For the Love of Tomeri...(23June2004)

[simmo]

chapter 3 Of all of the Sauna's, in all of the Temple

“YOUR FRIEND WAS VERY HELPFUL,” the earth genasi sat on the bench, running his large hands over the dwarven runes on his hammer.

“He is a very talented man.” The tiefling picked up the soap and small hammer, broke a piece off and began to lather her body.

“YES, NICE TROUSERS TOO,” joked Caleb remembering the enchanted pantaloons.

“Ah, you noticed them?” Ejelka stretched her leg to wash her toes.

“YES” The earth genasi's thoughts were far away and only a small part of his mind was paying attention to the conversation.

“I used to own those," the tiefling sighed and thought back to the fun she'd had whilst wearing them. "But he started wearing my clothes. Once a dwarf wears your clothes it's not worth getting them back.”

“THESE DWARVES LIKE WEARING THE LADIES CLOTHES," Caleb had found it disconcerting to have a conversation with Littleby whilst he'd been inside the attractive body of Toranna the Gray. "AT LEAST SOME OF THEM DO.”

“Apparently it gets very dark down mine-shafts and you can't really tell whose clothes are whose.” Ejelka giggled and put down the soap. She pulled the level to pour more water on to the coals and the room became shrouded in steam.

“NO," replied Caleb taking her statement literally. "THEY CAN ALL SEE IN THE DARK.”

“Some of their clothes are made from special metals that do not show up in the dark.” The priestess replied, referring to dwarven lingerie.

“REALLY, I DID NOT KNOW THAT THERE WAS SUCH A THING.” Caleb answered somewhat confused and having no idea what Ejelka meant.

“Would you like me to show you some time?” she asked as she ran her fingers up and down his arm.

“WHY, YES.” Caleb replied without understanding Ejelka's intent.

“What about tonight?” Ejelka asked, sounding exited.

“UH, I THINK THAT I SHALL BE POLISHING MY HAMMER.” He answered, despite having spent all afternoon already polishing it. Realisation was finally beginning to dawn in the earth genasi's mind and for the first time since entering the room he felt too warm for comfort.

“That sounds like a lot of work," Ejelka suggested after a brief pause. "Would you like a hand?”

“YES," Caleb's mind had slowed down again and he completely missed the priestess' meaning. "IT TAKES MORE THAN ONE HAND NORMALLY.”

“We could work together each using one hand.” The tiefling was aware that the earth genasi did not catch the meaning of all her statements, but that made the game even more fun. She preferred going after dwarfs as they were often very conservative and quite innocent in certain ways. She was fast learning that earth genasi were somewhat similar.

“A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND HERE HAVE OFFERED TO HELP POLISH MY HAMMER.” He scratched his head and tried to look for the door through the steam. The door opened slightly and the three mephits poked their head around the corner to ogle at the tiefling priestess. Having finished their discussion about what might lie on the other side of ether vortices, they were in search of other entertainment.

Ejelka shifted on the bench and for a moment the mephits had a clear look at her and Caleb through the thick, vaporous steam. The earth mephit's jaw dropped, the mineral mephit's eyes grew to the size of saucers and the ooze mephit put his finger to his lips, whistling loudly and suggestively.

“You're the one who borrowed the gong.” Ejelka finally remembered where she'd heard about the earth genasi. Some of the priests and priestesses had been gossiping a few days ago about a well built man who'd borrowed the temple's gong for the night. In return Addon, the head priest, had asked that the earth genasi strike the gong for the next three evening services.

“YES," Caleb shifted uncomfortably. "I'M DUE TO PERFORM IN THE TEMPLE LATER TONIGHT.”

“You know what," Ejelka said in a quiet voice. "Why don't you and I go back to my place where with your gong and hammer we could have some fun.”

“WELL," replied Caleb nervously. "I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH MUSIC YOU CAN MAKE WITH A GONG? I DO TRY.”

The tiefling priestess poured more water on to the coals. “I will show you,” she whispered in his ear after she got up and kissed him on the cheek. She slipped out of the room and disappeared down the corridor.

"HOW FORWARD." Caleb said to no one in particular, after having been kissed by someone that he did not know well.

Later on that day Ejelka managed to corner the earth genasi in his room as he was practising playing the gong. She wore a white corset and long skirt, as well as a small pink jacket that matched the colour of her eyes. On the jacket were buttons made of uncut gem-stones.

The conversation was somewhat awkward and Caleb decided to sing to her in Terran about the crystal formations on the Elemental Plane of Earth. Instead of walking away from boredom, the tiefling priestess listened rapturously appearing to hang on every word sung in the slow mono-tone voice of the earth genasi.

When he had finished signing and the mephits had stopped writhing on the ground in pain, clutching their ears. Ejelka also sang in Terran (a language she'd learnt from one of her dwarven friends) about the crystals that break and regrow even stronger when they come in to contact with salt water. Her voice was very beautiful, but the high pitch did not sound quite right in Terran. Caleb tried not to wince and instead listened in silence.

“YES," said Caleb after a long pause. "IN MANY WAYS THE SALT WATER IS METAPHORICAL FOR THE TEARS OF PAIN THAT WE ALL MUST SUFFER IN THIS MORTAL COIL." He blinked as he realised that he'd spoken his innermost thoughts. "ANYWAY," he said changing his tone to a more upbeat one. "I'M OFF FOR A DRINK”

“Well," replied Ejelka moved by his singing and deep thoughts. "I will not keep you from your friends.”

“THANKS, LOVE." The earth genasi left the gong on his bed and stomped towards the door.

“Perhaps we can sing again some time,” the tiefling said as she rang her fingers over the gong.

“YES IT WAS VERY NICE,” Caleb reached the door and without a backwards glance left in search of his friend Littleby so that the two of them could make their way to 34b Stonecutters Row.

As he walked around the temple, the mephits realised that their master had left the room. The ooze and mineral mephits rushed out to look for him. The earth mephit who was a little slower on the uptake was still in a trance after his master had finished singing. The earth mephit sigh was filled with longing as he said: “Sing it again, Master.”

 

[simmo]

Part 9 Heart to Heart, Henshin to Henshin

chapter 1 News from Beyond the Cell

Having crosses the Lady's ward, accompanied by her hound archon servant, Serena entered the City Barracks and was shown through the building to a cell where an old friend sat waiting. Kendrick wore a simple robe and looked somewhat tired. His blonde hair was cut short and he smiled when the petite seer entered the room. The Harmonium guard left the room, to be replaced by Arianna Redstrike who told them that they had an hour together. She then sat on a chair in the corner and made herself appear busy by doing some paperwork.

“How are you?” asked Serena. She took her time to look her friend up and down. Kendrick looked worn out, but not as if he had been mistreated.

“I am well," Kendrick said with a tired smile. "Considering the circumstances." He smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "I'd like to thank you for all that you have done for me so far. It was more than I could ever have asked for”

“I am your friend.” The beautiful seer stated simply.

“Yes, um." Kendrick spent a few moments trying to organise his thoughts, but decided instead to speak from his heart. "I'm beginning to learn the value of it. I did not really realise what it meant before. I thought that by being in the Temple of Tomeri that they would teach me its meaning. And it has," he paused again to reflect on what he had learned. "But not in the way that I was expecting.”

“You have to experience it to really learn about it.” Serena smiled reassuringly and felt for that moment as if Kendrick and her were the only people in the world.

“Yes I am trying to learn. The Mercykillers are a strange group of people." Kendrick's voice dropped to a whisper as he was unsure of who else might be listening. "But there are some really good people amongst them. That really care that justice is done. There are some who just want to hunt people down - with an excuse for doing so of course.” His face was darkened briefly by a troubled expression, but then brightened. “But there are others like Arwyl Swan's Son."

"Factol Alisohn Nilesia is rather harsh and is trying to push through a bill that will bring even harsher punishments.” Kendrick said in a subdued voice. “However, Arwyl has his supporters and I'm one of them.”

