Hit Dice: 24

As Ednyss collapses to the ground with the elemental's dissipation, he lays on the ground unconscious until Granophyre grants him some healing. Sitting bolt upright, Ednyss quickly looks around and notices the old scholar. A tired smile pokes at the corner of the war priest's mouth. "It is good to see you Master Strewn. Your assistance, as always, is greatly appreciated." Still sitting Ednyss notices the others in various states of recovery and lays back down to catch his own breath. As he is laying on the ground he silently finishes his prayer to Takal Demesh, 'You have granted us your aid in surviving this last fight, and for that, I am ever grateful. By allowing us to live onwards, you have shown that it is not my time to die, so I will fight onwards in your name and for Your glory until the day that it is time for me to rejoin you in your domain. As always, I will live with honor and die with glory.'

During the short break, Ednyss releases a spell from his shield that he had stored before. With the release of this spell, divine energy washes out over the entire group and gives them the last bit of additional strength before this final fight. He also touches his shield to Varielky's arm to grant her some literal strength from Takal Demesh that might give the group the last push it needs in this fight. Taking a deep breath, Ednyss responds to the others, "The will of Takal Demesh has allowed us to fight on. We must press forward now and complete our task." As Ednyss says this, he reaches down his divine connection and feels out for- nothing. As he starts to pull on the divine connection, he feels only the barest residue of power granted to him remaining and he takes a deep breath. Takal Demesh kept him and the others alive until this point. But now it was up to him to survive. Hefting his War Pick into his hand, Ednyss turns to Auger and asks, "Are we ready to move on?"

Prayer of Healing - Everyone heals 10 HP (From Shield of Takal Demesh)
Enhance Ability (Bull's Strength) cast on Varielky (From Shield of Takal Demesh)

With all the recoveries from the various fights Auger realizes it has been more than 3 hours since they originally entered the area. While they have till midnight he believes it would be prudent to act as soon as possible. Someone may come to check on the guards and his temporary fix to the water leak above cannot hold forever.

Responding to Ednyss Auger nods and says, "Yes, I believe we are ready and we should get moving. Another heavy door awaits us below."

Granophyre likewise closes his eyes and gathers his energies, as does Benita. 

Varielky, Benita and Ednyss realize by the end of the hour that something is wrong. Due to having swallowed the poisonous waters of the undead elemental, the three feel light-headed, weak, and clumsy, and their complexions are dark, their skin too warm to the touch. All are suffering from one level of exhaustion. 

One hour has passed. What now?

Ednyss gives a tired nod to Auger as a wave of lethargy washes over him. He blinks a few times before realizing that there must have been something poisonous about the elementals. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the dwarf steps down towards the heavy door and turns over his shoulder to ensure that the others are ready. Tightening his shield around his arm the war priest takes a deep breath before trying to push the door open.

Varielky struggles to stand up. The dizziness passed... but it allowed weakness to take control instead. She tightens her grip on her sword and shield, clenching her fists on them. Small cuts and bruises were easy to shrug off. These kinds of illnesses... they could easily defeat a soldier even before they face their enemy's weapon. She should be careful now, especially if this isn't the last ward, as Granophyre suspects. "Let us proceed. I suspect the fight we're about to face will be even harder than the previous one."

You reach the bottom of the stairwell, Ednyss, Benita and even Varielky stumbling a bit on the wet steps, weak from the trace remainders of deathly fluids cycling through their bodies. There, at the bottom of the spiraling stairs, you find, as Py had signaled to Auger, a heavy, reinforced door, a yin-yang symbol like the others in the room slightly glowing in its center.

A large porcelain doorknob’s only blemish is a small keyhole. Auger notices something about the doorknob, something... hard to place. (OOC: DM rolls dice…) Perhaps it is simply that he hasn’t seen anything like it in a while.

Ednyss cannot shove open the door. 

"Did someone keep the keys we found on the warriors before? Maybe the one we didn't use yet will work on this door." If not, she will go back to the first room and fetch those keys, trying to use them to open the door.

Auger nods at Varielky as she tries the other key and meanwhile examines the doorknob and keyhole, trying to place its vague familiarity. Something he has seen before but recently while working as a carpenter in Kalahata, or perhaps in something he found in the records? Perhaps it matches a symbol he has seen like the eye within the circle of D'yao Baobab? Or maybe something he might recognize from his trip to the north? Or even something in Anshin? Maybe something in one of his dreams where he is flying? With the mountain in the distance?

If nothing rings a bell then Auger will ask Py and Strewn to see if they recognize anything, particularly if Varielky's attempt with the key nets nothing.

(OOC: A few rolls of things it that may assist the process:

Investigation (anything pertaining to the records in Kalahata): 11

Religious symbols: 16

Arcane explorations in the Sea of Stars: 23)

(OOC: Re: the doorknob, DM has already rolled. Result: “Perhaps it is simply that he hasn’t seen anything like it in a while.“ Granophyre and Py are no help.)

