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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rystil Arden" data-source="post: 3042606" data-attributes="member: 29014">Ianissa, daughter of prophecyFemale Nereid Beguiler 2 [Race Stormwrack, class PHII]Medium Fey (Aquatic, Extraplanar)Alignment: Chaotic GoodHeight: 5' 4''Weight: 156lbsHair: Shimmering Aquamarine TressesEyes: Deep Pools of Azure BlueAge: 42Str: 6 (-2) [0 points, -2 racial]Dex: 20 (+5) [6 points, +6 racial]Con: 16 (+3) [6 points, +2 racial] Int: 21 (+5) [10 points, +2 racial, +2 enhancement]Wis: 12 (+1) [0 points, +2 racial]Cha: 24 (+7) [10 points, +6 racial, +2 enhancement]Class and Racial Abilities: Extraplanar Fey, -2 Str, +6 Dex, +2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis. +6 Cha, Low-light Vision., +8 to Swim checks and Hide checks underwater, Drown attack, Air Breathing at will, Control Currents 3/day, Control Water 1/day, Wall of Ice 1/day, Summon Water Elemental 1/day, Resistance to fire and cold 10, Deflection (Charisma to AC), Displacement (50% miss chance, Shawl (pin her and disarm it, then destroy it and she dies in one hour), Speak with Animals (Su), Automatic Languages: Common and Aquan. Armoured Mage, Trapfinding, Cloaked Casting +1 DC, Surprise Casting Hit Dice: 5d6+15 HP: 46AC: 30 (+5 Armour, +2 Shield, +5 Dex, +7 Deflection, +1 Enhancement to Nat), 22 Touch, 25 Flat-Footed, (and 50% Miss Chance)ACP: 0Init: +5 (+5 Dex)Speed: 30ft Land, 40ft Swim Saves:Fortitude +6 [+1 base, +3 Con, +2 Resistance]Reflex +10 [+3 base, +5 Dex, +2 Resistance]Will +9 [+6 base, +1 Wis, +2 Resistance]BAB: +2Melee Atk: +0 (1d4-2/19-20/x2/S, dagger), +0 touch (Drown DC 20) Ranged Atk: +7 (spells)Skills:Appraise +5 [0 ranks, +5 Int]Balance +5 [0 ranks, +5 Dex]Bluff +18 [8 ranks, +7 Cha, +3 Competence]Climb -1 [0 ranks, -1 Str]Concentration +11 [8 ranks, +3 Con]Craft +5 [0 ranks, +5 Int]Diplomacy +22 [8 ranks, +7 Cha, +4 synergy, +3 Competence]Disable Device +6 [1 rank, +5 Int]Disguise +28 (+30) [8 ranks, +6 Cha, +2 synergy to remain in character, +3 Competence, +10 Circumstance]Escape Artist +5 [0 ranks, +5 Dex]Forgery +5 [0 ranks, +5 Int]Gather Information +10 [0 ranks, +7 Cha, +3 Competence]Heal +1 [0 ranks, +1 Wis]Hide +13 (+21) [8 ranks, +5 Dex, +8 racial in water]Intimidate +10 [0 ranks, +7 Cha, +3 Competence]Jump -1 (+3) [0 ranks, -1 Str, +4 in water due to speed]Knowledge (arcana) +6 [1 rank, +5 Int]Knowledge (local) +8 [3 ranks, +5 Int]Listen +3 [2 ranks, +1 Wis]Move Silently +13 [8 ranks, +5 Dex]Open Lock +6 [1 rank, +5 Dex]Perform +10 [0 ranks, +7 Cha, +3 Competence]Ride +5 [0 ranks, +5 Dex]Search +5 [0 ranks, +5 Int]Sense Motive +9 [8 ranks, +1 Wis]Spellcraft +9 [4 ranks, +5 Int]Spot +3 [2 ranks, +1 Wis]Survival +1 [0 ranks, +1 Wis]Swim +7 [0 ranks, -1 Str, +8 Racial](can always take 10 and run)Tumble +13 [8 ranks, +5 Dex]Use Rope +5 [0 ranks, +5 Dex]Feats:Ship's Mage [Stormwrack]Breathing Link [Stormwrack]Improved Feint [PH] (used for Beguiler class abilities) Languages: Aquan, Auran, Common, Ignan, Sylvan, TerranSpells Known [PHII]Save DC +4All the 1st level spells on the listEquipment:Protean Shawl—a wreath of swirling seafoam, Ianissa's shawl is an expression of her energy and life essence, just like that of any other Nereid.  However, unlike most Nereids, Ianissa's shawl was infused with the essence of Proteus, shapeshifting fey lord of Change.  As such, it allows her to shift shapes as a Hat of Disguise, except as a Transmutation rather than Illusion effect (like a Changeling).  1800 gold valueAnemone—Ianissa's hippocampus friend is her constant companion, and they love to play together amidst the waves.  Anemone is loyal to Ianissa unto death, and he knows that she feels the same way about him.  2000 gold value (includes cost of training for riding and combat, so could be less)Necklace of the Sirens—Ianissa received this beautiful pearl and sapphire necklace from Leucosia, a sirine who became one of Nissa's best friends during her reawakening with Proteus after escaping from Ananke.  Leucosia imbued the necklace with her own essence and that of her sisters, hoping that it would help Ianissa open up more and become more assertive after years of abuse.  