“Have you had any strange dreams recently?” asked Kendrick hoping to change the subject to anything else.

“About Haven?” Serena's intuition homed in on the thought that they were both having and spoke aloud the name of the city that they'd seen in their dreams. She brought to mind the vision which she'd experienced in the Outlands and had seen again in Garden after meeting Inlia.

“I keep seeing my children dancing amongst the rubble and strange creature walking past that I do not recognise. Like watching the inner workings of a clock marching by. Very strange. The whole city was devastated.” Kendrick tried to keep the panic from creeping in to his description, but the dream that he'd experienced was simply too vivid and frightening.

“I had a vision tonight.” Serena reached across the table to take hold of Kendrick's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “Have you heard of modrons?”

“No," replied Kendrick. "What are they?”

“They are machine-like creatures," the seer explained. "The workings of a clock sounds very much like them. They go off on a march every 17 cycles and they've started it early." She sighed and tried to push the vision to the back of her mind. "They're heading for Haven.”

“That does not bode well,” Kendrick shook his head and looked despondent.

“I don't think that there is anything that we can do to stop them." Serena tried to make eye contact again with Kendrick and squeezed his hand again to get his attention. "But I'm hoping to see what I can do to help Haven.”

“I would very much appreciate that. Being stuck in here..." Kendrick looked around at the blank walls, barred door and Harmonium officer sitting in the corner. "I am not able to do anything to help. And my children are...” His voice broke and he buried his head in his hands.

“Kendrick," Serena spoke softly with a steely determination in her voice. "If I can do nothing else then I will make sure that your children are safe.”

“That is more than I could ever ask for," he replied grateful for her promise. "If you get to Haven, see if you can find a great Elm outside the city. Climbs its branches and use something to refract the light. It is a signal that I have with some warriors of Tomeri. If there is trouble then I should be able to come and help you.”

“I understand." Serena replied, curious as to who these warriors were. "Thanks for this.”

“So tell me of this..." Kendrick began and then promptly changed his mind. "Uh, no one tells me anything. What's been happening with the trial? With the dates?”

“Well," explained Serena. "We've been running around trying to gather evidence in your favour. Arianna and Arwyl have been fantastic about getting us more time to gather more evidence. Did you hear that we have captured Toranna the Gray?”

“That's fantastic news." Kendrick gripped Serena's hand even stronger. "That's brilliant news.”

“She's in custody.” Arianna Redstrike confirmed, looking up from her scrolls.

“And the others?” asked Kendrick hopefully.

“We have not got the others, but we hope that Toranna's testimony ought to be enough." Serena added quickly. "She certainly confirms what we said.”

“And your quest, the one that we are supposed to be on.” Again Kendrick sought to change the conversation, as if he had a mental list of topics to cover in under an hour.

"Ah, that is not going so well.” The Heart Seer of Tomeri sighed as she thought about the confusing quest that each of the Chosen had to perform that involved finding four forms of love.

“Do you have an amulet as well?” Kendrick asked, pulling a silver locket from beneath his shirt.

Serena drew forth a dark frog-shaped amulet. “Like this?”

“No, not like that” He replied somewhat disappointed.

Serena held out her locket of a silver female shaped figure with wings, that clutched a small green gem-stone in its arms.

“I have a Fortress, but I can only go there every so often." The young Mercykiller looked down, almost as if he was talking to himself. "It is a strange place, but being stuck behind bars I don't want to draw attention to myself by using it. There was someone in there the last time that I visited.”

“Really, who?" Serena sounded intrigued. "Did you speak to her?”

“Some woman." Kendrick replied evasively. "She seemed really nice and was under the impression that she hurt. She was covered in filthy clothing. I managed to find some clothes for her in the castle.” He managed to sound both sheepish and confused. “Now when I go she looks after me. There is always food on the table and clean sheets on the beds. But I have no idea what she is doing there.”

“Well I can tell you that in my Garden I'm sometimes visited." Kendrick smiled when he heard Serena statement and felt less as if he might have been imagining the whole thing. Now it was Serena's turn to sound confused and embarrassed. "By spirits." She paused. "She may be dead.”

“Ah, that explains it." Kendrick slapped his hand on the table to emphasize his point as the pieces were finally beginning to fall in to place. "I wanted to know what the green gem-stone was inside our lockets. I finally managed to track down a 'sage' who knew what it was. It belongs to a strange race of creatures.”

“What are they?” Serena asked filled with curiosity.

“Gk'lok-lok." Kendrick managed to pronounce the name properly on his first attempt.

 

[simmo]

chapter 2 Four the Love of Tomeri, The Spirits Within

"They are a curious race of creatures that inhabit the misty shores and live in huge tree-like structures made of this stone." Kendrick had memorised the description and closed his eyes to recall what the strange sage had told him. "They hang on it like leaves on a tree. They are metallic creatures with very thin arms and legs as well as having red glowing eyes. They don't harm others unless their home is threatened. But it is said that the stone is able to hold on to spirits for some time."

Having finished his description, the Mercykiller recalled the strange meeting that he'd had with the squat, amorphous creature in the Hive that was human-like in shape. It wore a hat and long coat and appeared to have very thin metal rods piercing its body. But the most memorable part was the strange stick-like pipe that it smoked. "The sage that I spoke to was very knowledgeable about these creatures. His name was Ripperibo." Kendrick paused for a moment to think of a suitable description of a creature that looked like an artist's interpretation of a kyton. Finally he settled on: "It had a great deal of knowledge.”

“So if these are spirits then that fits another piece of the puzzle." Kendrick was conscious of the passage of time and keen for the conversation to move on. "Perhaps if we are supposed to collect four forms of love...”

“Perhaps the love that we're talking about is the love of these spirits.” Serena finished his sentence quietly.

"Exactly, Kendrick replied much louder. "What if these small gemstones allow us to capture or invite a passing spirit? They seem to come to us rather than us looking for them.”

“I have walked around Sigil a bit and it does not seem that looking around for example gets me anywhere.” Serena briefly recalled the days of confusion; trying to figure out even a small detail of her quest as a Chosen of Tomeri.

“Exactly. I knew that it would be quite challenging. But maybe if we are supposed to find people who represent forms of love and they come to us..." Kendrick smiled as he fingered his locket. "Does that make any sense? Or have been staring at the walls for too long thinking about this?”

“No, I understand. In which case I have two,” Serena stated.

“OK, that makes sense. Who is in your Garden?" He asked keen to hear more, but realised right away that it was a sensitive question. "You don't have to tell me of course.”

“A woman from the hive." Serena volunteered the information gladly. "Her brother was killed by Xaosmen and they caught her as well.”

“She was quite young?” Kendrick asked quietly.

“Yes, a teenager." Serena stated sadly. "And there is also my father”

Kendrick squeezed her hand and tried to reassure her. “And there is no one else in your garden?”

“Just myself and Zakar go in there.” Serena glanced briefly at the tall, golden furred hound archon standing in the corner and drew comfort from his presence.

“Zakar can go in there as well?” Kendrick asked sounding very surprised.

“Zakar comes from there.” Serena explained.

The hound archon who'd been staring at the walls impassively turned to look at the Mercykiller with a penetrating gaze. The fur stood up on his arms and a low rumble was building in his chest.

“What is wrong?” asked Serena.

“Nothing, my Lady.” Zakar said in his usual growling voice, holding back the strong emotions boiling within.

“No, really. Tell me.” Serena smiled at him warmly.

“I live but to serve you, my Lady.” Zakar bowed and clasped his fist to his heart.

“Umm, why don't you serve me by telling me what is wrong?” Serena asked in a sweet tone, laced with a commanding voice of a Heart Seer of Tomeri.

“Kendrick is implying that I am one of the four forms of love, my Lady.” Zakar stated, but it was unclear whether he was angry or not.

“Then wouldn't I be the fourth?” Serena asked.

“No, my Lady." The hound archon corrected her gently. "You do not inhabit the Garden. You simply are the Garden. But you are more than the sum of its parts.”