You use the smaller of the two keys from the Jlasi Warrior’s keychain, unlock and push the door open, and you step through into a dark hallway, Varielky’s twin eyebeams lighting the way for herself and Benita, the others’ darkvision granting them sight. You walk down the passage for some time -- it could be as far as a mile, perhaps slightly sloping downwards.

Looking back, perspective draws the lines where the floor and walls meet together to fade to darkness in the distance, into silent nothingness. Turning forward again, the three nearly-drowned adventurers breathing coarsely and heavily in the dark, you continue onward, until eventually, you see a light in the distance, dim at first, then growing in intensity and size as you near it. 

The passage soon comes to an end, where it turns abruptly toward the light’s source. As you debate silently whether to send Py ahead to scout, you learn that you are neither alone, nor undetected.

“Hello Dannel,” comes a man’s voice from around the corner. To Auger, it sounds very familiar. Familial even. It sounds like Brenneth’s voice, and it, the sound, like a door, opens a memory of Auger’s: the doorknob he noticed earlier is made just like the one on the half door opening into the gazebo upon the little isle on the Dowager’s lake.

"Brenneth!" Auger calls out surprised.

"Brenneth! What an odd place to meet!" Auger cannot help but be concerned. How could Brenneth have found his way down here? And after the guardians and the undead he has to wonder if he is hearing some form of illusion. Auger motions to the others to stay back and steps forward to see what they face himself. Mostly to himself he says, Quý cô hướng dẫn tôi qua.

Py fly above me invisibly, and let our Lady know of what is going on if you can.

Auger approaches the end of the passage and turns, and before him, the difference is jaw dropping. The room is a large parlor, with the last light of day shining in through tall windows, lending a gorgeous golden glow to everything within. The windows are at least 20’ tall, and based on what can be seen through them, one might surmise that the room must be in an upper story of a building: on the grounds nearby, trees blow in a summer breeze, while in the distance, snow-capped mountains reflect the setting sun’s rays like gems set aflame. In the parlor, a well-groomed dog with a thin leather collar sits lazily to one side, seemingly smiling and panting in the warm summer air. 

On one wall there is a small fountain, from which trickles a tiny dancing shaft of water, enlivening the ambiance, in addition to the soft motions of the room’s two other occupants. 

One is a girl, perhaps 11 years old, sitting on her shins and playing with a doll in the light of the windows, who turns to look at you guardedly over her shoulder before returning to her play. The other is a man, middle-aged, dressed in southern garb, positioned near a side wall, before a large table or desk, upon which many books are stacked high, rather sloppily, some left open to middle pages, one, seemingly about to fall to the floor, barely held in place by a loose pile of other codices. The man’s pointed moustache and beard are graying, and the tip of a widow’s peak is barely visible under a wide-brimmed circular hat, rather like a rice farmer’s, crafted of purest black fabric. His robes, too, are black, except for what seems to be a shimmering outer layer of gauze embroidered with delicate silver stars.

“Everyone. Please come in,” he says calmly, in perfect Jenghen, without looking up. “I’ve been expecting you,” he adds, with a tone tinted—barely detectable by Ednyss through his insight, and easily so by Auger, through long familiarity—with arrogance. He seems to be writing something with an ink brush with his right hand, while holding the trailing cuff of his right sleeve with his left hand to keep it from disturbing his penmanship, and his attention is confidently given to this task. 

Auger, if he was not sure before, now recognizes the voice with certainty. And when the man finishes his writing and looks up, to regard whoever enters the room, the warlock knows without a shadow of a doubt. This is no illusion. He is now in the presence of his cousin, the last, lost, chosen servant of The Dowager: Brenneth Fetherlac.

Hearing a strange voice, Ednyss does not move a muscle. The dwarf knows better than to trust those whom he cannot see and does not know of. Instead, he waits for Auger to give some kind of command or motion that it is okay to enter. After all, Auger had just motioned for them to stay back. He won't stop Benita or Granophyre from approaching, but if Varielky starts to move into the room, Ednyss will reluctantly follow her. Her safety, after all, is his priority for now.

Once inside the room (either from Auger's command or Varielky entering) Ednyss takes mental note of all that he sees before focusing his eyes on the man that had been speaking. Letting Auger lead the conversation, the war priest instead focuses on trying to decipher what he can from the man's words and the intentions behind them.

(Pre-emptive) Insight: 18

Varielky is about to enter when Auger motions her to stop. Looking back and seeing that Ednyss is also waiting, she decides to stay put until Auger gives a signal.

"You. Have been expecting. Us." Auger enters the room, positioning himself so he remains in view to the others, if possible. Auger makes sure to speak so his voice carries. "Brenneth it has been so long since you walked away from your family and... the lake. How is it that you are...? Here. Expecting us? Where are we?"

While speaking, Auger examines the room and the view out the windows in particular to see if he recognizes any of it. Brenneth was not an illusion, he was now confident of that, but a mile-long passage through a dank corridor under a lake does not open on to a place like this without some form of magic going on.

