As camp was set up, Jezzika was concerned, frustrated. She took a moment and focused.

Stop ignoring me. I know you can hear me. What is going on.

SINCE BEFORE YOU WERE BORN I HAVE WATCHED OVER YOU. I HAVE GUIDED YOU TO A DESTINY BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION. YOUR JOURNEY IS NEARLY COMPLETE. 

What are you talking about. What destiny? 

SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME I HAVE NURTURED HERALDS TO RULE THE WORLDS I HAVE RE ORIGINATED. YOU WILL USHER IN A NEW ERA ON THIS WORLD. A WORLD COMPLETELY CONSUMED BY THE PRIMER AND MY SHADOW. YOU WILL BE MY AVATAR AND HAVE POWER BEYOND IMAGINATION.

Umbra!! All I EVER wanted was KNOWLEDGE! Is this what you do? Destroy and..reformat worlds in your image?? Svana was right! She was right! Why did you not tell me this! You're going to wipe out life on this planet! Why?

THOSE THAT TRIED TO HARM ME EONS AGO WILL FEEL MY WRATH AGAIN. I AM EVERYTHING. I AM EVERYWHERE.

Wait! All I wanted was knowledge of the universe. Academic knowledge, not..to help you kill life, or..rule over whatever remains! Is this why you gave me the information I wanted? To trick me? To convince me!? You knew I'd do anything for it. You knew it! I just wanted to be a child of the cosmos!!

AS YOU WILL BE.

But not in this way!! I do NOT want to be a part of this mass destruction! 

YOU ALREADY HAVE. IT IS TOO LATE.

I refuse! No! Umbra. How many worlds have you destroyed? Umbra? UMBRA!!! I won't do it! I wont do it!!

I HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW YOU.

Jezzika protested, but was whisked away to somewhere impossibly far. Held restrained by Umbra's coils, she struggled, resisted against the surface of the star. Pulled through the surface deeper into the heart of the star she sank, and Umbra's influence took complete control of her, and anger and resistance melted away. Images flooded her mind, images of another reality, another place, another time. This universe was beyond mortal concepts and words, and in her mind she could not speak, just watch in absolute awe at what she was seeing. Cosmic structures, colors, and laws of physics never seen before and completely indescribable. Umbra gave her brain the ability to process it all, albeit briefly. Another tease, another method of control. And it worked. Reaching into her mind, Umbra made her forget certain feelings, and just like he had always done, made her subservient and removed certain memories in her brain - and once again she was complacent, fascinated, yearning for more. Once again he made her calm, and once again, one step closer to dominating her will through deviousness. 

She awoke slowly, and noticed her teddy bear was looking directly at her. She grabbed it and hugged it lovingly.

Quinn hold one arm around Ashs' waist as they sit. 

Well i had to think about it. Like ive seen giant snake like things carved on the outside of ships, but im not sure if its related. And my mother, shes the elf..

Quinn looks off into the distance 

Shes getting old. But im not sure how long shes got left..

Ash looks at him with a small smile and tilts her head. "No... Not how old she is... Not her race... What is she LIKE. Is she nice? What does she like to do? I guess what I'm asking is if she'll like me? What would I have in common with her?" Ash sits her notebook back into her bag and studies Quinn with a curious smile.

Quinn 

How are you alike? Youre both very intelligent, and know that you dont always get the answer you were looking for. Shes ok to most people, but she isnt fond of dwarves. Shes old blood really. Old fashioned i mean, Even for an elf. Very proper, and at times, very snooty and abrasive. She has a strong will like you too, and i knew she never would have let me leave home had she known. Im almost afraid to contact her again, i dont know how she will react.

Watch. That was all Enkindle could do as just about everyone else were able to clear a swift path. Whether their actions were enough to at least disrupt the ceremony, or merely delayed the inevitable, remaining in the more immediate area did not seem tenable. Regardless, the fire genasi reached for the blaze to scour the ground, and would sit in a bed smoldering stone. Once again she could be seen talking to herself in dwarvish.

Her message sent off, she retires, caring not to watch, and feeling no more 'truimphant' in the days activities.

Goodness, isn't he precious? "Absolutely, Duke! I will introduce you as one of my trustworthy and faithful friends that helped me escape the Underdark. There's no way she wouldn't be interested in a handsome face such as yours. I would want nothing more than for you to experience romantic love as well!" She smiles brightly. "And thank you for your compliments, Duke. I think everyone would agree with the aforementioned statements; you are trustworthy, faithful, kind... Genevieve will easily pick up on those qualities the first moment she meets you."

Duke waits for a moment before making his next statement. "Inquiry: Could you teach me to dance?"

Svana blinks in confusion at Duke at first, but it dawned on her why he would ask the question. "Oh! I don't see why not... Would you like to learn now or start your lessons tomorrow?"