“So I have your loyalty...” began the seer.

“If Kendrick is correct then I am the eternal part serves and guards forever." Zakar had been following every word of the conversation of the beginning and had already come to some conclusions before Kendrick had pulled him in to the conversation. "Your father is the one who represents the selfless love. Which sacrifices itself for another. Though it does not always reveal itself. He is the one who give anything to make sure that you are safe. And Loved."

"The girl represents passion, love of life. She was taken when she was young and her passion for love lives on. You are missing only one form of love.” Zakar sighed.

“Mature love.” Serena said, clutching at her pendant.

“That is correct.” Zakar replied sadly.

“Thank you Zakar.” Serena was about to turn back to her Mercykiller friend, but the hound archon was not yet finished.

“Perhaps you will find it in a place where there is much caring.” Zakar said quietly.

“Haven.” Serena and Kendrick both said at the same time.

“That is possible, my Lady." He straightened his back and stared at the walls again. "The will of Tomeri is not mine to see.”

Serena touched Zakar's arm and he smiled briefly with his large canine teeth.

“It all makes sense now." Kendrick sat back in his chair. "Well, As much as anything in the church of Tomeri makes sense.”

“You find it difficult to understand?” Serena asked turning from Zakar back to Kendrick.

“I find it very difficult to understand.” The Mercykiller replied emphatically.

“It's strange that some of it is difficult to understand. But at the core it's...” The seer was in the process of explaining her viewpoint when Kendrick interrupted her.

“Oh, it does reveal itself." He spoke quickly. "But I don't know if you noticed when the twelve of us where standing there.. the others who had gone through the whole initiation – all looked terrified and confused.”

“Yes and then there was the two of us.” Serena smiled, reminiscing about that terrifying and confusing day.

“Exactly, I don't think that we are that different to the others.” He was grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh course she is confusing. She is a goddess." Serena felt uplifted now that she knew that there were others who were struggling with the quest the same as her. Not that they were struggling, but simply that they were all in it together. "How are we supposed to understand her? But at the same time the ethos is very simple.”

“Exactly.” Kendrick replied. He was about to say more, but saw that Arianna had stood up and folded her scrolls up.

“I'm sorry but your time is up." The Harmonium Arcane Investigator unlocked the door and held it open for Serena. "I must return Kendrick to his cell. I hope that your visit has been fruitful.”

“Very, thank you. I love you Kendrick." She embraced the tall, blonde warrior and he hugged her back. "I'll see you soon.”

 

[simmo]

chapter 3 The Delivery of a Riddle

At 34b Stonecutters Row the kobolds were busy practising their martial techniques in the cellar. The Music of the Spheres penetrated their small bodies and they attempted to harness the flow of the planes around them in order to further themselves along the path of enlightenment.

Malkir left the kobolds to their practise and was about to confront his house servant Annaleese about some burning issues when there was a knock on the door. The tall mystic and halfling maid stared at each other for a moment and the knock at the front door was repeated.

The halfling maid walked over to the door in her usual small shuffling step and opened the large oak door. Standing just in front of the door step was an ancient looking Githzerai man. He wore simple grey clothing and carried a bleach white staff, which he lent upon. Behind him in two rows stood six Githzerai pupils. They each wore the same grey clothing and had an insignia of a flaming fist upon their lapels.

As Malkir walked over to greet the new arrivals, he couldn't help but think "how are these people finding out"? When he reached the front door, he saw (as if in slow motion) several fat, grey pigeons launch themselves in to the air, slowly climbing in to the fog shrouded city roofs.

"When the student is ready, the Master will arrive." The ancient Githzerai man spoke in a soft whisper which carried easily above the noise from the streets.

"That's interesting," replied Malkir, unsure of what the appropriate response might be. The six Githzerai behind the old man stood still, not moving a single muscle.

The old Githzerai monk's eyes twinkled and Malkir thought that he saw a brief flicker of flame burning within the depths of those dark orbs. "Are you ready?" The Master asked with a crooked smile.

"There are always things to be learnt." Malkir said looking at the Githzerai somewhat confused. "There are always those who can teach."

"Then let us learn." The ancient, withered Githzerai monk pulled up the edge of his trousers and immediately dropped in to a crouch. His outstretched leg swept the ground, narrowly missing knocking Malkir off his feet. The mystic's reflexes and training had kicked in and he was in the air before he realised that an attack had taken place.

As if on queue the other Githzerai swept across the threshold of the house in to the entrance hall of 34b Stonecutters Row. In the time that it took Malkir to leap in to the air, over the sweeping kick of the Master - his students had dodged and dived past in to the hallway. For a moment the mystic watched detachedly the scene unfolding in front of him as if someone had slowed the flow of time. The robes of the Githzerai monks fluttered as they flew through the air and Malkir could almost hear a melody in their movements.

When the mystic landed on the ground, time jerked back to it's normal speed with an abrupt tug, leaving Malkir to face three assailants and Annaleese facing the same number of intruders. The Githzerai master slowly came out of his crouched posture and used his staff to move a little distance from the action.

"You must be warm before you strike a blow." The Master said quietly, his voice sounding like the a quill scratching on old parchment.

"I must be warm?" Malkir questioned confusedly. Before he had a chance to wait for a response the younger Githzerai were upon him with fists, feet, elbows, knees and foreheads flying right at him from all directions.

Malkir let his training take over entirely and his thoughts and movements became almost as one. His arms blocked punches that his eyes could not follow and his feet moved him out of the way of other attacks. One monk struck at his with the classical Fire in the Belly sequence of blows. The mystic countered enough of the strikes to ride out the attack without getting winded, but before he could counter another monk attacked him with the Fountain of Magma rolling attack. Again he managed to avoid being pulled off his feet, but the third monk caught him unawares with the Dry Stone Flow repetitive strikes.

Malkir stumbled back, his nose bleeding and tried unsuccessfully to incapacitate one of the monks with Freezing the Lifeblood. Annaleese was not faring much better, riding out several blows, but not landing any of her own. Her style was not as refined and relied more speed than power. However, the Gith were as fast as her and more skilled.

Andrew Rimilia came on to the landing of the stairs at the top of the entrance hall in time to see Malkir and Annaleese weave in amongst a half a dozen grey robed attackers. He stopped for a moment to take in the scene and saw that the combatants were locked in a strange duel involving a series of intricate blows, strikes, counter-strikes, blocks and locks.

Two of monks fighting Malkir switched tactics and attempted to use Boneless Grip and Fire in the Blood attacks. The mystic's body responded to the change in the flow, but again he was caught off guard by the third monk who did not change his tactics. Having escaped from the first lock that would have made him unable to control his joints, he suppressed his body's natural response to the second attack that would have led to his heart going in to overdrive. But again it was the lighting fast sequence of apparently random punches that he could not block in time. The punches individually were not hard, but it felt like he was being trampled by a large crowd of people.

Annaleese fared even worse and spent all of her efforts avoiding the blows, strikes and grapple attempts that came from all around her. The halfling's small stature helped her to some extent, but after a couple of seconds of exertion she was bruised, winded and feeling dizzy - unable to lift her left arm.

Just as it seemed as if Malkir and his house-keeper would be overcome in less than a dozen heartbeats, the tide of battle turned. Andrew left the two stunned elven maidens and began bounding down the stairs. Shouts erupted from beneath the stairs as numerous small scaled forms erupted from the cellar. The air was filled with the sounds of many small voices shouting "Yip". The war-cry seemed feeble, but amplified by many voices, it gave the grey robed Githzerai a moment's pause.

Annaleese let the kobolds flow past to attack the monks. It was like watching a swarm of angry hornets. But the Githzerai were too skilled and fast to take too many hits. Only two of the kobolds got in some lucky strikes. The kobolds continued running past the intruders and turned for another charge. Two of the small yellow scaled creatures shouted "Mine" to indicate their success in the first charge and they led the second one.

