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<blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 4622954" data-attributes="member: 2323"><p><strong>[PLAIN][Interludes #4] The Astral Ship[/PLAIN]</strong></p><p></p><p>"He sent for you, too?" Ixin asked as she approached Ayremac. The holy warrior was standing in front of the door leading to High Justiciar Coliam's private suite of chambers. This part of the Court was ancient and cramped and Ayremac looked wholly out of place in such surroundings - like a bit of polished mithril in a dung heap. He almost seemed to glow.</p><p></p><p>"Yes," the half-celestial sighed. "And judging by your presence here as well, I can guess the reason for his summons has to do with Justiciar Galmache." The woman looked curious.</p><p></p><p>"Oh?" she asked, stepping up to him and clutching her fur wrap more closely about herself.</p><p></p><p>"Yes. He seems to feel that you and I need to get back to the world," Ayremac told her and she looked back at him, her square jaw set proudly. She was so unlike the Ixin that he'd known before the samsara sword - short where she'd been tall, round where she'd been angular. But the look of grim determination on her face was the same as it had been in the days following her recovery in the Test of Fire. Even if the features were changed, the expression was the same.</p><p></p><p>"Sunathear-othokent," she said in draconic, her tone proud, almost haughty before she switched back to the common tongue. "He's right. I welcome the chance to test my magic against evil once more."</p><p></p><p>"You may well get your chance, Lady Chaririejir," Justiciar Galmache said as he approached the pair with a chalice atop a wooden serving tray in his hands. Ayremac looked at the man and frowned.</p><p></p><p>"What have you done, honored justiciar?" the Officer of Umba asked and Galmache shook his head and stepped up to the door.</p><p></p><p>"Not, I, my boy," the cleric replied. "The High Justiciar sent for you himself." He rapped on the door and then went inside, leaving the way open for Ayremac and Ixin to follow.</p><p></p><p>The High Justiciar's chambers were surprisingly simple. They were well appointed, but far from lavish with floor to ceiling bookshelves on nearly every wall, their shelves packed with tomes and scrolls of law. The chamber was warm (which pleased Ixin greatly) and light with the scent of recently-burned incense.</p><p></p><p>The High Justiciar sat in a wing-backed chair across the room with an ancient book spread across his lap. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he had the look of a man who had endured a sleepless night. Galmache and Ayremac and Ixin all bowed respectfully as was customary, awaiting a word from the leader of the church.</p><p></p><p>"Rise, all," Coliam said and they did. Justiciar Galmache offered the chalice and the high priest took it and drank before speaking further. "You know of the temple at Amphabese?" he asked, looking at Ayremac and Ixin.</p><p></p><p>"Yes, Lord Justiciar," the holy warrior said at once, but Ixin shook her head.</p><p></p><p>"I do not," she admitted and High Justiciar Coliam nodded sagely as if he had expected this. He gestured at Ayremac.</p><p></p><p>"Tell her, Sword Ayremac," the cleric instructed and the half-celestial nodded deferentially.</p><p></p><p>"The temple at Amphabese stands outside Ciron's Town on the River Luggh, just east of Morganth," Ayremac began. "It served as a bastion of our faith since before Ciron's Town itself was founded and has withstood invasion by orc and goblin hordes from Roybernth more times than can easily be counted."</p><p></p><p>"And what of Fedifensor?" the High Justiciar prompted.</p><p></p><p>"Fedifensor was a holy sword, a mighty relic that was instrumental in sending more than one fiend back to the lower planes," the holy warrior told Ixin. "It was lost three centuries ago during a demon attack on the temple at Amphabese." Ayremac looked to Justiciar Coliam for verification.</p><p></p><p>"Last night, I received a vision from Umba Herself," the High Justiciar said. "In it, She told me that the time had come to recover Fedifensor." He sipped from the chalice and looked levelly at Ayremac and Ixin. "And that you two are the ones who will do it."</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>"Quite auspicious, your being called like this," Justiciar Galmache said later as they retraced their steps through the Court of Umba. "You two get sent on a holy quest while I stay here fetching wine for the Lord Justiciar." The cleric tapped on the wooden serving tray he carried under one arm. Ayremac cast a sidelong glance at his mentor and snorted lightly.