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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 5066735" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #503] Race to the Finish, part 3[/PLAIN]His body resisted his attempts to master it. His limbs felt like insensate things of lead. His guts kept clenching spasmodically, ready at any moment it seemed to disgorge the contents of his stomach. Every fiber of his being wanted to flee from this divine being. Well, almost every fiber."I am with you," he heard a woman say in his ear and found the will to move."I am Morier Thulien and I come to this God Isle in peace, to reunite the heart and body of the Goddess Dridana," he managed as he labored to his feet."I know who you are, Morier," the god-woman said, a note of amusement in her voice. "And I know why you're here. I've been following your progress with some interest. I must confess: I'm surprised that you made it this far. Surprised and impressed." She began to walk around him, slowly as she spoke, and Morier noticed that she wasn't really walking; she only seemed to be. Her bare feet trod daintily upon the air a foot or so above the actual ground."You've come a long way to get here and lost a lot of friends in the process," the divinity went on. "But have you even once considered the ramifications of what you propose to do? Think of the chaos you'll bring to Oerune!" Morier looked sharply at the woman, but only from the corner of his eye; it was easier that way. Who was she? He had supposed her to be Dridana, or some form of Dridana's essence, or demiurge, or another avatar of some sort... but given the circumstances around here she could be anything."What will be Calaam's reaction to such a flagrant disregard for his edict that what is dead should stay dead?" the woman asked. "And what will become of the poor Beastlords when Brogine's sister rises to reclaim her dominion over those things that grow in the ground. Surely Brogine will take back from the animal spirits his own concerns for those things that crawl!""Who-?" Morier struggled to ask, but the woman went on."And what of Kossuth, and Grumbar, and Istishia, and Akadi?" she asked him. "They only rose to power with Dridana's retreat. When she once more calls her own the power of the elements what will become of the Elemental Lords and those who revere them? Have you really thought this through or have you just plowed ahead through stubborn momentum alone?""Who are you?" Morier demanded through gritted teeth though he thought that he knew the answer already."I am a god, Morier. I am known by many names on many worlds," she said with a wave of her delicate hand. "To some I am Incabulos, to others Nurgle. On some worlds I am known as Abhoth. On others Moander or Marbas. Labels are really only important to you mortals. Gods transcend such limitations.""Aphyx," he managed and the woman laughed lightly."Yes, I'm known by that one too," she said.Ledare had been trained to assess battlefield situations and make quick decisions. Granted, their current situation was a bit beyond what he training allowed for. But she fell back on what she knew trusting the wisdom of experience to carry her through."We should make for the statues," she said, pointing in that direction."Are you sure?" Maleko asked, eying them suspiciously."Brogine and Dridana were twin gods of nature, so the animals may be an indication of something," she replied. "Perhaps Brogine tried to send aid in Dridana's final moments." Maleko considered this and shrugged."These statues can't be too much worse than the rats," he admitted and started to hustle in that direction.As they drew closer, the sense of foreboding that seemed to hang in the air around the thicket of stone figures grew stronger. Eventually, while still some 100 feet from the nearest of the half-formed statues, Maleko staggered to a halt. Ledare turned to look at him and he held up a finger while he caught his breath."I have a spell that will offer us some guidance here," he said after a few deep breaths. "I can cast Augury to learn whether passing through the statues will bring weal or woe." Ledare spread her hands in confusion."Why didn't you do that before?" she asked before adding diplomatically, "I like the idea of having a little guidance here.""It takes a minute or so to divine the future in this way," he said somewhat apologetically. "I didn't want to take time that would allow the rats to gain ground on us. I don't want them to catch up." They both looked back the way they'd come as if expecting to see the moving carpet of rats approaching, but there was no sign of them."You should do it," Ledare urged. "I'll keep watch." The elf nodded and started to pray, leaving the Janissary to scan the way they'd come for the rat swarm. After a minute, Maleko stopped his muttered prayers and shook his head."The statues are dangerous. Alone they would cause us harm. We cannot defeat them and the rats too. We must take the long path around them," the elf announced and pointed up along the mammoth slope of the God Isle's hip. Ledare sighed and nodded disappointedly as they started up and around in that direction. As they went Maleko drew an empty scroll case from his things and tossed it in the direction of the statues."Perhaps this will mislead our pursuers into thinking that we passed that way. And perhaps the statues will take care of the rat entity for us," he said optomistically. Ledare grinned at him."Good thinking, Maleko," she said approvingly. "Without the benefit of the gods' guidance they may well blunder into their doom as we almost did." The mage-priest nodded and fished a coin from his pocket."Quickly! We must go, And this may help us stay hidden." he said and held up the silver coin. "Nethlar will provide us protection by hiding the noise we make." He cast Silence on the coin he was carrying and all sound vanished at once, swallowed up b the magic. He clenched the coin in his fist and smiled at Ledare before pointing onward up the body toward Morier and the Heart. As they raced up the hillock of Dridana's hip he glanced back over his shoulder to look for pursuers thinking he would throw it at the rat creatures if they followed in range. Perhaps it would disrupt their spellcasting.He hoped that was the case.Morier shuddered at that as if someone had doused him with ice water, but with effort he brought himself under control. His heart was thudding in his chest nonetheless."Don't be afraid, Morier," Aphyx cajoled. "I put on this form because I thought you would find it to be the most agreeable. But if you don't like it, there are others..." As she spoke, her voice took on a curious change in tonality and glancing up, the eldritch warrior saw that her face was rotting off her skull. Her mouth was like a sagging leather purse full of corruption. Her eyes were two puncture wounds writhing with maggots.He looked quickly away, feeling madness rising in him."One form is as good as another to me, Morier," Aphyx went on and her voice reversed its transformation until it returned to the womanly tones he'd heard before. "It is you mortals who attach such significance to the appearance of things." Morier took a shuddering breath and opened his eyes. She'd resumed her previous form."As a mortal, I don't believe that I possess the power to alter the course of events you foresee here," he told her, surreptitiously eyeing his surroundings for some advantage."You're probably right," she said. "But it's often surprising just what you mortals are capable of. I was being truthful when I said that you had impressed me making it this far.""Oh," Morier grunted."Well, yes. You succeeded any number of times when I thought you were going to fail," Aphyx said. "For instance, I had Rake try to get even one of those druids' keys from Grandfather Plaque for decades without success. And you got them all in less than a moonsdance. That certainly surprised me!""So tell me, what do you want from me?" he asked , looking furtively at the gaping hole in the God Isle some short distance away."Nothing, of course," Aphyx replied. "I want you to do nothing. Leave here and go back to your world. Let events unfold in the natural order of things. Do that and you have my word that I will trouble you no more."Morier said nothing."Perhaps I can offer you something else as a reward," she said."I know where Karak is; I could bring him here. Or I could take you to Dr. Akerman; there is a score to settle there is there not? Or Huzair... I could bring you a Huzair. Not the one you knew, but one as real as the Ledare I gave you." He looked at her and saw the dark face split into a toothy smile."Or," she said , wagging a finger at him as if he were driving a very hard bargain and she'd just caught on to him."Or, I can just promise not to make you watch me slowly strip the flesh from Maleko and Ledare's bones. Now doesn't that sound better than all that chaos you're thinking of causing?"</blockquote>

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