Malkir, having got used to sequence of strikes that his opponents employed, allowed himself to relax in to the rhythm whilst looking for an opening. He saw something small and bright flicker in the corner of his vision and two of the monks dropped. A small part of his mind worked out that the movement had come from Annaleese's direction, but he was too busy fighting to take any actions or further thoughts on the matter.

Having reached the bottom of the stairs, Andrew realised that the blows did not appear to be lethal and that it looked as if the intruders meant to incapacitate his friends. The Githzerai Master glanced in his direction briefly and it was all the signal that the Indep needed to stay out of the fight.

The kobolds came around for the second charge, some of them racing up the stairs and then leaping down. The hallways was filled with the sound of many voices shouting "Yip" with the occasional "Mine". Although the tide of battle had turned, several of the kobolds lay prone and did not get up again.

Faced with only a single opponent, Malkir's hands hammered in to the Githzerai, tapping him in a sequence of light blows. The Gith realised what was happening and tried to resist. But his body failed to respond and the signals from his mind could no longer make his muscles move.

As Malkir stepped up to strike the incapacitated Githzerai and the remaining kobolds launched in to their third charge, the ancient Master made his move. Blue flames erupted around his form, burning brightly but not scorching his flesh or clothes. His black eyes now blazed bright blue and in three small steps had interposed himself between Malkir and the Githzerai pupil.

Malkir's punch landed squarely in the old man's chest, causing him to stagger back slightly. The blue flames flickered around Malkir's hand, burning his knuckles and turning his whole hand red. The kobolds, halfling and other students paused as soon as the blow was struck and the ancient Githzerai straightened up.

"Your training is incomplete." The Master looked the mystic up and down, but his blank expression did not reveal whether it was approving or not.

"Indeed," replied Malkir in a calm voice, despite the fact that his hand still felt as if it was on fire. "I have much yet to learn."

"Perhaps I shall teach you again." The old man said with a crooked smile.

"Perhaps if things go well, I will be able to teach you." Malkir stated confidently, although he did not feel it.

"I have learned the most from my students." The ancient Githzerai said more to himself. He nodded his head as he had just received insight in to something important and then looked up again. "We will begin lessons tomorrow morning." He gave Malkir a scroll and bowed slightly.

The Githzerai withdrew from the house, taking their unconscious companions with them. As soon as the door had closed, Malkir clutched his hand and said: "Ow".

Andrew walked across the hallway hesitantly and Malkir smiled.

"It's probably for the best that you did not join in. The Masters are very touchy about this." Malkir closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. Some of his bruises faded and his hand became a little less red.

Remembering the scroll that he had just been given, the henshin mystic opened the parchment containing the riddle of identity. In spidery writing the riddle read:

"If I am not for me, then who will be for me?"
"If I will be for me, then what am I?"
"And if not now, then when?"

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

That game was played two weeks ago, so there's only one more session to go before you, Gentle Reader, are up to date. However, we're playing again tonight, meaning more write ups for simmo...

I'd like to make a public statement of how much I'm enjoying these, simmo. You're bringing even more life to a campaign that is already full of it. Bravo!

 

[simmo]

Part 10 Reflections of a Shattered Mirror

chapter 1 Tavern Talk at Stonecutter's Row

The city began to grow dark and the light faded across an impossible city which did not have a true day or night. No sun or celestial body light up the Cage and no constellations were visible, except for the many flickering lights of the other side of the city. A tall earth genasi and dwarven scholar, led by a halfling light boy, made their way across the cobbled streets at the edge the Lady's ward to Stonecutters Row in the Lower Ward. They did not speak during the journey and the light boy left to find other customers.

Serena had already returned from the City Barracks and was relaxing in the drawing room together with Malkir and Andrew. The former was in the midst of explaining to the latter how martial schools compete for dominance, when Littleby and Caleb entered the house.

"Ah, hello," Malkir greeted the new arrivals and his halfling maidservant took their coats.

"HELLO," replied Caleb who slowly lowered himself in to a large comfortable chair. "FANCY A DRINK?"

"Yes, actually," Malkir turned to look for his halfling house servant, but she had already departed for the kitchen. Annaleese came back shortly afterwards carefully balancing a large tray of drinks. Serena received a pot of herbal tea, for Caleb there was a dark liquid with a white foamy head that was almost thick enough to cut with a knife. For Malkir there was a crystal pitcher with a clear liquid inside that tasted like water, but packed a real punch. Andrew was served razorvine wine and Littleby simply had a glass of dwarven spirits.

Malkir briefly explained his visit by the ancient Githzerai and his students. "Not only have I acquired students," commented the mystic as he sipped his drink. "But I have also acquired a teacher."

"Well, that's always useful." Serena replied, glad that her friend's reputation was growing.

"Hopefully I will be able to learn a great deal from him." After taking another sip Malkir put his glass down for awhile and waited for his vision to clear.

Now it was Serena's turn to inform the others of her meeting with Kendrick, about the vision of the modrons marching on Haven and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. She expanded on the layout of the city and about how the modrons might pass through the city.

"COME ON MAN, PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER." Caleb got up from his seat and gave Malkir a resounding slap on the back. Strangely the mystic felt invigorated and the burning sensation in his hand disappeared entirely.


"RIMILIA, DO YOU KNOW THE HIVE AT ALL?" The earth genasi sat back down again and addressed the normally silent member of the group.

"Yes, I know the Hive fairly well." Andrew studied the earth genasi wondering where this question might be leading. He'd spent enough time in the Hive to know which districts to pass through quickly and which parts to avoid altogether.

"GOOD," stated Caleb smiling. "THEN YOU CAN GUIDE IN ME THERE. I HAVE SOME BUSINESS THERE."

"What are you looking for?" Andrew's curiosity was piqued, although he was not very keen to enter the Hive any time soon. His infrequent visits had shown him the darker side of the city. With its cutthroats, beggars, harlots and knights of the post; it was not a place to tread lightly. There were of course places that you could walk in relative safety such as the Dead district. However, if you crossed the Dustmen then chances were you'd not make it out of the District unless it was in a Collector's cart. The Hive, the district ruled by the Xaosmen, was no place for any lawful berks to go and the infrequent Hardhead patrols through the ward avoided that place altogether.

The Gatehouse was not a very pleasant place to even walk past, with it's lines of bedraggled hopefuls looking to commit themselves or their relatives to the dubious care of the Bleakers. Howls from the criminally insane wing could be heard throughout the night and made from a strange atmosphere to do business in the Gatehouse Night Market. A market where all things stolen could be bought and sold. Slave trade was not unheard of and there were rumours of even darker deeds taking place nightly. At the edge of the Hive and Lower wards was the Shattered Temple district inhabited by the Lost. This largely abandoned area of the city had few businesses and only the occasional traveller.

"So, what exactly is it you need to do in the Hive." Andrew asked.

"UM," Caleb's lack of subtlety in lying made his mephits cringe. "TO FIND AN OLD FRIEND."

"You have a lot of friends in the Hive, do you?" Andrew asked pointedly.

"Caleb," interrupted Serena. "What is it that you are really trying to do?"

The earth genasi pondered about how to deal with the issue of the trapped Stone Spirit and an idea was hatching on how to use the Spirit to help with the people of Haven. Perhaps it could slow or divert the modron march, but he knew very little about where to find the trapped Stone Spirit. He explained to the others that he'd asked Grumbar to reveal knowledge of where the Stone Spirit was, but the reply was confusing and indifferent.

"I did promise Kendrick that we would keep his children safe, even if we could not save Haven." Serena fingered her locket and tried to recall what Kendrick's children looked like from the vision.

"WE NEED TO WORK OUT WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE?" Caleb stated. "HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE THESE BOXY THINGS TO GET TO HAVEN?"

"Tomorrow or perhaps the day after," Serena said trying not to sound too anxious.

"WELL," replied Caleb after a lengthy pause. "I SUGGEST THAT WE POP OUT FOR A QUICK HOLIDAY AND THEN COME BACK TO SIGIL." His rumbling laughter shook the chair and it creaked in protest.

