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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 4883846" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #481] This is Why We Fight![/PLAIN]Stopping for a breath, allowing the many possible stories of Karak to play one last time through his mind before settling on the most hopeful option, Ayremac turned to Fedifensor and lifted the weapon from its display mounts. Holding the blade briefly, turning it, and then finding an appropriate place on his belt to store it, he turned to Perragourp.“I have chosen my pride and will be on my way,” he said with a nod."So be it," Perragourp hissed, eager to be rid of these outsiders.Ayremac motioned for the group to follow and then began to move towards the exit. As he approached the githyankis, he stopped and spoke.“Perragourp, I know you are ready to be rid of us, and we will hasten our departure… but would you be willing to part with the axe?" he asked, casually, as if it were an afterthought. "It looks like a holy weapon of a god you and your warriors do not worship. You could honor the weapon by allowing it to be wielded in the hands of someone who knows that god, and reveres them.” The githyanki's face screwed up in disgust as if Ayremac had offered to feed him a spoonful of troll excrement."You show your ignorance of our ways, angel," Perragourp sneered. "The githyanki have no god. The githyanki need no god. We serve the lich-queen and she has guided us to greatness these past hundred generations! That a weapon would be honored by dedication to a god means nothing to me... No. It means less than nothing! It is an insult to an instrument whose only honor is in glorious battle."Ayremac opened his mouth to apologize, but Perragourp went on quickly."But that being said, you are correct that the weapon holds little value for us," the githyanki continued. "Its magic runs counter to our philosophy which is why it was relegated to the Gisir's collection rather than seeing use in the hands of an able-bodied warrior. What would you offer in trade for it?"Ayremac reached to his belt and pulled his morningstar from its place in a non-threatening way. He cradled it up and looked hopefully at the githyanki.“This weapon is well-tested in battle, and although I have always wielded it in the name of my god, it bears no dedication. It is infused with inner magic, and sheds light when grasped.” He clutched its haft, displaying the lit affect.“Would this be of sufficient value to close the trade?” The githyanki snorted in response."You insult me!" Perragourp spat. "You claim the axe has import and then offer this... toy in exchange? I would sooner see it safely out of the hands of god-headed fools than accept such an offer!" Ayremac lowered the morningstar at once, nodding sagely."Ah, take no insult. I offered and you did not accept," the holy warrior replied as he busily returned the morningstar to its place on his belt. "The weapon was of only trivial interest and I cannot afford to spend more than this on such frivolity."Ayremac looked back at the waraxe, sad he could not reclaim it... feeling as if possessing it might have brought him closure... or at least given him something to mourn. He looked at Ixin and she held out her empty hands, shaking her head slowly."We will take our leave," Ayremac said to Perragourp. "You have been more than hospitable and I don't wish to wear our welcome." The githyanki's lip curled back from his jagged teeth."You mistake adherence to custom for hospitality and tolerance for welcome," the githyanki corrected. "And know this: if our paths cross again what tolerance we have shown will be at an end. You will be met with steel and steel alone." Ayremac nodded as if such a statement was a perfectly natural one to make.“So be it then," he said. "We will be on our way."And they were, heads held high, not looking back.They traveled in silence for some time. Ixin was the slowest flier and so they maintained her pace as they went, unwilling to string their ranks out too thin, but when they spotted a bit of floating detritus off to their right, they veered off their more-or-less random course to assess their situation.Ayremac was blunt with the group, asking, "Del, Maleko, Cerrakean... if you would be so kind as to allow Morier and I a moment." Ixin moved to join the two but the Officer held up one gauntleted hand. "Ixin, bear with me," he said with an apologetic smile. "Let me help Morier adjust."She struggled not to look hurt and nodded her understanding. "As you wish."Once Ayremac and Morier were some distance away - though only far enough to give their conversation some privacy - Ayremac grabbed Morier's shoulders, grinning."Men-at-arms are not know for sentiment... and you and I especially so...but I must," he said before embracing Morier joyfully."It's good to see you, friend," the holy warrior beamed, releasing the albino. "I did not expect to find you here, but the gods are good, and they have brought us together. For you to be in the same place as my quest... it's unbelievable! Only the fates could be responsible."Morier listened intently as Ayremac detailed the events on the path that had led the celestial to Akiv-tchai and somehow back to standing in front of him now. However it happened, it couldn't have been more fortuitous and thus, Morier thought, the gods surely had a hand in it. The eldritch warrior noted that he had recently found his mind wandering from time to time into a spiritual area he had not inhabited quite so fully in the past. His hand crept unconsciously to the protrusion on his chest, reassuringly tracing its contours."What is that on your chest?" Ayremac asked, noting the motion.In response to the question, Morier began to peel away enough of his armor to reveal the spot in his chest where the gemstone had implanted itself. "She is with me," he