</p><p></p><p>"And you had nothing to do with the High Justiciar's choice?" the holy warrior asked, his voice dripping with skepticism. Galmache feigned indignance.</p><p></p><p>"You wound me, my boy!" he moaned. "To think that I would go behind your back to-"</p><p></p><p>"I KNOW you would go behind my back if you thought it the right thing to do, honored justiciar," Ayremac interrupted. "The question is DID you." Justiciar Galmache looked gravely at Ayremac and then laughed.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, you know me too well!" he chuckled. "But as I said before, the answer is no, I did not. Your name came down from on high."</p><p></p><p>"But-?" Ixin began, her brows knitted in confusion. "I know that I've only begun my studies of The Writ, but doesn't Umba's First Precept forbid such direct contact?" She looked from Ayremac to Galmache and back again.</p><p></p><p>"Indeed it does," the cleric said. "But you misunderstand what the Lord Justiciar told you. When he says that Umba spoke to him directly, he means the message came in a dream and most likely by one of Her heavenly attendants." The sorcerer nodded her understanding.</p><p></p><p>"So there is room... potentially... for High Justiciar Coliam to have... interpreted... the message... incorrectly?" Ixin suggested, picking her words with the utmost care. She felt at ease with the clergy of Umba, but she realized all too well that she did not fully understand the intricacies of the church and didn't want to inadvertently tread on any taboo subjects.</p><p></p><p>"The High Justiciar is very adept at interpreting such dreams," Galmache said, smiling reassuringly. "You and Ayremac will find Fedifensor... if anyone can."</p><p></p><p>"But why us?" the Officer of Umba protested. "There are Justiciars here and in Widdershin who have more experience... Officers who wield greater power..." </p><p></p><p>"You let your own insecurities hide the obvious from you, my boy" the cleric replied. "The Lord Justiciar chose you because Umba chose you. And Her wisdom is beyond measure." Ayremac said nothing, but it was clear that he was unconvinced.</p><p></p><p>"Fedifensor is a mighty weapon for Good, Ayremac. It is anathema to fiends, true, but is also bane to undead. Do you truly feel no kinship for such a blade? Can you not imagine the good you could do with it in your hands?" Galmache continued. "And it has gone beyond the walls of our realm. Into the planes beyond. Who better to seek it than you, whose blood flows with the powers of those planes, and Ixin, who actually hails from worlds beyond?" Neither holy warrior nor sorcerer said anything at that and Justiciar Galmache shook his head and waved a dismissive hand.</p><p></p><p>"To question the wisdom of choosing you to recover this symbol of hope - in this dark time - not only flirts with blasphemy, it calls your own intelligence into question," the priest said. "Now go prepare yourselves. We will cast what divinations we may to better guide you in your quest. But you will leave in the morning."</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">Elsewhere...</p><p></p><p>The alley was close and dark and Del took an immediate dislike to it. It was a good site for an ambush and if, as Del suspected, this purulent halfling, Bloj was leading them into a trap, then this would be a likely spot for the double cross. He caught Cerrakean's eye and saw that she had come to the same conclusion. She nodded once and mouthed the words, "Be ready."</p><p></p><p>The ex-janissary focused on Bloj's back as the hobbit led them away from the main street. Del spared a quick glance upward and found that he could no longer see the sky, which was something of a relief since there wasn't actually any sky to see. That had been the first thing that he'd noticed upon stepping through the portal to this... place. Where there should have been the blue of Merrika's Vault, he could dimly see the rooftops of distant buildings. Somehow, the entire city was built on the inside of a sphere though how this might be possible Del didn't know. It hurt his head to think too hard about it and made his stomach twist uneasily to look up at those buildings so far away and imagine another traveler looking up and peering down on him...</p><p></p><p>He collided suddenly with Maleko. They had stopped in front of a dilapidated hovel whose upper story canted dangerously over them as if it might pounce at any moment. Or just give up and collapse into rotten timber.