"I could ask the Githzerai Master if he knows anything." Malkir was still pondering the riddle of identity and wondering how the Gith fit in to all of this.

"IN TERMS OF THE TRIAL, WE HAVE ALREADY PROVIDED THE EVIDENCE HAVEN'T WE?" Caleb said trying to bring the issue of Kendrick's arrest and trial to a close. "TORANNA THE GRAY IS BEING FLAYED... ERR, QUESTIONED AT THE MOMENT."

"We don't have anything at the moment that affects all of us," Malkir looked over each of his companions in turn. "Although we each have our own quests."

"WELL THERE IS ALSO THAT WEIRD THING WITH YOUR STEP-MOTHER." The earth genasi noted, throwing another mystery in to the mix.

"Yes," the petite seer sighed. "My step-mother is a bad person and she..."

"She wants to kill her," Malkir finished Serena's sentence.

"Yes, our relationship is mutually murderous." Serena had unconsciously clenched her fists.

"FROM WHAT YOU HAVE TOLD ME BEFORE," Caleb commented having caught up with the conversation again. "IT SOUNDS AS IF THERE IS A LOT MORE GOING ON THERE."

"Well, she's been brokering for power in Tal'Chuan, my home city." Serena felt a moment of homesickness for the magnificent city where she'd spent most of her childhood. "As I understand it she had my father imprisoned."

"HE'S NOW DEAD ISN'T HE?" asked Caleb trying to sound comforting.

"Yes," said Serena quietly. "He's dead." Having said it aloud to her friends, the realisation of only seeing her father again the Garden struck her hard.

"HOW DID HE DIE?" Caleb enquired.

"I don't know." Serena fought back the tears and sipped her cold tea.

"IS IT WORTH ASKING HIM?" Caleb continued his questioning, oblivious to the effect that it was having on the beautiful seer.

"Probably." She muttered. "Ummm."

"MAYBE IT'S IMPORTANT HOW HE DIED." Caleb finally became aware of the bitter droplets flowing down Serena's beautiful face and he tried to change the direction of the conversation. "THERE IS THIS TIMLIN PERSON. AND THE DANSTERS AND ALL THAT?"

"I always though that..." The seer hiccuped, wiping her eyes. "One of the things that started us off...." She abruptly got up and left the room for a short while. The others sat in silence and Serena quickly returned.

"Where was I?" She asked as she sat back in her chair with a new hot pot of herbal tea.

"Danster disappearing," Malkir replied, looking at his friend with concern.

"DIDN'T THE HARMONIUM HAVE HIM, BRIEFLY?" Caleb looked over at Littleby who still had his nose buried in a small old book.

"That's where he was very briefly." Serena answered when it became clear the dwarven scholar had not heard the question. "Then he was taken out of their custody, or something. My point is that I originally though this was unrelated. Now I'm not so sure."

"ALL ONE HUGE ROCK." Caleb said, his mind having slowed down again and the strands of the conversation drifting apart.

"Malkir," The seer sat up as an idea occurred to her. "Can I ask you a favour?"

"COSMOS TYPE THING." Not realising that Serena had moved on, the earth genasi tried to think of something deep and meaningful to say.

"Lift up your shirt and let me look at your back." Serena sat up in her chair and put her tea on a side table.

The henshin mystic got up from his chair, turned around and lifted the hem of his simply white shirt. On his lower back were a series of small scars that appeared to crisscross each other in a random manner. There was something disturbing about their pattern and this made it difficult for the eye to remain focused on them. The infernal writing was cut in small and precise cuts.

Caleb walked over to look at the writing and attempted to copy them down on a scroll. Whilst he was doing so, Serena went to stand next to Malkir and lifted up the hem of her blouse. On her pale lower back, just above the hips, were the exact same scars. Caleb paused to study them both. Andrew and Littleby joined him looking at the scars in detail.

"Dedicated in the name of Orcus." Malkir said with his back to the others. "That's what Nyon told us it meant."

Littleby recognised some of the words and shook his head whilst trying to decipher their meaning. The phrase that Malkir had set fit the words as well as some other translations might. But he was even more confused about something else.

"Orcus is dead." The dwarven scholar recalled hearing about the history of Thanatos from another sage some time ago. "He was killed off by Kiaranselee, Drow goddess of Vengeance."

 

[simmo]

chapter 2 Multiple Pants of Demogorgon

"HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?" Caleb asked having finished scribbling the writing down on a scrap of parchment.

"He grew fat and lazy," The dwarven necromancer explained. "He became careless, he had a large Abyssal realm. No one was sure how or what he did to slight Kiaranselee, some say he prevented her from becoming a greater goddess, others say it was something trivial. She struck, almost out of the blue and he did not see it coming. She destroyed him and took over his realm, also managing to wipe out his name."

"WE HAVE NOT HEARD OF IT BEFORE. SO HOW DO WE KNOW IT?" Caleb asked, realising that they were mentioning a name that they should not know.

"Because it is written on their backs." The dwarf shrugged his shoulders. "There is no record of his name. It is known that an Abyssal god of death was killed by Kiaranselee, but no one refers to him by name."

"IS KIARANSELEE NOW THE BIG CHEESE IN THE ABYSS?" The earth genasi had some difficulty pronouncing the name of the Drow goddess.

"No, she's not that big," replied Littleby who was somewhat uncomfortable about discussing his knowledge of Abyssal politics. "After her success, she has not managed to repeat it."

"SO DEMOGORGON IS NOT WETTING HIS MULTIPLE PANTS?" Again the earth genasi's rumbling laughter threatened to tear his chair apart and the mephits scampered across the carpet to another part of the room. They started another card game which involved leading fiendish forces in battle. The ooze mephit was easily winning as it was the only one who understood the rules. The mineral mephit refused to play many cards, preferring to hoard them instead. And the earth mephit spent the game staring at the beautiful illustrations on the cards.

"Probably not, no." Littleby picked up his small, ancient book again and began transcribing it in to his large tome.

"MULTIPLE PANTS OF DEMOGORGON," Caleb laughter rolled on, like an avalanche down the Dwarven Mountain.

"Of Splendour," commented Malkir, but Caleb missed the reference.

"DO WE KNOW HOW SHE DID IT?" The earth genasi had finished laughing and picked himself up from the ruins of his chair.

"Probably from behind." Andrew commented, but the others were unsure of whether it was meant to be a joke or not.

"HOW LONG AGO DID HE PERISH?" Caleb asked after sitting in another chair.

"A long time ago," Littleby looked up briefly from his tome and then continued to copy the illustration. "Probably centuries."

"We had a knife that belonged to one of his priests." Serena stated recalling the evil artifact that they'd recovered from an assassin.

"IF HE PERISHED ALL THAT TIME AGO, WHY DO YOU HAVE THOSE CARVINGS ON YOUR BACK?" Caleb sipped his beer which he'd previously thought was finished, but had somehow refilled itself whilst he was not looking.

"At the time that we received the scars, we were in possession of this knife." Serena had sat back down again and adjusted her blouse. "It was forged a very long time ago by a priest of Orcus in a vile and despicable manner that I do not wish to go in to at the moment. We were looking for a way to destroy it. One of the things that happened when we were travelling was that we woke up one morning with these scars on our backs."

"JUST LIKE THAT?" Caleb asked surprised.

"Yes, just like that." Serena replied simply.

"The last time that you told me this story, were you not unconscious for awhile?" The dwarven necromancer was listening to the conversation with half an ear, not that they'd moved on to a subject that he knew a fair amount about.

"YES, SOMETHING INVOLVING A CAGE? OR PRISON?" Caleb's memory was like writing chiselled in to stone, very good at recalling details but slow to remember.

"We were imprisoned," the seer stated, remembering the cold, metallic cells on the plane of infinite battle.

"On Acheron." Malkir said nodding his head. "Full of awful pointless battle." He paused briefly, sifting through his memories. "But I was not there with you."