Brenneth Fetherlac replies, “And it has not been so very long since you, too, left the family, has it?,” and he holds Auger’s eyes for a moment, then looks behind him to the doorway as he says calmly, but loudly enough to be clearly heard outside the parlor, “It is rude to stand at the threshold without coming in.” His voice then inflected only to Auger, he continues in the Anshin language, “That custom extends beyond Anshin Subprefecture, cousin.” 

Attempting to penetrate illusion, for a split second, Auger thinks he sees a huge stone chamber surrounding him, rather than the warm parlor he first entered. But whether the stone chamber or the parlor is reality is hard to parse. ‘Who could create an illusion this enormous, this compelling, this detailed?,’ he might be inclined to wonder.

Varielky hesitates for just a moment, then steps forward. She didn't feel like holding back her remark to his words. "It is also rude to take a queen prisoner, then threaten her life to get her subjects to assassinate some targets for you. If you want someone dead, come to them yourself with a sword, a hammer or an axe in your hand. Where is the Azhvuvs' queen?" Varielky glances momentarily towards the young girl in the room. She doesn't look like what Varielky imagines the queen would look like, but she's also the only other person in the room, other than that person who seems to know Auger.

(OOC: Benita and Granophyre enter with Varielky, and since Ednyss had declared his action based on Varielky's, he enters as well.)

Brenneth turns to Varielky, and says, “Calm down, <bresznyithk,>” with the immediate result that Varielky is stunned (OOC: no saving throw, and this will last for about a minute since we are not in initiative.). “Do come in,” he says to the others.

Ednyss and Granophyre both recoil, their connection to Takal Demesh telling them that this individual standing before them is not merely a warlock-turned wizard; it is evil to its core, the most powerful undead either has ever encountered. 

“You…are…a…lich!,” Granophyre utters in a shocked whisper. 

Brenneth takes this in, seems on the point of responding, and then continues speaking, matter-of-factly, to Auger, in Jenghen so all can understand.

“Yes, I decided to make my own way, cousin. You should give it a try. Some day you’ll tire of your slavery to the pixie. There are secrets to the universe which, once having stepped into the sea of stars, I knew I had the intelligence and the nerve — the courage — to follow to their ultimate end. And I will follow them, Dannel. And nothing will stop me.” He looks up, and you all see a darkness, a terrible darkness, in his eyes.

The man turns now to the scholar in your midst. “Granophyre Strewn. I have read all of your books. All of them. Fascinating, and so well written. I may be your biggest fan. 

“I need something. I am so very busy with my studies, there is much — much which has been forgotten, or hidden by the Old Mystics.” He paces and gestures calmly as he speaks, as if recreating with his steps back and forth, the motions of his arms and hands, the mental perambulations of his historical inquiries. “For example, the location of their tower. And the fact that they were never destroyed, as we were led to believe. But I need time to finish my research, and I need to know how much time is left.”

He — or rather, it — focuses on Strewn again. 

“So, when you make your way to Core of Dacite — yes, I know your goal — when you make your way to Core of a Dacite, you will see how much time is left. In the control room. And you will tell me. And after you have, then will I release the Azhvuv Queen.”

Varielky’s senses return to her at this moment. 

Still shocked at seeing his cousin here in the flesh, Auger is about to speak with him more when Varielky enters while speaking and is immediately stunned by Brenneth. This followed quickly by Granophyre's assertion of what Brenneth has become leaves Auger momentarily stunned in turn. Brenneth. No longer serves... the pixie. His pixie. The Great Lady. Brenneth. Somehow a lich? And not denying it. A fell wind indeed.

His mind racing, Auger thinks back to the day in the Gazebo, when he was 15 and how he stood there with Brenneth for hours. Waiting. And the Dowager chose Brenneth. Brenneth had always been aggressive in opinions and would act a little better than the others. But when they had stood together all Auger felt was hope from Brenneth. He had smiled with joy at receiving the Dowager's gifts. What had he said at the time? Something about how he would be able to learn so much and do so much? Is that right? And then he left. How had he come to this? Would Auger himself become something similar?

Those questions aside, there is clearly a problem at hand, and we must come to terms with it.

"Cousin. Perhaps we can work together. Without pressure. You see, we have commitments to honor ourselves. The Azhvuv Queen must be free tonight. Yes. Tonight, or matters will spin out of control in Kalahata. And those we have promised to do this will not be pleased. They might even be among those who would impede us if we cannot free the Queen. If we are ever to find a Core of Dacite and aid you with information --from its Control Room, our path will be smoother if we can take this action. Tonight.

Clearly your powers are strong. This illusion you have created in this chamber. It is quite compelling. You-- you stopped-- my friend with a word. But if even with your powers such as they are, you cannot get this information -- from the Control Room -- you cannot get this information yourself. Or you would already have it. You need our help. So aid us. Let the Queen go free."

Auger watches Brenneth carefully for his response, and attempts to hide nothing about his own intentions. His face very readable. He truly believes this is possible and a good deal for all sides.