"Oh, I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe," Dagon tells Shiva with a mock bow. "A watcher, if you will. It's beautiful to see how all the schemers' webs weave amongst one another... and not one of my incarnations has been a fan of Him."
Dagon is taken by a distant stare for a long moment, before he remembers his captive audience.
"Anyway, I won't keep you any longer. Your friends will be missing you."
He laughs aloud at his own joke and then he clicks his fingers and is gone. As suddenly as Dagon disappears, time begins to move again around Shiva and she slams back into her physical body with a jolt.
"Hey, wai-!" Shiva reaches out to the strange entity but is immediately and violently shunted back into her physical form as the darkness and grey scale back into their living hues. Her perception returns to the road and Nikolai's galloping horse and a moment that now feels much further away than it should.
Turning to the group, she does her best to explain all that she just experienced and learned. After providing as much detail as possible, she puts her hands on her hips and huffs in exasperation. "So, needless to say that we're being thrown in the mix with forces that make the Morgensterns seem like a minor inconvenience by comparison. But these runestones sound like the only things that can send our Others home. And this damned ring."
“To be quite honest I’m not so pressed about the fate of these Others,”
”Love you too.”
”But a power source such as these runestones could potentially tip the scales in our favor against the Morgensterns, or even that dragon still looming about. Beschadik isn’t so far from Eazim where Astrid and I have business anyway. And this Illearth stone... well if it is brilliant emerald green and it is “lost to the shadows” then I have a sneaking suspicion I know generally where to find it. The Shadowfell.” Caio looks to Shiva with a glint of mischief in his dark eyes at the prospect of venturing to another plane.
As Shiva shares her experience with the raven-winged figure of Dagon, Alaris stiffens in frustration and sinks back into themselves. They take a few steps over to where Zadkiel rests, and leans heavily against the big horse - still within earshot of Shiva.
"Are you hearing this?" Alaris murmurs, not to Zadkiel but to their Other... their self they aren't totally sure exists.
"Of course I'm here, sugar... where else would I be?"
"I do NOT trust this Dagon fellow... why is he sharing all this information with us?"
"I have no idea, but I did make a deal with him once and he came through. I had to seal it with a kiss, though... maybe you should try that?"
"Don't be foul..." Alaris' face scrunches in loathing for a moment before they continue. "These names... Azrael, Israphel, Gabriel and Michael... are they names from your world?"
"Mmm... yes indeed. In some of our writings, they are the four most powerful servants of the Most High God. Let me think a moment, since there's nothing else for my fabulous self to do... Michael is the Commander of their Holy Host; Israphel is their Healer; Gabriel their Messenger; and Azrael... Azrael is their Watcher. If Dagon the Droll is talking about OUR archangels, that's their deal. What they're like in your world... who knows? You're so much more tense than me... maybe they're all twisted too."
"Thanks for that," Alaris growls dryly, but with a tiny smile.
"Hey... my Other says that they know those names Dagon told you." Alaris proceeds to share the information from their more fabulous self before shrugging. "Do you think they're the same here? Does that tell us anything??"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Caio ponders this new information and shakes his head. “I would not think to call the Matron a ‘Commander of a Holy Host’. If she is indeed syncretized to this angel Michael, I’d say it is not an exact match.”
The familiar glint in Caio's eyes tell Shiva all she needs to know of his intentions, and her eyebrows rise in surprise. "I felt my life was in danger for every second that I was in that awful place, and something tells me that I lucked out by only running into the Collector. If we go for a runestone hidden there, we'll need to be ready to fight with everything we have. But, with you and Énbarr with us, I think it'd be worth a shot."
Turning to Alaris, Shiva shrugs. "Your friend is right, the archangels have immense power in our world, and it may be the same here. It makes me wonder where Raziel is in all this. But it feels like danger on all sides, honey. A step towards any of these stones is likely to have consequences." "Yeah. Hopefully we get this right and make it out in one piece."