"No," agreed the beautiful seer. "Uh, yes you were." She added quickly recalling that Malkir had been with them when they woke up in the cell after being ambushed by fiendish agents in the city of Tal'Nattan.

"I was the other Malkir," replied the mystic mysteriously.

"Sweet Tomeri," the seer exclaimed.

"I have been there," stated the mystic, a part of him remembering the cold metallic cells. "Apparently with her."

"HAS THE OTHER MALKIR STILL GOT THE SCARS?" The earth genasi asked, confused about how many Malkirs there might be.

"That possibility no longer exists," the mystic replied cryptically.

"FINE." Caleb decided to abandon the conversation, having lost track of it some time ago. "MOVING ON."

"But the point is, you now have those scars." Serena pointed out.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ANY OF THIS, AT ALL?" Caleb asked Andrew who'd been sitting quietly, listening to every word.

"No," he replied.

"ME EITHER. BUT THERE IS SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS GOING ON THERE?" Caleb looked at Malkir and tried to imagine what the other Malkirs might look like.

"Yes, it rather points to the fact that said demon lord may not be as dead as everyone thought that he might be." Malkir shifted in his seat, the idea was very unsettling and lingered at the front of his mind.

"Or that someone is trying to bring him back," the dwarven necromancer chimed in to the conversation.

"Yes, what also worries me.," added the Seer, thinking about the strange cults on her homeworld.

"THAT IS WHAT I WAS THINKING," Caleb agreed, unsure of what the seer was talking about.

"Yes, what also occurs to me is that one of our companions took the knife and left us, not long after we left Acheron." Serena felt a shiver pass down her spine at the thought of the mercenary dwarf, called Max, wielding that evil artifact. He'd fought alongside them on their homeworld. But had been seen in possession of the knife when the Temple of Tomeri in Sigil was attacked. "That dwarf is now working for my step-mother."

"IS YOUR STEP-MOTHER IN LEAGUE WITH UH..." The earth genasi scratched his head trying to remember the name which seemed to slip from his thoughts. "FATTY, LAZY, DEAD GOD. IS SHE?"

"It's possible," the seer sounded very worried. "I'm certainly not ruling it out."

"If someone is trying to bring him back, you'd want to find out about it as it was a pretty big thing." The dwarven scholar had finished copying the illustration and put both books away.

"I THINK THAT'S QUITE WORRYING," Caleb responded to Serena's statement.

"Oh, yes!" agreed the seer.

"If he did manage to come back, then he would be very peeved. So maybe... How would you go about finding out?" Littleby asked himself more that anyone else in the room. Annaleese came in to clear the drinks away and the left again.

"I've just had a rather interesting thought," the mystic piped up.

"What's that?" asked Serena, glad that the silence had been broken again.

"Well if you were a bunch of cultists trying to bring back a formerly dead demon prince that everybody largely did not like very much," began Malkir. "You'd be looking for a distraction."

"YOU THINK THAT THEY ARE PLANNING A DISTRACTION?" asked Caleb, who completely failed to comprehend what Malkir was referring to.

"I think that we may already be witnessing it," the mystic replied.

"WHAT, THE MODRON MARCH?" Realisation finally dawned in the earth genasi's mind, like sunbeams through the clouds. "WELL, HOW DID THEY TRIGGER THE MODRON MARCH?"

"Oh, I don't know about that but it is an interesting idea." Malkir meditated for awhile trying to analyse the idea from several angles.

"Unless of course Primus is looking as well." The dwarven scholar had opened the pages of the tome that he'd received from Heiron Lifegiver and was reading over the copied text again. At the end of the writing and drawings that he'd copied from the small, ancient book that was rumoured to be by Acererak, was a single question that was not written in his handwriting. Littleby had discovered that the living tome was able to analyse some of the knowledge written within and would often pose questions. At the end of the text, the question read: What are the Modrons looking for?

"PRIMUS IS LOOKING FOR WHAT?" asked Caleb, not quite sure who Primus was.

"No," corrected Malkir. "The modrons are looking this up."

"That's what the modrons are after." The seer agreed.

"That's why the modrons are off early," Malkir added.

"They're after Orcus?" Serena said, both shocked ad appalled. "Sweet Tomeri!"

"DO THE MODRON'S GO THROUGH ORCUS' REALM?" Caleb asked.

"They go through everywhere," Malkir answered, although he was not sure of their exact route.

"THEY DON'T GO THROUGH THE WHOLE OF THE ABYSS. PERHAPS ONLY THE TOP LAYER." The earth genasi had visions of the modrons going through every layer of the abyss, but his mind almost shut down trying to count the layers.

"They have a route." Serena said confidently. "They have a standard route."

"Maybe if we follow them we can find out," Littleby joked, but none of the others laughed.

"I'M SURE THAT SOMEONE ELSE WILL WORK IT OUT," Caleb sat back in his chair and for some reason had a vision of an angry one eyed feline throttling the life out of him. He tried to fight back, but then realised that it was just a day dream.

"IF SOMEONE IS TRYING TO BRING BACK AN EVIL GOD OF UNDEATH," began Caleb, trying to clear the memory of the vision from his head. "THEN A GOOD WAY, IT SEEMS TO ME, TO DO IT IS TO SACRIFICE A WHOLE WORLD."

"Fields of dead, that sort of thing," Malkir stated emotionlessly.

"Excuse me," replied Serena shocked and angry. "My step-mother is planning an illithid invasion of my home city."

"Yes, there is that too," Malkir stated indifferently, despite the fact that he was from the same city.

"OR YOUR HOME WORLD," Caleb added.

"They've already invaded most of the world." Serena sat back in her chair and stared moodily around the room. She could still remember asking her tutor why there were two moons in the sky when the books spoke only of one. Her tutor had replied in a sad voice that the second moon had appeared shortly before the Enemy invaded. Those lucky few who escaped to the hostile Southern continent had found refuge in the mountain spire cities. People cursed the second moon and rarely looked upon in the cities beneath the mountain.

"THIS OTHER DEITY." Caleb began trying to remember the name of the deity of the Enemy. "MAANZECORIAN. IF I WAS A DARK GOD OF DARK SECRETS - THEN WHO WOULD KNOW THE DARK OF THAT. PROBABLY A GOD OF EVIL AND DARK NASTINESS".

"Who do we know is big on undead?" The mystic asked staring at the dwarven scholar.

"I cannot answer this question. I simply do not know." Littleby shrugged his shoulders. "We could ask Sss'ah'tlaha."

A familiar growling voice interrupted the conversation, emanating from Serena's silver amulet. "Haven is under attack."

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

"I'M SURE THAT SOMEONE ELSE WILL WORK IT OUT," Caleb sat back in his chair and for some reason had a vision of an angry one eyed feline throttling the life out of him. He tried to fight back, but then realised that it was just a day dream.

Heh, nice one.

Malkir's increasing detachment from his homeworld is something that has just sort of happened as we've gone along without me meaning for it. I guess that as the Planescape setting has drawn me in, worrying about one Prime world doesn't seem quite so important any more...

 

[simmo]

Part 11 The Modrons Are Back in Town

chapter 1 Spread the Word Around

"Sweet Tomeri," Serena exclaimed upon hearing the news.

"ISN'T THAT A BIT EARLY?" Caleb was by nature not one to rush in to things and felt disturbed by how fast things were moving. "CAN YOU SCRY AND SEE WHAT IS GOING ON?"

"I've got no one to scry on." The Heart Seer of Tomeri remembered her promise to Kendrick. "Oh bother."

"It will take the better part of an hour to do so," added Malkir dismissing Caleb's idea.

"Yes," Serena confirmed. "It will take an hour."

"Well, do you want us to go?" Malkir adapted to the changing situation quickly and was ready to go that instant.

"Yes," Serena nodded. "I think that we have to."

"IS THERE A PORTAL TO THIS PLACE?" Caleb asked. Even if they could find a portal, he wondered how close it might be to Tomeri's realm.