</p><p></p><p>"Here we are," Bloj said, smiling a brown-toothed smile and gesturing daintily at the door. It was largely unremarkable apart from the door handle which was worked into the shape of a wrought iron anchor. Cerrakean snorted.</p><p></p><p>"THIS is where your SHIP is?" the hobgoblin growled and leaned down to put her face near the halfling's. "Inside a building?" Cerrakean's face was enough to make most men recoil, but Bloj merely made a kissing motion with his painted mouth and reached inside his garish longcoat. He produced a strange brass key graven with symbols and having three angular protrusions coming off an oval ring.</p><p></p><p>"You're not on the prime anymore, gorgeous," he told the hobgoblin. "Stop thinking inside the little box you call reality and open your eyes to the possibilities." He turned toward the door as Cerrakean took a threatening step toward him. Maleko held up a manicured hand to stop her and shook his head when she looked up at him. She made a fist and shook it at the halfling and the elf pointed to his eyes and then gestured at the door.</p><p></p><p>Bloj smirked as though he had eyes in the back of his head and was enjoying the drama playing out behind him in pantomime. Then he struck the brass key against a small brass plate set beside the door and it began to hum in his hand. He passed the vibrating key over the splintered surface of the door in a well-practiced and very complex pattern. Then the door itself began to fade and Bloj turned back to the companions, casually stuffing his key back inside his coat. He smiled.</p><p></p><p>"See, sweetheart?" he said. "You can't go judging things at face value out here. Doing that'll get you dead right quick! Welcome to the Dire Hag."</p><p></p><p>Maleko wasn't really listening to what the halfling was saying, he was entirely absorbed looking inside the ramshackle building. It seemed to be filled with silver mist. A gangplank stretched from the stoop of the door off into the fog and dimly he could see what looked like a three-masted schooner made of gray wood with furled, black sails. A large shadowy figure jangled toward them along the gangway and Maleko stepped back when he saw the chain-draped shape for what it was: a kyton, a chain devil.</p><p></p><p>"Ah, here's Shroud now," Bloj said, apparently unperturbed by the fiend's presence. "He'll collect your payment and take you to see Captain Grawl."</p><p></p><p>The chain devil stepped fully into view its mouth and eyes and nose cavity glowing orange as if its entire head were hollow and lit from within by a torch. Barbed and hooked chains depended from its body, a bizarre combination of jewelry and clothing and weapon all in one. It extended one thick hand and waited payment.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jon Potter, post: 4622954, member: 2323"] [b][PLAIN][Interludes #4] The Astral Ship[/PLAIN][/b] "He sent for you, too?" Ixin asked as she approached Ayremac. The holy warrior was standing in front of the door leading to High Justiciar Coliam's private suite of chambers. This part of the Court was ancient and cramped and Ayremac looked wholly out of place in such surroundings - like a bit of polished mithril in a dung heap. He almost seemed to glow. "Yes," the half-celestial sighed. "And judging by your presence here as well, I can guess the reason for his summons has to do with Justiciar Galmache." The woman looked curious. "Oh?" she asked, stepping up to him and clutching her fur wrap more closely about herself. "Yes. He seems to feel that you and I need to get back to the world," Ayremac told her and she looked back at him, her square jaw set proudly. She was so unlike the Ixin that he'd known before the samsara sword - short where she'd been tall, round where she'd been angular. But the look of grim determination on her face was the same as it had been in the days following her recovery in the Test of Fire. Even if the features were changed, the expression was the same. "Sunathear-othokent," she said in draconic, her tone proud, almost haughty before she switched back to the common tongue. "He's right. I welcome the chance to test my magic against evil once more." "You may well get your chance, Lady Chaririejir," Justiciar Galmache said as he approached the pair with a chalice atop a wooden serving tray in his hands. Ayremac looked at the man and frowned. "What have you done, honored justiciar?" the Officer of Umba asked and Galmache shook his head and stepped up to the door. "Not, I, my boy," the cleric replied. "The High Justiciar sent for you himself." He rapped on the door and then went inside, leaving the way open for Ayremac and Ixin to follow. The High Justiciar's chambers were surprisingly