"My Other is also familiar with those names. If these angels are following the trend, then the versions of them in this world are really powerful too. What Dagon said is more than we've had to go on since our visitors landed, so I think his word is our best bet for now."
"Four stones. Four Names. Four of us,"Alaris murmurs, glancing to Astrid. "Astrid, does any of this connect with any lore you know? Your path met ours through an interesting twist of fate, I remember..."
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
The dwarf shakes her head slowly. "I'm afraid not. I didn't study any rune magic. Maybe before we go chasing after one of these things, we can visit the master runesmiths of Karaz Ruhn to see what we may be getting ourselves into here."
"Do you think we'll have time for that, Astrid? This all feels like it's happening presently. If we don't act soon, it may allow even more obstacles to fall in our path."
"Why wouldn't we? I would think if we are going to be dealing with something that seems to cross the planes of existence, which can have as many parts as a clock," she taps her own watch hanging from her neck, "that it would be smart to seek out some advise so we know what we're going to dealing with.... You know, how they work and how to stop those that may get their hands on one." She pauses and glance down to the ring on Shiva's hand before continuing in a hushed voice. "Maybe we should figure out who this Dagon creature is that's seems so eager to help us."
Shiva looks off in thought for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, I agree. We still need to get the relic and the priors to Paragon, though. Then we'd been planning on heading to Five Towers after that." Shiva lets out a small huff of frustration. "There's too much to do and not enough time."
Caio crosses his arms with a huff of his own. “I wonder... perhaps Johnathan or his contact know of these stones. He did say that they had a potential way to go up against his father, what are the odds it’s connected to all of this?”
"Less talking, more walking, people. Let's get on the road - maybe we'll get out faster than the cultists expect. I'll go get the brothers - moving out in half an hour." Alaris pats Zadkiel's neck and strides with a purpose towards the entryway to the inn.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Ludomir, Beinidict and Branok are also keen to get under way and half an hour later the horses are saddled and hitched to the carriage ready to leave.
A few minutes before the convoy is due to depart, a dwarven soldier comes jogging up to the Hearthstone in search of 'Lady Silverscar'.
"Mi'lady," he greets Astrid with a short bow, "I bring word from the Lord Commander - battle has been met in the Gap of Hirn. Prince Byrrnoth's forces ambushed Sarameian janissaries at dawn this morning. They say that it was a great victory. It is expected that King Alrik shall reward his nephew for such valour and strategic foresight."
Astrid looks up from feeding Bluebell some scraps of vegetables. "Oh! I see. Well, I that sounds like good news...? Were there many casualties?" she replies, though her mind begins to wonder if this is still all part of the plan to somehow allow the Sarameians to sneak into Littlewood.
Shiva looks over to Astrid in poorly-disguised surprise when the soldier addresses her so formally. "Mi'lady? I have questions, but for now it's safe to say we won't have to worry about running into any more Sarameian forces or their distracting corpses on our journey?"
"Not if you stick to the road to Paragon," the dwarven soldier tells Shiva, pulling himself up to his full height. "The battle took place close to Kazad Grimm."
Shiva nods to the soldier, and her thoughts float back to that day in the forest when the scent of blood led her to one of the janissary corpses. There was something oneiric to the entire experience, right up until her demonic essence began surging forth and she had to force it back down, nearly passing out in the process. So vivid is the memory that she can nearly taste the hints of metal on her tongue.
As if on cue, she begins to feel the untamed demonic power rising within her. She almost starts to panic, but remembers her hard-earned lesson. She breathes evenly, and the force does not attempt to overwhelm her, instead flowing beneath the surface in a powerful current.
Shiva recalls the scent of blood on the alpine air and how it made her demonic blood broil and surge within her. She opens her mind to the experience and she can taste the same metallic flavour on the wind between the buildings of Mingol Bar. As though in a daze, she begins to wander off, following it.