said, knowing that the celestial knew enough of the situation that he would fully understand the meaning of those words.And he did, instantly noting the symbolic placement of the gem for which they had so long been questing."The Heart," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Morier nodded and quickly closed up his armor."I never imagined that I could harbor her essence and I'm wary of revealing this situation to anyone," he told his companion. "But I have always believed your motives to be pure. You are one of the only people I feel I can fully trust now."Ayremac nodded, considering. Then he pointed at the others. "I will also vouche for Del and Maleko and Cerrakean," he said. "I have not traveled with them long, but they helped Ixin and me out of a tight spot when they could have turned on us and saved themselves. Not saying they are saints, but I would trust them with to guard my back at this point."Morier looked over and saw that the others had noticed he and Ayremac looking and gesturing at them and were moving toward them. Del was fastest and he spoke as he came."Keeping counsel with oneself is wise indeed," he said. "But let me share something first with you: this is not about the coins in your satchel. I know next to nothing of their history and even less of yours. You are struggling to some kind of end against an insurmountable force, and of that I do know a little. Enough to be certain that your cause is dangerous... and compelling. Enough to know that one does not walk away from it but becomes swallowed up by it." Morier nodded, impressed by the half-elf's words."You do seem to know more than most," he said. "From where does this knowledge come?" Shifting a bit, uncomfortably aware that he was going to have to go down an unpleasant road in order to be level with Morier, and knowing what such a journey would involve, Del broke out his flask again. He took in a burning mouthful of courage."Grey House is the origin of the investigation," Maleko said before Del was forced to speak and Morier nodded."So you have said," the eldritch warrior replied. "But as I told you, I have never been to Grey House.""I was trained within the janissary ranks of Barnacus," Del blurted, looking hopefully at Morier. He futilely willed understanding into the albino and waited for that to be enough. It wasn't and Morier simply raised one prompting eyebrow in response."Your quest has claimed a life which I would give anything to have back," Del confided, shakily, "but whose allegiance to that very cause supersedes even death.""Indeed it has consumed countless lives, including a great (and seemingly ever-growing) number who have fought beside me," Morier admitted. "Mercenaries in search of one self-serving prize or another come and go, with names I sometimes cannot recall after the fog of war sets in. But only a small handful have come here out of a sense of duty toward a cause. Which claimed life has brought you here?""My comrade was Janissary Ledare Eelsof'faw." He said the name as if its syllables were jagged and might cut his tongue if he lingered too long on them. "She spoke of an effort to prevent the return of Aphyx to this world... of armies mobilizing in anticipation of that day. Indeed, I had some dealings with this myself along the borderlands. Strange creatures... not wholly one beast or another but some twisted, dark combination. She... she insisted that Aphyx was seeking a vessel... a body..." Del shook his head, as if to jar his memory."I will admit that my recollection is more bits and pieces of fact," the marshall continued. "But I can tell you: she was changed by this. And her spirit was wholeheartedly pledged to this cause; that I can remember as if it were yesterday."Morier heard little of the words that followed the name. He pushed back the sudden rush of memory, reaching out involuntarily to grasp the janissary hard just above the elbow. "You know Led... knew... Ledare?"As dark and solitary as his thoughts had seemed earlier that day, the sudden reappearance of Ayremac and now a contemporary of Ledare seemed to bring light. Two who had truly understood, who had come not for gain but out of service, were suddenly among him; even if it was in combination of spirit and form. Although he was sure that she never knew it, it had been Ledare who unwittingly turned him from a lone warrior searching for little more than solace in battle, into a torchbearer for this fight against Aphyx. It seemed impossible that others could be around her and not be driven by her sense of devotion and service. It was following the loss of Ledare that Morier felt compelled to pick up her mantle of leadership, but he had never felt a cohesive group available to follow his lead.Perhaps now..."Yes!" Del said, smiling nervously at the albino's sudden enthusiasm. "We... trained together at the academy." He down-played their involvement for some reason, not ready as yet to detail the true depths of their relationship."You could hardly have spoken a name for which I have greater reverence, Janissary," Morier told the half-elf "Ledare Eelsof'faw is the very reason I stand here today having been bound by the essence of a goddess who will rise to fight Aphyx." Del listened intently, willing his face to reveal nothing of the emotional surge inside him. A dozen questions boiled their way to the surface of his thoughts - things he had wondered in the cold stillness of long nights awake. But he checked them carefully."She is why I am here as well," Del told him. "But know that I have come willingly; no gods have summoned nor kings commanded me. I am here to do what I can to aid in your quest. That is what she would have wanted.""She was very inspirational," Morier began. "Her dedication to-" Del held up an unsteady hand, his expression forestalling any further discussion on the topic."I do not need to know the details