Undine the Sea

"As I said, you shall have my sign," Lysianassa agrees, "And my younger sisters may be able to help you visit Amalthea."

"It would not be much of a boon if you just had to use it to get what you came for in the first place" she laughs and smiles kindly.

"Err.. alright then, and thank you Priestress. Thank you." Jallembo replies awaiting his boon, his natural curiosity taking over.

*Lysianassa quirks her lips into an odd smile, assuming that this is an affirmation of his choice of boon.*

"Very well. You will see why I show my true face to but few..."

*The imagined form of Jallembo's mother from his memories shimmers and ripples slightly, like the surface of a pond into which a rock has been thrown, and then it fades away, all at once revealing the priestess's true form.*

*In her full glory, Lysianassa is the most beautiful woman that Jallembo has ever seen...nay, surely the most beautiful thing in all of existence. She is also far less clothed under the robe than the illusion had been. Every curve, every lock of her golden hair, the sparkle of her clear blue eyes, it's as if it had been crafted by an artist of inhuman skill struck on one night with the inspiration to create a masterpiece that even he himself could never reproduce, redefining the avatar of ideal beauty in Jallembo's imagination. And the aura around her is so pure, beautiful, and serene, somehow it makes the whole thing seem like a dream, somehow unreal. By the time he can even get his wits about him again enough to think about anything else or even move, almost a full minute has passed, and he has to shut his jaw from its position agape to prevent drooling. It is then that he realises that this gorgeous perfect creature doesn't seem to have moved at all in that minute, and neither have the surroundings. As he turns his head about, nothing changes either. It's as if the visual processor in his mind has found the one perfect thing that it wants to look at, and now it can see nothing else. No matter where he looks, she is all he can see. He's effectively blind, and yet, the sensation is somehow extremely enjoyable.*

*Suddenly, Lysianassa's voice whispers from what must be less than a centimetre from his ear--she must have sneaked up right next to him now that he can't see. In fact, he's sure of it, he can feel her breath tickle his ear:*

"As I expected, it was a bit too overwhelming for you," she speaks kindly, and then she leans over and kisses him on the cheek, "Well, you have my mark. I can restore your sight...Just let me guide you."

*She puts an arm around him, leaning against him to steady him as she leads him somewhere close--probably the edge of the pool of water from the sound of water getting louder, then she leads him to sit down on her lap, as she brushes away a bit of hair to clear up his forehead with one hand and then gently anoints his brow with the sacred water while chanting in a beautiful otherworldly tongue. Looking around, she has resumed the form from his memories, covering her true features once more in illusion, but from his position sitting on her lap, he can still feel the differences of her true form. A jaguar, perhaps the same one, has appeared at the edge of the glade.*

"Teza wanted to see whether you would be overwhelmed by me," Lysianassa explains when she sees where he is looking, "But few men have ever dared ask me to reveal my true form. I admire that. I could count on my fingers how many have been able to gaze upon me without being overcome. You should not consider it a fault of your own that you could not."

Jallembo is just simply overwhelmed. His senses take over him. There is no more time, no more space, just her. The perfect one. Godlike perfection.

Her touch and her voice are overpowering as well as she places her mark. He stands still feeling totally inappropriate and.. small. He starts wondering who she really is, whether a magician or a priest can gather so much grace and beauty. In his mind the word 'goddess' keeps on coming back and he feels like he's about to shake, he the backstreets boy, having never been to a temple apart from when he needed to rob worshipers.

The jaguar brings him back to reality much more quickly.
Recovering his senses Jallembo manages to understand her speech. He simply replies: "I have always been too curious... I had to know..."

He looks again at her in her more 'acceptable' form. His eyes probably betray a form of animal fear in front of the outwordlish nature of hers. He says: "I, I thank you again... you, whoever, or whatever you might be.."

He concludes: "If you don't mind, I'll leave as we need to carry on with our mission.. your.. Holyness.."

He bows to her and not turning back walks backwards a few yards still bowing towards where he came from, briefly glancing at Teza. He finally turns back and walks back to the jungle his mind in turmoil, trying to solve all that just happened to him.. The word 'goddess' always coming back to the surface of his mind..

"Very well. Take this. Perhaps it will help you," she smiles knowingly as she hands him a small bundle.

*As he walks back out of the jungle, he can't help but feel as if there are many eyes upon him the whole way. Soon enough, he has reached its edge. A startled acolyte notices his approach and runs back towards the temple. Shortly thereafter, as he continues his return, Rachel appears from the direction of the temple.*

"Lysianassa's mark...Something strange is going on here."

*She leads Jallembo back to the room with the others then speaks to everyone.*

"The Hall of Currents will meet with all of you this evening. Until then, you are still free to stay in this room if you like, but you may come and go as you please. Something is strange, and I don't know think my sisters will all agree on just what it is, but until then, since there is evidence that we may have been misled, we have no right to treat you as prisoners."

(OOC: For a little while until Lysianassa's mark fades, Jallembo receives a +1 sacred bonus to saves against magical effects and a +2 sacred bonus to Charisma-based skill checks)

"Wellcome back lad, so, how was tha' lady you were to meet?" Krindorf ask Jallembo, with a heavy pat in his shoulders. "C'mon lad! Tell it 'll to ol' Krindorf 'ere" the dwarf inquires.

"Well done, Jallembo!" Babette praises. "What happened?"

Jallembo takes the bundle and walks back to the jungle.. During the journey he ignores all the jungle noises as his vision of her is still printed in his mind.

Back at the temple, his companions can see him hold a small bundle. He seems lost in his thoughts and barely responds to others. When Krintoff pats him on his back he almost falls to the ground.

"Err.. sorry.. I'm.. I'm still under her charm.. She.. she was the most extraordinary woman I have ever met!..
Actually I.. I don't think she was human.. I think that I have met the goddess herself!!.. or maybe some image of her..

She tested me a bit.. but not much.. we played.. she wanted to be amused first.. it was all a bit strange..
I felt like she could guess my answers.. then she ointed me with some sacred water - her mark she called it - and..
she showed me her true face and body.. it was incredible.. so much beauty and grace..
I tell you, she was not from this world.. she had to kind of wake me up as I was transfixed..
then she gave me that small bundle.. I didn't even open it.. She said the sisters would let us go
and help us.." he says in a monotone voice

"Well, I'm glad there's someone in this place who can see what's right in front of them," Corvinus grunts. He stands, stretching and popping a few joints, and speaks to Rachel. "Can we have our weapons back?"