"Oh, I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe," Dagon tells Shiva with a mock bow. "A watcher, if you will. It's beautiful to see how all the schemers' webs weave amongst one another... and not one of my incarnations has been a fan of Him."
Dagon is taken by a distant stare for a long moment, before he remembers his captive audience.
"Anyway, I won't keep you any longer. Your friends will be missing you."
He laughs aloud at his own joke and then he clicks his fingers and is gone. As suddenly as Dagon disappears, time begins to move again around Shiva and she slams back into her physical body with a jolt.
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
"Hey, wai-!" Shiva reaches out to the strange entity but is immediately and violently shunted back into her physical form as the darkness and grey scale back into their living hues. Her perception returns to the road and Nikolai's galloping horse and a moment that now feels much further away than it should.
Turning to the group, she does her best to explain all that she just experienced and learned. After providing as much detail as possible, she puts her hands on her hips and huffs in exasperation. "So, needless to say that we're being thrown in the mix with forces that make the Morgensterns seem like a minor inconvenience by comparison. But these runestones sound like the only things that can send our Others home. And this damned ring."
“To be quite honest I’m not so pressed about the fate of these Others,”
”Love you too.”
”But a power source such as these runestones could potentially tip the scales in our favor against the Morgensterns, or even that dragon still looming about. Beschadik isn’t so far from Eazim where Astrid and I have business anyway. And this Illearth stone... well if it is brilliant emerald green and it is “lost to the shadows” then I have a sneaking suspicion I know generally where to find it. The Shadowfell.” Caio looks to Shiva with a glint of mischief in his dark eyes at the prospect of venturing to another plane.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
As Shiva shares her experience with the raven-winged figure of Dagon, Alaris stiffens in frustration and sinks back into themselves. They take a few steps over to where Zadkiel rests, and leans heavily against the big horse - still within earshot of Shiva.
"Are you hearing this?" Alaris murmurs, not to Zadkiel but to their Other... their self they aren't totally sure exists.
"Of course I'm here, sugar... where else would I be?"
"I do NOT trust this Dagon fellow... why is he sharing all this information with us?"
"I have no idea, but I did make a deal with him once and he came through. I had to seal it with a kiss, though... maybe you should try that?"
"Don't be foul..." Alaris' face scrunches in loathing for a moment before they continue. "These names... Azrael, Israphel, Gabriel and Michael... are they names from your world?"
"Mmm... yes indeed. In some of our writings, they are the four most powerful servants of the Most High God. Let me think a moment, since there's nothing else for my fabulous self to do... Michael is the Commander of their Holy Host; Israphel is their Healer; Gabriel their Messenger; and Azrael... Azrael is their Watcher. If Dagon the Droll is talking about OUR archangels, that's their deal. What they're like in your world... who knows? You're so much more tense than me... maybe they're all twisted too."
"Thanks for that," Alaris growls dryly, but with a tiny smile.
"Hey... my Other says that they know those names Dagon told you." Alaris proceeds to share the information from their more fabulous self before shrugging. "Do you think they're the same here? Does that tell us anything??"
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Caio ponders this new information and shakes his head. “I would not think to call the Matron a ‘Commander of a Holy Host’. If she is indeed syncretized to this angel Michael, I’d say it is not an exact match.”
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
The familiar glint in Caio's eyes tell Shiva all she needs to know of his intentions, and her eyebrows rise in surprise. "I felt my life was in danger for every second that I was in that awful place, and something tells me that I lucked out by only running into the Collector. If we go for a runestone hidden there, we'll need to be ready to fight with everything we have. But, with you and Énbarr with us, I think it'd be worth a shot."
Turning to Alaris, Shiva shrugs. "Your friend is right, the archangels have immense power in our world, and it may be the same here. It makes me wonder where Raziel is in all this. But it feels like danger on all sides, honey. A step towards any of these stones is likely to have consequences." "Yeah. Hopefully we get this right and make it out in one piece."