"I have no idea." The seer shook her head and looked somewhat lost.

"CAN ZAKAR TELL US ANY MORE?" Caleb asked wondering where the hound archon had gone.

"Zakar!" Serena called out, unconsciously clutching the silver locket. The tall, golden furred hound archon appeared next to her and dropped to one knee to bow to his mistress. He got up and adjusted his sword which was slipping off his back.

"Zakar, I need a portal to Haven and I need to find it now." Serena stated in a commanding and anxious tone.

"Hmm," the hound archon thought briefly. "There is a portal to Elysium in the Temple of Tomeri."

"Of course there is." As soon as the hound archon had said it, the beautiful seer knew it to be true. It was more as if she was remembering it, than hearing it for the first time. "Right, let's go."

"OK," replied Andrew simply. He left his chair and went over to the doorway to stand next to Malkir.

"PERHAPS WE SHOULD FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS?" Caleb was still sitting in his chair, oblivious to the fact that the others were about to leave the house. "PERHAPS THERE IS A FIRE?"

"An infinite march of modrons," commented Malkir, but the earth genasi did not hear him.

"I'm not sure that being on fire constitutes an attack." Andrew smirked and wondered how long it would take Caleb to assimilate the information.

"OK," Caleb looked up to see the others standing by the door and got up to join them. "LET'S GO THEN."

When they left the front door, the discussion came on to the subject of how best to get across the Cage.

"I'm not going in that darned mephit chair," stated Serena. She recalled the wicker chair that the Githyanki owner of the Night Below tavern had lent to Littleby. The bamboo shoots at the top of the chair fanned out and were carried by many mephits all trying to fly in roughly the same direction. Littleby had felt as if every bone in his body had been shaken loose and he'd never trusted a mephit again. Serena and Kendrick had tried to use the chair to escape being caught by Callista Redstrike and her Mercykiller patrol. Thanks to Littleby's intervention they'd got away and the chair ride had remained a less than pleasant memory.

"I have an idea," said Littleby, remembering the magic carpet that they'd hired to fly from the Temple of Tomeri to the City Barracks. Assassins had tried to intercept them and Caleb had stayed behind to take on some of them. That was also when they'd learned that their former companion Max still carried the cursed knife and was in league with the assassins working for Serena's step-mother.

"I'M NOT FLYING." Caleb crossed his arms and stood his ground. The collar on his armour prevented his head from tilting back, preventing him from looking up. Even if he could look up he would not have done so based on religious reasons. The thought of being lifted off the ground in to the hated element of air filled the earth genasi with fear and loathing.

"Ah," Littleby dismissed the idea of hiring another carpet and instead decided to set off on foot.

"Tell me what is going on, but tell me along the way," Serena commanded the hound archon. Not even pausing to wonder how Zakar knew of the attack in the first place.

As they were walking from the Lower ward to the edge of the Lady's ward Zakar informed his mistress of the events unfolding in the port city of Haven. The defenders of the city had attempted to slow the March at the walls on the hills surrounding the town. That had worked for a short while, but as soon as they began to actively block the modrons, the defenders were attacked and overrun.

When asked what the towns folk were doing, the hound archon described a mixed picture of events. Some of the townsfolk were evacuating across the mile-wide river in boats, whilst others believed that the modrons would simply pass through the city without any incident. The hundreds of children in the Healing Heart orphanage had been prepared for the evacuation, but no consensus could be reached on whether to leave or not.

When they reached the Temple of Tomeri in the Lady's ward, they saw first hand the effects of the modron march. The small courtyard was filled with refugees and the clergy were walking around comforting people and handing out food. Pushing their way past the throng of people, Serena finally reached the high priest, Addon, who stood in a circle of priests and priestesses directing them how to deal with the refugees. He gave Serena a white pearl and told her of the portal to Tomeri's realm in a window on the second floor.

Inside the Temple there were even more people and climbing the stairs felt like trying to go up a waterfall the wrong way. With Caleb's large form leading they ploughed a path through the refugees and made it to the window. Using the white pearl as a gate key they stepped through the portal and out in to the fields of Elysium.

The portal from Sigil was located in the back door of a bakery shop. Walking past the line of people queueing up to escape the oncoming modron march, the companions made their way down the street to get their bearings. At the end of the road they found the waterfront with many boats unloading people. However, there was not much of a harbour. Looking across the river they realised that they were in a small village on the other side of the river to Haven. There were many boats laden with people slowly making their way across from the brightly painted port city, but the journey took some time as the river was a mile across.

 

[simmo]

chapter 2 Guess Who's Back in Town

Standing on the banks of the wide placid river in the fields of Elysium at the edge of Tomeri's realm, goddess of Love and Wisdom; Serena and her friends could see the metallic gleam in the distance of the great modron march meandering down through the hills towards the colourful port city Haven. Moving like a great snake of flesh and metal it crawled and flew over the hills with perfect precision, cutting a straight line across the land towards the river.

Malkir managed to get the attention of a ship captain before he was about to set sail for Haven and they all jumped aboard the ship. Even Caleb who was normally reluctant to take his feet off the ground for any reason climbed in to the boat relatively quickly. The mephits scrambled to the front of the ship and fought over who got to stand on the figurehead of the ship. The ooze mephit let the mineral and earth mephits fight over it and quietly climbed on the top of the mermaids head with its wings and arms outstretched behind it towards the heavens.

Caleb joined in with the oarsmen in rowing the ship across the water. They'd been busy all day trying to ferry people across and were grateful of the extra strength that he provided. His muscles straining from the effort and glistening with sweat, he positively glowed with vigour in the Elysium sunlight.

"My Lady," Zakar growled somewhat apprehensively. "If the hour of need is great indeed then you may call for additionally help."

"From the Garden?" Serena stood at the edge of the ship watching the panic in the distance taking place in the dock front of Haven.

"No," corrected the hound archon. "From one who stands watch over the Garden."

Serena cast him a questioning look, but was interrupted by Malkir who had walked over from the other side of the ship. He asked Serena to recall the words that Kendrick had used in his description of how to get help. Taking the instructions apart word for word they realised that Kendrick had talked about refracting the light and not reflecting the light. "Crystals are your thing," commented the mystic.

"OK, I will do it." Serena said agreeing to climb the huge tree that reached higher that the tallest tower in the city. Malkir sat on the deck patiently waiting for the ship to reach Haven.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO," Caleb was still pulling on his oar. The captain had already moved another man to the opposite oar to compensate for the difference in strength and weight. He was considering moving another man, but decided to wait and see how long the genasi could keep up his pace.

"My Lady," Zakar began, impatient with the slow speed of the ship. "Please pardon my impertinence. But I will call her on your behalf."

Suddenly the heart seer of Tomeri realised whom her hound archon was referring to. "Eliel," she said.

Serena felt a moment of soothing warmth next to her chest and then the air above her was filled with a soft, silver light. The light faded and was replaced with a female figure with shining wings whose beauty was simply beyond words. The sailors gasped and cried out when they saw her and fell to their knees in adulation of the divine servant of Tomeri. The female figure's wings beat slowly and gently. Each wing beat causing a wave of pure and innocent love to fill all those who looked upon her.

The planetar wore a white robe and carried a sturdy silver sword. In her other arm she cradled a large green gem-stone that pulsed with an inner light. The angel smiled at Serena washing away all her fears. The seer felt as if her heart was soaring above the clouds and that she was finally coming home. Again the planetar's wings beat, sending another wave of love over all those who gazed upon her.

"Eliel." Serena was surprised to hear the name spoken and then realised that she'd said it aloud herself. Gazing up at the divine servant of Tomeri floating above her, she felt as if no harm would ever come to her.

"My child," Serena bowed deeply as Eliel acknowledged her summons. "The hour of your need is great."

The captain who'd spent the day making tough decisions on who should come aboard the ship for the evacuation, was about to reprimand his men for stopping their work. He'd sailed the river Oceanus as well as the river Styx and had seen many things which had made him a fair but also bitter man. Life had taken it's toll on the captain and he'd spent the last few years of his life trying to redeem himself for all the wrongs that he'd committed.