simple. They were well appointed, but far from lavish with floor to ceiling bookshelves on nearly every wall, their shelves packed with tomes and scrolls of law. The chamber was warm (which pleased Ixin greatly) and light with the scent of recently-burned incense. The High Justiciar sat in a wing-backed chair across the room with an ancient book spread across his lap. His eyes were red-rimmed, and he had the look of a man who had endured a sleepless night. Galmache and Ayremac and Ixin all bowed respectfully as was customary, awaiting a word from the leader of the church. "Rise, all," Coliam said and they did. Justiciar Galmache offered the chalice and the high priest took it and drank before speaking further. "You know of the temple at Amphabese?" he asked, looking at Ayremac and Ixin. "Yes, Lord Justiciar," the holy warrior said at once, but Ixin shook her head. "I do not," she admitted and High Justiciar Coliam nodded sagely as if he had expected this. He gestured at Ayremac. "Tell her, Sword Ayremac," the cleric instructed and the half-celestial nodded deferentially. "The temple at Amphabese stands outside Ciron's Town on the River Luggh, just east of Morganth," Ayremac began. "It served as a bastion of our faith since before Ciron's Town itself was founded and has withstood invasion by orc and goblin hordes from Roybernth more times than can easily be counted." "And what of Fedifensor?" the High Justiciar prompted. "Fedifensor was a holy sword, a mighty relic that was instrumental in sending more than one fiend back to the lower planes," the holy warrior told Ixin. "It was lost three centuries ago during a demon attack on the temple at Amphabese." Ayremac looked to Justiciar Coliam for verification. "Last night, I received a vision from Umba Herself," the High Justiciar said. "In it, She told me that the time had come to recover Fedifensor." He sipped from the chalice and looked levelly at Ayremac and Ixin. "And that you two are the ones who will do it." "Quite auspicious, your being called like this," Justiciar Galmache said later as they retraced their steps through the Court of Umba. "You two get sent on a holy quest while I stay here fetching wine for the Lord Justiciar." The cleric tapped on the wooden serving tray he carried under one arm. Ayremac cast a sidelong glance at his mentor and snorted lightly. "And you had nothing to do with the High Justiciar's choice?" the holy warrior asked, his voice dripping with skepticism. Galmache feigned indignance. "You wound me, my boy!" he moaned. "To think that I would go behind your back to-" "I KNOW you would go behind my back if you thought it the right thing to do, honored justiciar," Ayremac interrupted. "The question is DID you." Justiciar Galmache looked gravely at Ayremac and then laughed. "Ah, you know me too well!" he chuckled. "But as I said before, the answer is no, I did not. Your name came down from on high." "But-?" Ixin began, her brows knitted in confusion. "I know that I've only begun my studies of The Writ, but doesn't Umba's First Precept forbid such direct contact?" She looked from Ayremac to Galmache and back again. "Indeed it does," the cleric said. "But you misunderstand what the Lord Justiciar told you. When he says that Umba spoke to him directly, he means the message came in a dream and most likely by one of Her heavenly attendants." The sorcerer nodded her understanding. "So there is room... potentially... for High Justiciar Coliam to have... interpreted... the message... incorrectly?" Ixin suggested, picking her words with the utmost care. She felt at ease with the clergy of Umba, but she realized all too well that she did not fully understand the intricacies of the church and didn't want to inadvertently tread on any taboo subjects. "The High Justiciar is very adept at interpreting such dreams," Galmache said, smiling reassuringly. "You and Ayremac will find Fedifensor... if anyone can." "But why us?" the Officer of Umba protested. "There are Justiciars here and in Widdershin who have more experience... Officers who wield greater power..." "You let your own insecurities hide the obvious from you, my boy" the cleric replied. "The Lord Justiciar chose you because Umba chose you. And Her wisdom is beyond measure." Ayremac said nothing, but it was clear that he was unconvinced. "Fedifensor is a mighty weapon for Good, Ayremac. It is anathema to fiends, true, but is also bane to undead. Do you truly feel no kinship for such a blade? Can you not imagine the good you could do with it in your hands?" Galmache continued. "And it has gone beyond the walls of our realm. Into the planes beyond. Who better to seek it than you, whose blood flows with the powers of those planes, and Ixin, who actually hails from worlds beyond?" Neither holy warrior nor sorcerer said anything at that and Justiciar Galmache shook his head and waved a dismissive hand. "To question the wisdom of choosing you to recover this symbol of hope - in this dark time - not only flirts with blasphemy, it calls your own intelligence into question," the priest said. "Now go prepare yourselves. We will cast what divinations we may to better guide you in your quest. But you will leave in the morning." [CENTER]Elsewhere...