"My Other is also familiar with those names. If these angels are following the trend, then the versions of them in this world are really powerful too. What Dagon said is more than we've had to go on since our visitors landed, so I think his word is our best bet for now."
"Four stones. Four Names. Four of us," Alaris murmurs, glancing to Astrid. "Astrid, does any of this connect with any lore you know? Your path met ours through an interesting twist of fate, I remember..."
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
The dwarf shakes her head slowly. "I'm afraid not. I didn't study any rune magic. Maybe before we go chasing after one of these things, we can visit the master runesmiths of Karaz Ruhn to see what we may be getting ourselves into here."
"Do you think we'll have time for that, Astrid? This all feels like it's happening presently. If we don't act soon, it may allow even more obstacles to fall in our path."
"Why wouldn't we? I would think if we are going to be dealing with something that seems to cross the planes of existence, which can have as many parts as a clock," she taps her own watch hanging from her neck, "that it would be smart to seek out some advise so we know what we're going to dealing with.... You know, how they work and how to stop those that may get their hands on one." She pauses and glance down to the ring on Shiva's hand before continuing in a hushed voice. "Maybe we should figure out who this Dagon creature is that's seems so eager to help us."
Shiva looks off in thought for a moment, then nods. "Yeah, I agree. We still need to get the relic and the priors to Paragon, though. Then we'd been planning on heading to Five Towers after that." Shiva lets out a small huff of frustration. "There's too much to do and not enough time."
Caio crosses his arms with a huff of his own. “I wonder... perhaps Johnathan or his contact know of these stones. He did say that they had a potential way to go up against his father, what are the odds it’s connected to all of this?”
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
"Less talking, more walking, people. Let's get on the road - maybe we'll get out faster than the cultists expect. I'll go get the brothers - moving out in half an hour." Alaris pats Zadkiel's neck and strides with a purpose towards the entryway to the inn.
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
Ludomir, Beinidict and Branok are also keen to get under way and half an hour later the horses are saddled and hitched to the carriage ready to leave.
A few minutes before the convoy is due to depart, a dwarven soldier comes jogging up to the Hearthstone in search of 'Lady Silverscar'.
"Mi'lady," he greets Astrid with a short bow, "I bring word from the Lord Commander - battle has been met in the Gap of Hirn. Prince Byrrnoth's forces ambushed Sarameian janissaries at dawn this morning. They say that it was a great victory. It is expected that King Alrik shall reward his nephew for such valour and strategic foresight."
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
Astrid looks up from feeding Bluebell some scraps of vegetables. "Oh! I see. Well, I that sounds like good news...? Were there many casualties?" she replies, though her mind begins to wonder if this is still all part of the plan to somehow allow the Sarameians to sneak into Littlewood.
"I imagine so, mi'lady," the soldier replies wearily. "We can only hope that they were Sarameian."
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
Shiva looks over to Astrid in poorly-disguised surprise when the soldier addresses her so formally. "Mi'lady? I have questions, but for now it's safe to say we won't have to worry about running into any more Sarameian forces or their distracting corpses on our journey?"
"Not if you stick to the road to Paragon," the dwarven soldier tells Shiva, pulling himself up to his full height. "The battle took place close to Kazad Grimm."
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
Shiva nods to the soldier, and her thoughts float back to that day in the forest when the scent of blood led her to one of the janissary corpses. There was something oneiric to the entire experience, right up until her demonic essence began surging forth and she had to force it back down, nearly passing out in the process. So vivid is the memory that she can nearly taste the hints of metal on her tongue.
As if on cue, she begins to feel the untamed demonic power rising within her. She almost starts to panic, but remembers her hard-earned lesson. She breathes evenly, and the force does not attempt to overwhelm her, instead flowing beneath the surface in a powerful current.
Shiva recalls the scent of blood on the alpine air and how it made her demonic blood broil and surge within her. She opens her mind to the experience and she can taste the same metallic flavour on the wind between the buildings of Mingol Bar. As though in a daze, she begins to wander off, following it.
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