now, maybe never... But if you are willing I should like to know more when there is time," he said, his voice measured and controlled. The flask shook ever-so slightly in his hand as he lifted it once again. Maleko noticed the flask and the tremor and concern bled into the elf's eyes."Now about this shifty elf who seems to want to pick my pocket for spare coins..." Morier mused, looking at Maleko. The elf's eyes widened in shock at the suggestion and he puffed up his chest proudly. A thought and a small gesture transformed his clothes into clerical robes."I apologize if I appear like I want your money. Nothing could be further from the truth," he said. "The coins are tokens to signify membership in the Grey Company. Possession allows membership. It appears from what I have heard that you would be one whom Grey House would be proud to have as a member. Am I correct Cerrakean?" The hobgoblin sniffed."I reckon," she said blandly. "If there were still a Grey House to be a member of. The more I think about it, the more I think that the Grey Company's pretty well through." She shrugged and scratched at one hairy armpit."So long as you live, Cerrakean, there is a Grey Company," Maleko assured her. "You're a Grey Lord are you not?" She shrugged again."That doesn't really mean much any more, elf," she sighed. "One Lord doesn't really make a Company, now does it?""There's still Abernathy, don't forget. And Ocif. And the House itself," Maleko went on. "I have a coin. And Morier has more." Cerrakean's expression darkened and she turned away, muttering, "I reckon," one last time."Regardless, Morier, I would be honored for you to keep one of the coins," the elf said, nonplussed by the hobgoblin's attitude. "I believe you have ones in your possession that once belonged to Ledare Eelsof'faw, Finian Telteppe, Kirnoth Val Satha, and Draelond Khemir. They were the last recorded members to possess these items.""Of those you named, I only ever knew Ledare," Morier said and Ixin nodded."Finian and Draelond both fell before Morier joined," she told them. "Finian died days prior, but Draelond was killed the very day we first met Morier. In fact if Draelond had not fallen in battle, we might not have been so quick to welcome Morier into our group.""It's strange to hear you speak so knowledgeably of such things," Morier admitted to her. "You look so different from the Ixin I knew." The woman's eyes flashed at the albino and then she looked away."I AM different, Morier," she said. "When one falls so many times into its embrace, the grave eventually leaves its mark on you.""What of Kirnoth?" Maleko asked, hoping to take the focus off Ixin's deaths and rebirths for a moment. Morier and Ayremac exchanged glances, remembering their battle after securing the Keys."That's complicated," the sorceress said her eyes downcast. "We think that he's been turned to Aphyx.""That's horrible!" Maleko exclaimed. "All the more reason to repopulate the Grey Company with honorable souls. If you were to give them to me, Morier, I would be honored to offer one to Del, Ixin and Ayremac."Morier looked around at them and shrugged. He opened the Valiant Vessel bag and found the mithril coins on top as if they were the last items placed within although he was sure that he hadn't seen them on previous inspections of Huzair's things. He held them up and Maleko took three and distributed them around."We would be honored if you accepted these symbols of our order and continue to fight for our cause," Maleko said once he'd passed them out. "They also would work as a wonderful tracking device should we be separated if that is all you wish them to be. I believe in your heart, each of you know this is the right thing to do."Morier looked at the coin in his hand and wondered whose it had been previously. It didn't really matter. It was only a symbol. He wondered if Ixin remembered the tiny pin he'd given her and the others in Hillville Junction. That too had been a symbol. The VQS... Vla'rinnyn Quarth Sila... Brotherhood of the Order Bringers... He laughed at himself and slipped the coin around his neck.Ayremac, for the first time since... well, since a long time ago, felt the seeds of cooperation, comradre, and fellowship being sowed. It brought a smile to his face. As much as skulking around the temple, safe, warm, and well-fed, was a welcome break from time on the trail, it was nice to be back in the thick of things and to be back with a face he recognized."Morier, do you know which direction we should go?" he asked, expecting an immediate: yes. Instead, Morier just looked at him seriously."We must find her body, Ayremac, and we cannot afford delay," the eldritch warrior said, turning that serious look on each of his companions. "I may harbor the essence of a goddess, but my body is decidedly mortal. The stakes are suddenly unimagineably high, and I hope that may go some way in explaining why I had to dispatch Saelus in the manner that I did just before you arrived.""It does," Ayremac nodded. "And I can well understand your desire for haste. I believe that we are all behind you on this. So which way do we go?" Morier sighed and shook his head."I don't know," he said and Ayremac looked shocked."But you always know where to go." he exclaimed. "What about the Pull?""Gone once I found the Heart," the eldritch warrior told him, apologetically."So... what? We just pick a direction and take off blindly?" Ixin scoffed."That would be unwise," Maleko cautioned. "The Astral Plane is vast. Infinitely so, in fact. Drifting around aimlessly will accomplish little.""Well I wouldn't suggest heading back toward Akiv-tchai," a familiar voice chirped. They turned and saw Grandfather Plaque hovering behind the group. He smiled back at them sheepishly. "I sort of... abandoned my post... Can I come with you?"</blockquote>

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