"Declaration: If you are not fatigued, we could start now."

"I think I can teach you a thing or two before retiring for the night." She grins, adjusting her position. "Alright, first thing you would need to learn is the box step. Basically you're just moving your feet in a square, like so..."

For about an hour or so, Svana had taught Duke the basics of ballroom dance (those of which did not require actual music playing); how to count the beats of a song, where to place your hands on your partner, and how to move smoothly across the floor. She had never been the teacher, always the student, and she only hoped that some of what she taught stuck with Duke the more they journeyed further.  If anything though, the lesson brought her back to a happier, simpler time, something she almost forgot about since being captured.

BLINGDENSTONE - THE FINAL CHAPTER

After another week or so of caravaning, we arrived at Blindenstone. Rising up to a broad terrace before the gate, we came across wide stairs which where clearly built for gnomish feet. At the top of the stairs was a large entrance on the west wall, where wagons were secured on stone sleds pulled by a chain up a steep slope. The main gate of Blingdenstone was a door made of steel and mithral, inlaid with a secret magic-resistant alloy and plated with adamantine. The terrace between the top of the stairs and the gate has a slight upward slope.

"Oi!" one of the 8 deep gnome guards call out from the top. "Strangers. State your business."

Duke is careful when Svana teaches him to slow dance, making sure not to step on her feet, as that would end incredibly poorly for the smaller noblewoman. He is happy during the experience, happy to be experiencing this with his friend and happy that he has brought her some joy and a reminder of the better times in her life.

"Declaration: We are a caravan seeking to pass through here to gain entry to the surface world. We will not bring any harm to this city or its inhabitants."

Ash almost awkwardly rubs the back of her neck cutely. "I guess she wont like meeting Yama then? But I'll be with you when you return to her. Maybe she'll be less angered when you return with a girl at your side?" 

When they arrive at Blingdenstone, Ash remains quietly next to Quinn and studies the gnomes. She eyes them for any danger. 

Insight: 5

Huey spent most of the past week sleepwalking, mumbling the entire time.  Mama Jizzika was cold and distant, and he just couldn't understand why.  Something had changed in her recently.  Some that made her different.  She smiled less.  Hugged less.  Cared less.  And this made Huey scared.

Ree'lyn | Drow | Warlock | Level 5 | AC 15 | HP 36/36 | Temporary HP 3/8 | Cantrips Known 3 | Spells Known 6 | Spell Slots 1/2 | Slot Level 3rd | Innate spells 6| Eldritch Invocations 3

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Well met!" - Ree'lyn steps forward and bows. - "We have come a long way and we have been put through the dangers of the Underdark for far too long. All we wish is a place to stay and be safe from the haunting threats. Might we speak to your commander, please? We have information regarding the recent activities of fiends too close to your home."

"We've come to get these surface folks to the surface." Ronnal will keep his hands open and to the side.

Quinn to ash, as were walking

Well you know what, it doesnt matter because im not like that. I believe that most everyone has a good heart. Sure theres some bad eggs, and what she doesnt know wont hurt her. 

Quinn kisses her cheek as they come up on the gates, Quinn makes himself look as non threatening as possible, by doing nothing

Yes! Weve come a long way and are very tired. I also can play music if you would like at any inn!

Persuasion 13

Between the gate and Blingdenstone proper, the svirfneblin built the maze: a twisting and turning path that runs between 10-foot-high walls studded with nails. They let us all pass into the inner portion of the complex. You leave the dark tunnel behind and step into what looks like another world. These aren’t sinister drow caverns or harsh, bare stone, but a subterranean land of warm colors and welcoming smells. The deep gnomes you see going about their business glance up at you with suspicion, but you instinctively understand that you face no threat here. One of the guards escorting you abandons his severe frown to give a deep nod as he prompts you past the inner gate. “Welcome to Blingdenstone, travelers.”

You are taken to AREA 5.

This busy cavern welcomes visitors to Blingdenstone and connects the most important chambers of the new settlement. Two sealed tunnels here lead to the Goldwhisker Warrens. One is closed off by a deliberately caused cave-in to the south, and the other by reinforced, locked, and guarded gates.

Duke leads the way into Area 7, but not before turning to Svana and sending her a message. "Declaration: We have almost obtained our freedom. While I admittedly look forward to the successful completion of the goal we worked towards and to meeting Genevieve, I would be dishonest if I said that the prospect of parting with this group is not a sad one for me as I have grown fond of many people within this group. You included."

This cavern serves as Blingdenstone’s central market - it is clearly a trading grotto. Blingdenstone’s merchants gather here in makeshift stalls amid the stone stalks to hawk their wares and barter with one another. Arriving caravans lower their cargo to warehouses carved out beneath the grotto. Off in the distance, guards are finishing off two gelatinous cubes, one of which has engulfed one of the guards. Glaabagool is distressed by this event.