you were ready to help out a group of strangers. Also, seems like you're trying to put some ghosts to rest in your family. I can respect that."
Nimue smiles warmly at the dwarf.And as much as she truly appreciates Astrid's insistence of the unlikelihood of an actual familial connection...…. Nimue had spent ten years surrounded by family as old as time itself and as young as the past century. She knew a family feature when she saw one.
And the way that her grandmother had spoken of her mother and father.....
What skeletons are you still hiding, Grandmama? The silence that follows is telling. You still won't trust me with the whole truth. Even after all of the pain I unearthed, you still don't trust me.
"Thanks. You seem like an okay person....for a dwarf." Her smile takes on a cheeky attitude.
Caio looks on at the touching moment, glad someone is there to give Nimue that sort of warm comfort which is so alien to him. "So, Nimue, if you had any hesitations about accompanying us to Five Towers I suppose it's in your best interest to quash them. Beyond driving ourselves mad trying to get answers directly from Clarissa or Valentine, that is our only lead."
Caio casts a disdainful glance back at the house before turning to Alaris. "We're returning to the Sheep. I believe we have much to discuss."
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Though his gaze does not pass over her, the disdain she sees in his eyes for the house behind them cuts deep inside Nimue. If he knew, would he hate me? Would they all?
"There is only one way to find out, dearest Melda."
It only takes Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Nimue a few minutes to walk back up across the city to the Black Sheep, where Andrei still awaits the bogatyr's return.
"...and?" He demands with an amused grin. "Glorious battle? A little fast for that, perhaps."
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
"Heh... Battle. Nothing so exciting I'm afraid." Astrid says approaching Andrei. She pulls out a few coins and lays them down on the bar. "But still, enough excitement for a few drinks still."
The dwarf carries the drinks over to their table and sits quietly stating into her drink for a few moments before turning to Caio. "So... Uh... Caio. The vision I had was of Clarissa and another - a bald and pale elven man - celebrating some victory. And it sounded as if they are working with the Ninety-Nine-Hundred."
There is a sharp inhalation of breath, then silence. Caio is motionless, not blinking, not breathing, it's even as if his pulse has stopped while he processes this unexpected information. After what feels like an eternity he finally lets out the air out of his lungs in a long, pained sigh. "Is that so? I'm going to rip that woman's tongue from her mouth." He presses two fingers to the spot between his eyes and closes them tight as if trying to alleviate a sudden migraine. "What exactly did they say?"
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Astrid mirrors Caio has he holds his breathe. She watches expectantly as the pressure within the shadar-kai rises and reminds herself that this was another reason she had chose to wait to divulge what she discovered. As the worst appears to be over, the dwarf quickly lets out her breath and takes a drink to recant what her vision of the past brought her.
"Well, as I said it looked as if they were toasting to their success... of the Imperial gala, Mr. Morgenstern mentioned. He went on to say that the Ninety-Nine Hundred brought them - the Morgenstern's - a step closer at retrieving some codex. Which Clarissa then commented that would then bring them closer to the power of... the Reaper?" Astrid pauses, tapping her chin with a finger as she thinks back on her theological lessons. "Hmm... I think I remember my teachings from Elder Foustoul. He mentioned this name. A god of death in some cultures. Pretty on the nose, now that I think about it."
"Valentine." Nimue says dully, staring into her drink. She drags her gaze up to meet Caio and Astrids. "His name is Valentine Morgenstern."
Caio’s knuckles are white around the handle of his tankard. “Valentine.” Theres another tense exhalation before he turns to Nimue. “How did your meeting with Morgenstern go? You seem shaken.”
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Nimue's gaze falls again to her cup. "He killed my family. And he enjoyed it. Even seemed to relish the memory." For a moment, she thinks she may cry, but her eyes are dry. The feeling passes, and she takes a drink. She briefly considers telling them about the familial connection, but decides against it. Not yet. I don't know enough to trust they wouldn't hate me.
"Are you hiding from this again, Melda? Hiding won't do any good. It will only hurt you more later." Nimue pointedly ignores her grandmother.