[/CENTER] The alley was close and dark and Del took an immediate dislike to it. It was a good site for an ambush and if, as Del suspected, this purulent halfling, Bloj was leading them into a trap, then this would be a likely spot for the double cross. He caught Cerrakean's eye and saw that she had come to the same conclusion. She nodded once and mouthed the words, "Be ready." The ex-janissary focused on Bloj's back as the hobbit led them away from the main street. Del spared a quick glance upward and found that he could no longer see the sky, which was something of a relief since there wasn't actually any sky to see. That had been the first thing that he'd noticed upon stepping through the portal to this... place. Where there should have been the blue of Merrika's Vault, he could dimly see the rooftops of distant buildings. Somehow, the entire city was built on the inside of a sphere though how this might be possible Del didn't know. It hurt his head to think too hard about it and made his stomach twist uneasily to look up at those buildings so far away and imagine another traveler looking up and peering down on him... He collided suddenly with Maleko. They had stopped in front of a dilapidated hovel whose upper story canted dangerously over them as if it might pounce at any moment. Or just give up and collapse into rotten timber. "Here we are," Bloj said, smiling a brown-toothed smile and gesturing daintily at the door. It was largely unremarkable apart from the door handle which was worked into the shape of a wrought iron anchor. Cerrakean snorted. "THIS is where your SHIP is?" the hobgoblin growled and leaned down to put her face near the halfling's. "Inside a building?" Cerrakean's face was enough to make most men recoil, but Bloj merely made a kissing motion with his painted mouth and reached inside his garish longcoat. He produced a strange brass key graven with symbols and having three angular protrusions coming off an oval ring. "You're not on the prime anymore, gorgeous," he told the hobgoblin. "Stop thinking inside the little box you call reality and open your eyes to the possibilities." He turned toward the door as Cerrakean took a threatening step toward him. Maleko held up a manicured hand to stop her and shook his head when she looked up at him. She made a fist and shook it at the halfling and the elf pointed to his eyes and then gestured at the door. Bloj smirked as though he had eyes in the back of his head and was enjoying the drama playing out behind him in pantomime. Then he struck the brass key against a small brass plate set beside the door and it began to hum in his hand. He passed the vibrating key over the splintered surface of the door in a well-practiced and very complex pattern. Then the door itself began to fade and Bloj turned back to the companions, casually stuffing his key back inside his coat. He smiled. "See, sweetheart?" he said. "You can't go judging things at face value out here. Doing that'll get you dead right quick! Welcome to the Dire Hag." Maleko wasn't really listening to what the halfling was saying, he was entirely absorbed looking inside the ramshackle building. It seemed to be filled with silver mist. A gangplank stretched from the stoop of the door off into the fog and dimly he could see what looked like a three-masted schooner made of gray wood with furled, black sails. A large shadowy figure jangled toward them along the gangway and Maleko stepped back when he saw the chain-draped shape for what it was: a kyton, a chain devil. "Ah, here's Shroud now," Bloj said, apparently unperturbed by the fiend's presence. "He'll collect your payment and take you to see Captain Grawl." The chain devil stepped fully into view its mouth and eyes and nose cavity glowing orange as if its entire head were hollow and lit from within by a torch. Barbed and hooked chains depended from its body, a bizarre combination of jewelry and clothing and weapon all in one. It extended one thick hand and waited payment. [/QUOTE]
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