When he looked up and saw the planetar on his ship, he gave out a strangled gasp. Never had he seen anything so beautiful and pure. Bitter tears of joy poured down his cheeks. At last he was given a sign from a greater power that his struggle had not been in vain. The creature beat its wings and the captain almost fainted from the ecstatic feeling of love and hope that filled his whole being.

The planetar landed lightly on the deck of the ship and walked over to the heart seer of Tomeri. The sailors who'd stood paralysed in awe of her unearthly beauty felt their hearts ache as they watched her walk across the deck. No creature of such beauty had ever been in their presence and they each felt as if they would never be the same again.

Eliel walked over to Serena, sheathing her sword and placing the gem-stone in a small bag. She embraced the heart seer of Tomeri and lifted her off the ship in a single beat of her wings. A collective sigh went up from the sailors. Andrew allowed himself to feel the love for a brief moment. Malkir let it wash over him, absorbing some of it during his meditation. Caleb, who'd been wondering why the other sailors had stopped rowing, looked over at his friends. When he saw Serena fly up in to the air by herself he asked: "HOW DID SHE DO THAT?" but no one answered his question.

The planetar flew swift and sure across the river. She landed on the top most branch of the huge and ancient elm tree. Balancing on a small twig at the top of the tree, she took out the green gem-stone and handed it to Serena. The seer, who still had one arm tightly wrapped around the angel, held up the gem-stone. The sunlight hitting the gem-stone, as well as the light reflected from Eliel's silver wings, shone through the stone filling the sky with pale beams of green light. Eliel's laughter was the sweetest sound that Serena had ever heard. She felt perfectly safe as the planetar pirouetted on the twig, sending the green beams of light spinning around the top of the city as if from a lighthouse.

At base of the tree the beams of green light were answered by circular pulses of blueish light. Accompanying the pulses of light was a strange popping sound and when the light dissipated ten warriors dressed in white and blue appeared. Each wore a blue crystal breastplate and helmet as well as carrying a crystal sword at their sides. When the warriors appeared they looked up at the beautiful sight at the top of the tree and bowed low.

Swooping down on the magnificent warriors, Eliel gently set the seer on the ground before flying over the river to pull the ship faster to the city of Haven. The sailors once again stopped their work and stood transfixed by the heavenly beauty of the divine servant of Tomeri. Caleb realised that the rowing was becoming easier, but simply shrugged his shoulders and thought that perhaps he was getting the hang of it. Ships might not be that bad, he pondered, as long as you don't rely on the wind to propel it.

Once the ship reached the harbour Eliel disappeared in a flash of silvery light. Caleb, Malkir and Andrew quickly jumped of the ship and Littleby came running after them trying to catch up. It was Caleb who came up with the idea of climbing one of the nearby towers to see which direction the modrons were approaching from. After a sprint up the stairs, Malkir was the first to reach the top. He could now make out individual modrons at the front of the march and was surprised to see them carrying pieces of wood. Littleby explained that they might be carrying bridge building materials to get across the river.

By the time that they'd come down the tower, they were joined by Serena leading forty Defenders of Tomeri. The leaders of each group of ten men came forward to introduce themselves. They suggested that runners be employed to keep in communication and set about restoring order to the dock front in the city.

"Littleby, do modrons talk?" Serena asked, having only seen modrons once before. "Do they negotiate?"

"Probably some of the ones higher up, but not the rank and file." Littleby replied, curious to see the modrons up close.

"Will we be able to talk to a unit commander or maybe even the leader?" The seer was conscious of the warriors standing nearby and wanted to come up with a plan quickly.

"I don't think that you will be able to talk to the leader of the march, but we may be able to talk to a unit commander." Littleby quickly thought over the different ranks of modrons and described some of the lower hierarchy modrons with whom they could possibly communicate.

Malkir absorbed the information and promptly began racing up the main causeway in the city towards the gate and the approaching modrons. Caleb and Andrew followed at a slower pace, intent on finding a way to slow the modrons down. The earth genasi was trying to come up with a plan to turn the ground outside the city in to a swamp, but thinking up ideas quickly was not his strong suit. He preferred pondering on them for some time, rather than rushing in to them.

Having always been a good runner, Malkir made it out of the city almost as fast as Serena had been carried across the river and he was soon in the foothills outside Haven. He slowed his pace so as not to appear too threatening and briefly thought about how best to contact the modrons. Choosing a modron at random which fit the description given by Littleby as one of the more intelligent modrons, he called out to the cube-shaped creature.

"What is the manner of your business?" the creature spoke in a metallic mono-tone which conveyed no emotion whatsoever.

"You are aware that you are travelling to a city that is inhabited by a large number of people?" Malkir decided to cut past all the pleasantries and get straight to the point.

"We have maps of this city. We are permitted to enter it." The modrons continued marching along with the others. The cube-shaped creature studied Malkir taking in his dimensions, movements and rate of travel.

"You will be going in to many areas?" Malkir was concerned that they would cause widespread destruction and loss of life.

"We will enter the city through the designated routes." Having analysed the information that its senses provided, the modron began to question the creature walking next to it. "Please state you name?"

"My name is Malkir," the mystic replied. He remembered that Littleby had mentioned something about questioning and hoped to get through it quickly.

"What race are you?" the creature asked in a mono-tone which gave nothing away as to whether it cared about the answer at all.

"I am a human," Malkir sighed. He was glad to see that the modrons were not moving that fast and appeared to be travelling at the pace of the march's slowest members.

"What manner of food do you consume?" Gears could be heard moving inside the modron, absorbing and analysing the information.

"Is this relevant?" Malkir asked, exasperated by this line of questioning.

"Relevance does not matter," the creature stated flatly. "You must answer the question."

"I consume all foods that humans eat." The mystic stated cryptically.

"What is the nature of your business here?" the modron repeated its original question, analysing it again with the new knowledge that it had acquired.

"I am concerned about all the people living in a large city," Malkir was keen to get back to the city, but first wanted to get a map of where the modrons planned to march. "I am also concerned, on your behalf, as you appear to heading towards a very large river."

"We are prepared to deal with such a situation." The modron stated. It knew that the river obstacle would be crossed, but not the details of how this would happen. Only its exalted superiors the pentadrones knew how. "We have materials."

"Materials?" asked Malkir, curious to hear how they were going over the river. "How do you plan to use them?"

"I do not know." The quadrone lacked the knowledge on how to cross the river and pointed the stranger to its guiding light. "I will direct you to my superior."


"Please state the nature of your intent?" the five sided modron asked Malkir when he caught up with it.

"You are aware that you are travelling to a city that is inhabited by a large number of people?" The mystic wondered how many of these alien creatures he'd have to talk to before he got the information that he wanted. It was an exercise in frustration and he hummed a mantra to keep his mind focused.

"We have maps of this city." This creature spoke in the exact same flat, metallic mono-tone as the previous one had. "We are permitted to enter it."

"Are you planning to go straight down the middle?" the mystic asked, catching up easily with the creature.

"We are planning to enter the city in the way that we have always entered it. We will split off in to groups and subgroups before converging when we reach the river." The modron was higher up the hierarchy and had more information about how they would proceed through the city.

"I am concerned for the lives of humans and modrons." Malkir was hoping to avoid the same line of questioning that the previous modron had gone through and tried to keep the topic of conversation on track. "I am concerned about this and hope that it can continue in the way that it was specified."

"The march will continue as we have before. Our maps indicate that a large city lies ahead of us." The five sided modron held up a map of the city to Malkir.

It was clearly a map of the port city of Haven, but was incorrect in several places. Where there were lines on the map indicating the different routes that the modrons would take, Malkir realised that there were now houses built in those places including the orphanage. He abruptly snatched the map from the modron and left it and the rest of the march behind quickly, sprinting back in to town.

[edit: correction, Malkir did indeed take the map with him back to town to show to the others.]