Some of Caio's stifled rage seems to subside for a moment. It's blatantly clear to him that Nimue is withholding something big, some revelation beyond the conclusion that she could have easily drawn without venturing into the belly of the beast. "Did you not already assume those truths? Something you learned in there blindsided you. What was it?" The question is pointed as a dagger, but the hard edge is softened. He's genuinely concerned but not trying to interrogate the girl.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Nimue closes her eyes, drawing her hands up to her face and rubbing her temples. "Undómiel is the Evenstar. What do you think Morgenstern translates to?" She lets the question hang in the air, holding her breath and waiting for the sky to fall.
Caio presses, a little more intently this time, "Morning Star. So there is relation then. But what exactly is that relation? If there is a connection between this family and yours, that's one more avenue for hunting down their secrets."
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Nimue continues to hold her breath. When the sky doesn't fall, she tentatively looks over everyone seated at the table. She places her hands deliberately on the table, exhaling slowly. When she's sure her voice won't shake, she locks eyes with Caio. "Valentine Morgenstern is my cousin. And my family came here to kill him." She lowers her gaze slightly. "And they failed." Her voice grows softer, offering all gathered a slight peek into the depths of her grief.
Caio's eyes close and his head nods in sympathetic understanding. "I see. Families are quite the complicated thing as I understand. But if Valentine was your kin, why would the rest of your family seek to end him in the first place?"
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Nimue furrows her brow. "That's exactly what I don't know. It has...…something to do with my mother. He was very specific about that....." She rubs her eyes. "Something about her sins."
"Melda, you know what that means, right? She wanted him dead. That in and of itself could be considered a sin."
So you did know. But why didn't you tell me? What purpose did keeping me in the dark serve?
"Cousin is really a wide term." Astrid takes a sip from her ale and clears her throat before offering. "So, uh, maybe they knew about his wanting to get his hands on the power of this Reaper. I'm not sure how long ago my vision was - not too long I'd think, but it sounded if this is something they've been chasing for awhile. Questing after the the power of a god of death isn't something I'd be happy about any of my family taking part of."
"I---" Nimue can hear the apprehension in her grandmother's voice. It seems a long moment before she continues. "I didn't want to taint your memories. Your mother and father....they loved you very much. They didn't want the truth of our family to cause you harm. I didn't want that. But perhaps I was wrong."
She takes a long pull of her drink, almost without thinking, setting it back on the table with a bit too much force. Some of the liquid splashes up into her eyes. Cursing silently, she wipes it away with her sleeve as Astrid speaks. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I saw it in his eyes. The same eyes that I grew up with as a child, the eyes that look back at me in the mirror." She shrugs helplessly. "I can't fool myself into believing anything else."
Astrid sips from her tankard and looks on with sympathy. She lays a hand down on the table palm up in front of Nimue. "I know your hurting, hon. But having the same eyes don't mean a thing. Who you going to believe you're more like... some stranger you just met, or the family that you loved? You seem like an okay person... for an elf." Her smile brightens a bit as she jests. "Just yesterday you were ready to help out a group of strangers. Also, seems like you're trying to put some ghosts to rest in your family. I can respect that."
Nimue smiles warmly at the dwarf. And as much as she truly appreciates Astrid's insistence of the unlikelihood of an actual familial connection...…. Nimue had spent ten years surrounded by family as old as time itself and as young as the past century. She knew a family feature when she saw one.
And the way that her grandmother had spoken of her mother and father.....
What skeletons are you still hiding, Grandmama? The silence that follows is telling. You still won't trust me with the whole truth. Even after all of the pain I unearthed, you still don't trust me.
"Thanks. You seem like an okay person....for a dwarf." Her smile takes on a cheeky attitude.
Caio looks on at the touching moment, glad someone is there to give Nimue that sort of warm comfort which is so alien to him. "So, Nimue, if you had any hesitations about accompanying us to Five Towers I suppose it's in your best interest to quash them. Beyond driving ourselves mad trying to get answers directly from Clarissa or Valentine, that is our only lead."
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger