The quori within the warforged Saber continues to speak, saying with a reassuring tone, “We hope you are not too alarmed about this turn of events with the harnesses. We had always hoped that some might still exist in Xen’drik and be released into Khorvaire, and we’re sure it would have happened sooner or later.”
Always hoped? Some might still exist in Xen’drik? The quori knew of the harnesses earlier? Despite the questions the comments raise, Six says nothing, just standing silently and watching the possessed warforged.
The speaker continues, “So please don’t blame yourself. Though I gather you are suspicious of us, we have no enmity to you. And as far as Xoriat is concerned, I think we are all on the same side. Don’t you agree?”
Gareth interrupts, his expression grim. “I’ll make my own decision about that. And if we’re on the same side, I’d like to meet you face to face. Just you. Not you in some unwilling creature’s body.”
The quori shakes Saber’s head. “Unfortunately, that is not possible, since we cannot yet enter your world in our own bodies. But with the harnesses, we have more options than before.” Seeing that none of the faces around it seem particularly enthused at the prospect, the quori adds, “There is nothing you can do about the harnesses now and we suggest you not worry about it. You will need our aid in the upcoming war and that is one of the best ways for us to reach you. And – in the interests of honesty – let us tell you that the harnesses are more widespread than you think. We have ensured that Cannith West now knows how to produce them too and is doing so to compete with Cannith South.”
With that information not adding to the Angels’ enthusiasm, the quori then turns to Six. “You are interested in the nature of the warforged and their creation, correct?”
“Yes,” says Six cautiously.
“We can help you with that. But we will have to discuss that in detail later. We need to return and discuss what has happened with our people. Again, congratulations. Though we believe you have not won the war, you have won a substantial victory.”
A second later, the two warforged drop to the ground. And then sit up and look around, seeming as obviously confused as creatures with unmoving metal faces can. “What … how did we get here?” asks Saber, her tone substantially different and voice much more feminine than it had been moments ago.
“It’s … complicated,” says Six, as the two clamber back to their feet. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
“We were with the expedition and you had just ridden up on those magical creatures, spoken to Lamaan and continued onwards. Then … I can’t remember anything after that. Were we attacked? Did you bring us out?”
Six hesitates, wondering what to say, but then decides to just stick with some part of the truth. “Unfortunately, you were possessed by quori and followed us to the place we were going to, and when we had to leave, we brought you with us.”
“Huh? Quori?”
“It’s too complicated to explain everything. You know humans dream when they sleep, right? Quori are horrible monsters that live on the plane of dreams. There’s something about your harnesses which lets them possess warforged.”
“These harnesses?” Confusion blends itself with alarm in Saber’s tone, and the warforged behind her tugs reflexively, and uselessly, at its harness. “We cannot remove them.”
“I know. We will have to talk to House Cannith about it. Is there anyone who was particularly involved with the production of the harnesses?”
“Tarya d’Cannith,” says Saber, clearly still attempting to assimilate this information.
“The woman at the meeting,” says Six to the other Angels, before turning back to her. “Both of you should go to the camp and get some … um, rest. We’ll speak later.”
Saber looks at him for a few seconds and then says uncertainly, “Thank you.” The two warforged turn and walk slowly away. A number of people from the camp have been watching the Angels with some combination of curiosity and surprise, and a few of them walk over to them. One, wearing the insignia of a Deneith soldier, points at the yellow sign still gleaming in the evening sky above them and asks, “Do you know what that is? It appeared only a few hours after you went into the Mournland three days ago.”
Another of those who walked up says, “Corven has been traveling back and forth daily and he said that it’s visible from the northern camp and from across Breland, but he had no idea what it is.”
“Really?” says Korm. “We’re pretty sure that it’s not supposed to be there.”
Nameless laughs harshly and says, “As Commander Obvious said, of course it shouldn’t be there. We have some ideas about what it might…”
“Umm, guys?” interrupts Luna, pointing at the sign, “Look at that.”
As they look up, the sign swiftly begins to darken and change, turning from yellow to orange to a flaming red. And then cracks appear as it begins to fragment. In seconds, it simply disintegrates and disappears.
“O-kay,” says Gareth, looking at Nameless. “Do you have any idea what that means?”
The alienist shrugs. “I’m not sure. I think it means that we managed to prevent whatever it was supposed to achieve. But I can’t say for sure right now. Some investigation is in order.” He raises an eyebrow as a few of the people standing nearby look at him and step away hurriedly. “What?”
“Umm – you’re glowing!”
Nameless looks down at himself and realizes that not only are they right, due to the faint green light emanating from him, but his skin is itching and feeling warm, especially around the mark of the tentacled eye on his forehead. Unfortunately, with his normal form concealed beneath a hat of disguise, even he cannot see what’s really going on with his skin. Deciding that it’s worth it, he deactivates the magical disguise. The members of the expedition who were nearby are rewarded with the sight of Nameless in all his aberrant glory, complete with tentacle, glowing blue eyes and forehead mark. Some simply gape, others pale, and a few scream and run.
Nameless’ interest, however, is not on others’ responses but focused on himself. He and the other Angels see that the texture of his skin has changed, becoming slick and oily, with the faintest green tinge. Similarly colored light emanates from his entire body, shining through the clothes that garb him. What the others cannot see is that the light is accompanied by swiftly growing warmth and an increasingly painful throbbing at the back of his head, centered on the ‘wound’ left behind by the daelkyr from which his powers emanate.
“What’s going on, Nameless?” asks Luna.
“I have … no idea.” The alienist places a hand to his head, where the pain is beginning to turn excruciating. Waves of agony mingled with heat run through him, and the green light around him pulses accordingly. Nameless’ vision begins to blur, though he is uncertain whether that is a separate effect or a result of the pain in his head. Though unable to be certain, he thinks he sees Gareth’s expression turn even more confused than it already is and the paladin grabbing at his armor.
Six, Korm and Luna certainly see it happen, as Gareth says, “Ow!” and smacks at the armor on his back. Then he quickly begins to start removing it, saying, “Hey! Someone help me get this off!”
“That’s beautiful,” says Korm. “Nameless starts glowing and that makes Gareth take his clothes off. Are you two about to do something strange?”
“Not if I can help it,” says Six, and Luna just settles for changing from her shifter form in preparation for any problems that may occur. She assumes a shape she has been looking forward to trying for a while, expanding hugely and turning roughly spherical, with arms transforming into giant tentacles and skin turning barklike and much greener than Nameless’. In seconds, a huge tendriculos sits where Luna had stood. The few expedition members who had still stayed close by take one look at the gigantic plant and run.
Six looks at Korm. “Again, why do I stay with you people?”
Korm shrugs. “Because you’re a sadist and a masochist? On the bright side, I’m not growing tentacles out of my face. See?” The Gatekeeper stops and glances at the alienist, who is swaying gently back and forth, now with both hand and tentacle clutching his head. “Nameless – you okay? Can we do anything?”
“I don’t…,” begins Nameless, trying to block out the pain. Then there is one last surge of agony and the light he has been emanating bursts outwards in a flash and goes out. There is no external physical change, his skin still remaining oily and faintly green, but he realizes that the ‘wound’ in his head has disappeared.
To his complete and utter surprise, Nameless realizes that not only does he still retain his powers but that they have actually increased. And he realizes why. At this very instant, Xoriat has just become coterminous with Eberron. As the Plane of Madness extends invisible tentacles to link the two planes, through his connection and affinity to Xoriat through both Antaratma and Cyaegha, Nameless has just achieved the consummation of his relationship to it, something which no alienist in the history of the world has ever reached.
In a hushed tone that is simultaneously awed and triumphant, thrumming with latent power, Nameless announces, “I have achieved transcendence.”
“Huh?!”
“Transcendence. The final step in my path as an alienist. I had not expected it* this soon, but it has happened. And I am healed of the touch of Antaratma. My power is now fully my own. I am no longer human, or an aberration, for that matter. I am now an outsider.” Nameless takes a deep breath. “But there is bad news. Xoriat just became coterminous with Eberron.”
“What?” growls Luna, the voice especially tinny in comparison to her giant plant form. “I thought we just prevented that!”
“So I had hoped. I will need to do some divining to work out exactly what happened. And talk to Jaela and Saala.”
“That’s a good idea,” says Gareth, who now has all the armor above his waist removed. He pulls his shirt over his head and turns his back towards the others. “But something’s burning on my back. What is it?”
The others look at the paladin’s muscular back, marked with the signs of Mordain’s handiwork. Most of which is currently overlaid by what looks like a giant red tattoo which covers the upper half of his back and extends up the rear and right side of his neck. “It’s a dragonmark,” says Six.
“A dragonmark? I just manifested a dragonmark?”
Nameless studies the mark carefully. “Not just any dragonmark. It’s a Siberys mark.”**
“What?! I don’t think I’ve ever even met someone with a Siberys mark!”
“Well,” the alienist says dryly, “You have now.”
Almost dislocating his neck in an attempt to see his back and barely catching a glimpse of the throbbing mark, Gareth looks at Nameless suspiciously. “Why did this happen just as you had your, whatever, transcendence? Did that have something to do with it?”
Nameless’ tone turns even dryer. “I appreciate the thought, but no, I didn’t gift you with a Siberys mark. You should be used to strange things happening to us. And we just achieved one of the most unusual feats that anyone on Khorvaire has ever had to partake in, so extraordinary and unexpected results are not that surprising.” Though I really had not expected either of these. “Now put your shirt back on. I need to transport us to Jaela and see what she has to say about the situation.”
While Gareth is complying, Nameless feels a tickling in his mind, a precursor to the sending which follows. The voice is that of Trillia – “Hope you get this. Did you see sign in sky which just disappeared? I feel stronger presence of Xoriat since then. What is going on?”
“Sending,” Nameless says to the others, before replying, “Xoriat is coterminous again. I have transcended. I will return to Sharn shortly to speak with you after I investigate the situation further.”
“I’m not going to Sharn!” Luna says promptly. Korm looks up at the humongous plant and grins, “Yeah, we know. And it’s a good thing for Sharn too!”
Gareth, having re-donned his armor instantly due to its magical ability to appear around him at command, says, “Whatever. But first we need to go to….” He stops and raises a hand to his head, looking a little surprised. “It’s Jaela.” The paladin proceeds to repeat the Keeper’s words. “Did you find the seed? What happened? The Mark is gone but the Flame says Xoriat has returned. See me as soon as you can.” Gareth replies simply, “All right. We will be there very soon.”
“Looks like everyone wants to know what we are d…,” begins Nameless, before laughing harshly as a third sending contacts him. This one is from the blind hag seeress, Sora Teraza. “Your actions have borne their fruit. The plane of Madness is back. You will lead in the coming war. We will aid as we can.” The alienist replies, “We may want to consult with you in a day or so. But we would like to avoid your sister Sora Maenya.”
“What was that?” asks Six. “One of the hags?”
“Yes,” says Nameless. “It seems today is a day for us to receive calls. Which reminds me, I should send one too.” He casts a sending of his own, this one to the ancient psion Havakhad, leader of the kalashtar in Sharn. “This is Nameless. We have dire news regarding quori ability to possess some warforged. Guard yourself in case of attack. I shall meet you soon.”
The alienist waits, but there is no response, and after a minute passes, he looks at the others. “No reply from Havakhad. That’s not good. Maybe the quori got to him already.” He shakes his head. “No way to know till we get there. Now everyone gather around. We have a long list of people to visit. First stop, Jaela. If anyone does, she’ll know more about the…”
...
“…situation,” says Jaela. Though her voice is still stronger than one might expect from a child of her stature, her expression and attitude bespeak great weariness, and she explains the reason. “I have been communing with the Flame regularly since you left and have done so after the mark disappeared too. Your actions have prevented the daelkyr lords bound in Khyber from being freed. If you had been slain, Khorvaire would have been lost. The Seed was intended to reach the mark in the sky and use your ‘essence’, as you said the daelkyr mentioned, to both free the daelkyr and make Xoriat coterminous. The former you prevented. The latter, however, has now occurred. Since Xoriat is now coterminous with Eberron, planar travel between the two is now possible, as is the opening of portals, whether permanent or not. At least one portal has already opened, at the site of the seed. Xoriat will invade at any moment.”
Jaela takes a deep breath and looks around, but none of the Angels interrupt, and she continues, “I have already contacted the leaders of Breland, Aundair and Karrnath, and asked them for a meeting as soon as possible, so that Khorvaire can ready for the initial assault. This will take time, but we have a small advantage in that time passes ten times more slowly on Xoriat.”*** The Keeper looks around again and says, “I hope to invite many others there as well. I would also like you to be present at this meeting.”
“Certainly,” says Nameless, and Gareth adds, “Your wish is my command, Keeper.”
“Thank you. Do you have any particular plans regarding the future?”
“We plan to return to Sharn and then go to Argonnessen to see if we can learn anything from the dragons about the dimensional seals and how the Gatekeepers sundered Xoriat from Eberron.”
“That is a good idea,” says Jaela. “I had actually intended to suggest that to you. Nobody that I know of has gone to Argonnessen and returned, but you,” she smiles slightly, “Have already done enough things that nobody has, so you are the likeliest to do so and succeed. But before you do that, I would appreciate it if you visited the original location of the Seed and investigated the status of the portal I believe to be there.”
“Very well,” says Nameless. “But we also have some more information for you.” He proceeds to explain about his transcendence, the situation with the quori, and Gareth manifesting a mark of Siberys.
Jaela listens patiently, but clearly she considers all of these matters, especially Nameless’ and Gareth’s changes, as secondary to the situation with Xoriat. “The quori are a concern for another time,” she says, “But what has happened to you and Gareth only confirms what I know already – that your actions will be central to this war with Xoriat.”
After some more discussion, the Angels take their leave, saying that they will go into the Mournland the next day and then return to say what they find. Luna, after the requisite amount of grumbling, agrees to go along with them as they head back to Sharn.
“We’ve got a lot of people to meet,” says Nameless, as he prepares to teleport them back. “But I especially want to find out what is happening with…”
…
“…Havakhad,” says Nameless, looking at the four kalashtar guards standing around the entrance to the Shrine of Il-Yannah.
One of them, whom he had seen before, says, “You did not know? The enlightened Havakhad is no more. He died a week ago.”
Damn! “How was he killed?”
The kalashtar looks surprised and mildly alarmed. “Killed? No, he died of old age.”
I need to speak to someone higher up. “Thank you for the information. Who has taken up his position?”
“Our new leader is Matsavan. He will be in the shrine.”
At the alienist’s request, three of the guards escort him and the other Angels inside, leading them to the shrine in the center of the building. Along the way, they add a few more kalashtar to the escort.
“They seem a little on edge,” whispers Korm to Six as they walk along. “Last time we were all here,” Six whispers, “Most of us got possessed by quori, who tried to kill Havakhad, their leader.” Korm sighs. “Of course you did.”
Reaching the shrine, the Angels find Matsavan, a burly middle-aged kalashtar with a shaven and tattooed pate. He is more than a little suspicious of the Angels at first, but responds better when they are joined by a young woman, the warrior-monk Selkatari, whom those besides Korm have met before. She vouches for the adventurers and asks curiously why they are here.
Without wasting any time, Nameless provides a detailed description of the situation with the warforged harnesses and the quori. When he finishes, instead of saying anything Matsavan looks at Six. “No,” says Six, “My harness cannot be possessed. It has been modified.”
“Can the other harnesses be thus modified?” asks the kalashtar thoughtfully.
“I guess,” says the warforged, “But that is an ability we do not have. But we will speak to House Cannith about the problem, so that no more harnesses are produced.” Well, not by Cannith South.
Matsavan remains silent for a few seconds and then looks at Selkatari, who has been watching him just as silently. Then he looks around at the Angels. “As you realize, this is very worrying for us. But I thank you for informing us. We shall have to discuss this. Perhaps I can speak to you about this afterwards?”
Nameless grimaces. “Perhaps, but we have even bigger problems to deal with.” Matsavan simply watches quizzically and the alienist continues, “Xoriat has become coterminous with Eberron again. The daelkyr will be invading soon, if they have not begun already.” Seeing that the expression in the kalashtar’s eyes seems to say that he’s thinking the Angels are delusional, drunk or both, Nameless says, “Believe me, we are not joking.”
He proceeds to give a very succinct description of the situation. Unsurprisingly, both of the kalashtar are significantly concerned, though they both display unusual composure at the information. After a short discussion, the Angels promise to contact them if they learn any more about the quori, and then leave.
Once outside, Six says, “And now to House Cannith.” He adds gloomily, “Not that I expect them to be able to do much about the…”
* Since the PCs hit 15th level, I gave Rackhir the option of trading out one of Nameless’ previously taken wizard levels (he was Wizard6/Alienist8 at 14th) for alienist, so he could go Wizard5/Alienist10.
** I allowed Gareth to take the Siberys mark as a feat, rather than going through the Heir of Siberys PrC.
*** Officially in the ECS it’s a 60:1 ratio, but I’m using 10:1 instead.