It grants a +3 Competence bonus to all Charisma-based skill checks.  4500 gold valueCirclet of Understanding—Perhaps both the most hated and most dangerous piece of Ianissa's apparel, this circlet of pure solid platinum is etched with symbols representing the flow of time unto eternity.  After convincing Nissa that she was worthless, terrible, and stupid, Ananke bestowed this circlet upon her charge, an item that undeniably made the little nereid even smarter and played a key role in learning her two divination spells.  Despite Proteus's continual protestations against it, even today Nissa feels inadequate and stupid while not wearing the circlet, and she refuses to part with it despite the awful memories.  After careful magical analysis, Proteus was able to determine that there is not a secret malefic enchantment on the circlet to let Ananke control Nissa or something worse, but he still covered the thing in wards immediately to prevent Ananke from using it as a focus for her divinations.  Only time will tell if Proteus was successful, or if he was outmatched by the mistress of inevitability.  The circlet grants Nissa a +2 bonus to Intelligence.  4000 gold value.Bracelets of Fleeting Elsyium—The only connection Nissa has to the father she never knew, this pair of bracelets made of gold and water resistant mystical wyrwood, was sent to Clymene from Tithynos's realms.  Although it is unclear whether it actually came from her father or was instead the gift of a well-wisher, Nissa would wear the bracelets often as a child, daydreaming about her father and how wonderful he must be, longing to meet him some day.  Although she has still never met him, she considers her father to always be with her as long as she wears the bracelets, and she therefore treasures them second only to her cloak.  For their part, the bracelets reinforce Nissa's already-strong fey heritage, granting her a +2 enhancement bonus to Charisma.  4000 gold value.Mother's Loving Embrace—It may not be her most valuable item monetarily, but Nissa treasures this magical shifting cloak above all other material possessions, though she would never place even this most treasured of possessions above the life of a friend or her dear Anemone.  Able to shift to fit her as she grows older and shimmer into many different colours, this cloak was originally used as a swaddling blanket when Nissa was just an infant.  It was enchanted personally by Clymene to keep her dear daughter safe, and it has been successful to this day.  Even when Ananke imprisoned her, Nissa never truly despaired while her mother's cloak was near, until the day that the cruel time elemental proclaimed it a crutch and took it away.  Even the heartlessly impartial time elemental realised how much the cloak meant to Nissa, however, and despite being willing to stoop to physical torture, the girl's plaintive and frightened sobs and trauma after losing the cloak and being struckby her mother moved even Ananke's heart, at least a little.  When Nissa finally mastered her first divination spell, Ananke returned the cloak, leading to one of Nissa's only happy days between her mother's fury and the day her godfather set her free.  The cloak grants Nissa a +2 resistance bonus to all saving throws.  4000 gold value.Miera, Protective Water Aeon—During Nissa's adventures with her fellow crewmates (before they were crewmates of course), they helped save Miera from a cruel and corrupt water elemental crime lord.  Although she is unable to communicate on much more than an empathic level, Miera and Nissa became quick friends, and Nissa makes sure to spend time talking to Miera each day (although the little spirit can only talk back via empathy, so she sometimes looks funny doing so).  As a water aeon, Miera can only effect the physical world as an extension of another being of water with whom she has bonded.  Before, she had been forced by intimidation and brute strength into a bond with the elemental crime lord that left her feeling violated as she was used for evil.  Now, she lives happily with Nissa, often curling up along Nissa's left arm, where she enjoys being pet and looking around at Nissa and her other friends from her perch.  When Nissa is in danger, Miera springs to action, deflecting blows against her nereid friend with a shield of water. Miera is  mechanically equivalent to (though much cooler than) an intelligent +1 mithral buckler, granting a +2 Shield Bonus to AC, no ACP, and no spell failure, with the +1000 intelligent item enhancement.  She has 10 Int and 12 Wis and Cha, 30 foot vision and hearing, and can communicate through empathy.  Miera is Neutral Good.  3015 gold value.Gift of the Deeps—This light sash is made of an unusual variety of seaweed that is extremely silklike.  Skillfully embroidered with a beautiful pattern of schools of fishes swimming through the currents, the sash was a gift to Nissa from Kuralaq, the locathah shaman who taught her how to hide amongst the blendingfish.  It is a symbol of acceptance amongst the locathah and other creatures of the deep earned through respect and training.  It grants a +1 enhancement bonus to natural armour.  2000 gold value.Dress of the Current's Eddy—This lovely dress is one of Nissa's favourites, particularly to wear into battle.  Like the cloak, it can change size to fit her, and also like the cloak, she has had it since she was little.  It was gifted to her by Krysthos, a powerful paralemental prince of mineral as part of a request for Clymene's aid in divination, for Krysthos was a noble paraelemental who sought aid from the seeress of Fame to find a way to show the 'greater' elementals the virtue of his people and his paraelemental brethren.  When she puts on the dress, Nissa remembers how kind, chivalrous, and charming he was when she was just a little girl, and she prays that he has not fallen from his ideals to join with the murderers who staged the coup, since in the end, the coup came close to Krysthos's goals.  Unfortunately, Proteus had no idea that the coup would happen or that Ananke and the time elementals would enlist the aid of the paraelementals, among others, so if Krysthos really has turned bad, he could use the dress's connection to perform divinations on Nissa fairly easily.  The dress itself is a masterpiece that could only have been created by a being that is at one with the essence of the components that create it.  Forged of a combination of a rare underwater mineral called shalyne, which is similar to mithral but shares a consistency with soft fabric, rather than metal, and elemental water, the dress is even coloured a pure azure blue that compliments Nissa's eyes perfectly.  Minor enchantments were woven into the dress as well to protect the wearer above and beyond the protection granted by the shalyne foundation, a move that scored major brownie points for Krysthos with Clymene at the time.  This dress functions identically to a +1 Mithral Chain Shirt, so it grants a +5 Armour Bonus to AC with no ACP or spell failure.  2100 gold value. ~~~~~Appearance: Nissa is a beautiful woman whose fey heritage is never more apparent than when she is in the water.  Although her godfather's gift grants her the power to change shapes, she is usually encountered in either her natural aquatic or terrestrial forms.  When amidst the waves, Nissa's whole body swirls and shimmers, nearly transparent as it takes on the eddies of the water around it, making her incredibly difficult to see when she wishes to be unseen.  On land, she appears as a delicate and pale elf with long flowing aquamarine tresses, deep azure pools of eyes, and a distinctive shawl of sea foam that surrounds her and represents her essence.  On most occasions, she wears a lovely azure dress that compliments her eyes, a blue and red embroidered sash, a pearl and sapphire necklace, two bracelets of gold and wyrwood, a small fashionable cloak, and a solid platinum circlet covered with symbols.  Perched on her arm is her constant companion, Miera, a playful water aeon that defends Nissa fiercely, deflecting attacks with swirling eddies of water. Personality: Nissa was bubbly and gregarious as a child, and though she was spoiled beyond belief, it did not lead to arrogant petulance as it does for some.  She always felt empathy for those less fortunate than she, and was quick to make friends with just about everybody.  After her imprisonment for twelve years, she became shy, quiet, and reclusive, a shadow of her former self.  Recently, thanks to her godfather Proteus, and all her new friends, she has been able to open up again, but she has still not completely shaken the pall of inferiority and despair that Ananke wove around her, sometimes closing up from the outside world to sort out her feelings.  Nonetheless, she is at most times back to a semblance of her former self, and she loves meeting new people and talking with them.  She feels incredible empathy for Miera and any others who have suffered, and she always seeks to help those in need.  Still, she is mercurial and carefree in nature when she can shake off the numbing order forced upon her by Ananke, and so she flits from person to person and place to place with a joyful enthusiasm that might make her father proud.  The idea of an isleship, in Nissa's opinion, has to be the most awesome thing ever, at least since Uncle Proteus took her to see the Leviathan of the Deep, and the idea of sailing across the Endless Falls, meeting new people and seeing new places, brings a shining smile to her face.  If only the thoughts of the coup, Ananke, and her beloved mother did not bring tears to her eyes when she is in a secluded place, all alone...  Background: Ianissa, or Nissa for short, had an auspicious birth.  She was born to a mix of two noble cultures of the Endless Falls.  Her mother, Clymene, was the water weird prophetess of Fame.  A beautiful creature of elemental water, Clymene was in constant demand by high class visitors and adoring fans who fawned over her in their continued insistence to learn of their future fame or perhaps receive the knowledge that would fulfill their dreams.  Although she was once a fair and virtuous maiden who believed only in the ebb and flow of fame and knowledge together like the current, the attention and flattery changed Clymene over the years until she eventually became a vain hedonist, adoring the company of feckless flatterers and beings of superficial beauty and placing their council above that of some of her closest and oldest friends, including Proteus, fey lord and seer of Change.  Pride for her power increased as well, as she eventually grew to consider those who lacked her Second Sight to be inferior, though still beings that should be aided by those greater than they to escape the dangers of their ignorance.  As her excesses grew, however, so did her beauty, and her power of prophecy never diminished, fueled by her continued obsession.  Eventually, she came to the attention of Taala and became a temporary consort, if not a bride.  While in this position, she earned great wealth for herself and prestige for her family by increasing the wealth and fame of the Kingdom of Knowledge through her prophecies.  Departing on amicable terms, she returned to her own substantially increased holdings, where she began to take fewer and fewer supplicants for her prophecy, no longer giving it out to all in need who requested it but instead requiring prostration and flattery before she would deign to meet with them.  It was perhaps fitting, then, that her next major dalliance came with Tithynos, the fey lord of Evanescence, keeper of the fleeting moments of beauty that remain within the heart forever. Outwardly possessed of handsome, if a bit effeminate, features and a dazzling smiles, Tithynos is a dual-faceted mystery, for none but the wisest sages of the mind can tell if he is a being of profound otherworldly wisdom or just the hedonistic purveyor of pleasures and beauty that he appears to be. Unlike with Taala, Tithynos's dalliance left Clymene with child, and it is thus that Ianissa was born, the child of both fey and elemental bloodlines, both noble and respected.  But as was the 'blessing' of her father, Ianissa's auspicious birth would lead to a joy that was only short-lived.  On seeing the infant Ianissa, Clymene rejoiced at her daughter's beauty, proclaiming her immediately to be the next great seer of the family, some day to become a prophetess like her mother.  From a young age, Clymene fawned over her daughter, giving Ianissa everything she could ever ask for and more and showering her with love, affection, and material things.  Clymene brought over all sorts of friends for Ianissa to talk to and play with, ranging from 'mommy's friends', like nobles, well-to-do merchants, and even children of Taala, to wondrous creatures of the Kingdom of Knowledge and beyond, including tojanidas, sea lions, nymphs, sylphs, sirines, tressym, and many others.  Ianissa's favourite new friend was a young Hippocampus who she named Anemone.  The two grew so close that the triton who owned Anemone's mother gifted him to Ianissa, partially to win the favour of Clymene, and they have been friends ever since, able to speak together via Ianissa's innate talent to speak with animals.Also of note were two others of her mother's friends.  Proteus was still somewhat distant from Clymene compared to their younger days, but his heart was warmed by Clymene's loving treatment of her daughter, and he graciously accepted the title of Ianissa's godfather.  When Clymene was busy and couldn't take care of her daughter, Proteus would take Nissa on wondrous trips to visit strange and exciting places and creatures that Nissa had never seen, even in her mother's domain. Nissa was always very close with 'Uncle Proteus', and the childless fey lord of Change treated her like a daughter, unlike her true father, who had already moved on.  On the day when Ianissa was first able to form her shawl of sea foam, Proteus gave her a kiss as he touched the shawl and infused it with some of his own power, allowing her to change shape, although not as well as her godfather himself.Aside from Proteus, the other important figure was Ananke, Nissa's godmother and the time elemental lady of Inevitability.  Ananke was stern and strict, and because of this, Nissa quickly came to vastly prefer time with 'Uncle Proteus' to that with 'Aunt Ananke'.  It is possible that the clear lack of affection led the time elemental to grow bitter with the young nereid, as Ananke was not an evil being.  Perhaps it might have been the way that Nissa lived in luxury despite not even being an elemental, while Ananke and all time elementals were second class citisens in the Kingdom of Knowledge.  Whatever it was, Ananke grew to resent the young Nissa, and they became more and more distant, even as Clymene and Ananke became closer and closer, as the lady of inevitability whispered secrets for forestalling the inevitable and remaining beautiful forever into Clymene's ear.   As soon as young Ianissa learned to read, her mother immediately began training her in magic in an attempt to begin young Nissa's rise to seeress.  Unfortunately, although Ianissa took to magic easily and showed incredible potential in Enchantments and Illusions, thanks to her fey roots, she could not progress in Divinations as fast as her mother desired.  Now, it is possible that no being in all of the Endless Falls could have met the expectations of the vain and somewhat-deluded Clymene, but this caused the water weird to begin to have doubts that she couldn't resolve, for she refused to accept that her teaching skills were not exceptional or that her daughter was not the most talented creature in the Endless Falls (aside from herself of course). Upset and in danger of having her vanity assaulted, Clymene turned to the person she always turned to when she wished to escape a dreaded inevitability, Ananke.  Ananke told Clymene exactly what the seeress wanted to hear: that Clymene was perfect and wonderful, but it was only through Clymene's incredible quality as a mother without peer, and not through any fault of mother's prowess or daughter's potential, that young Nissa had been unable to learn divinations.  Clymene had been too lenient on Nissa in her love, Ananke explained.  Ananke herself would be honoured to become Ianissa's new instructor, and she promised to deliver.And so it was that Ianissa was handed over away from the loving bosom of her mother and into the bower of the harsh no-nonsense time elemental lady of Inevitability.  Despite the well-kept, if spartan, trappings of Ananke's home, this felt like a prison to Ianissa, and her heart was broken as she was separated from her mother, Uncle Proteus, and even Anemone (who went to stay with Proteus).  At first, Ianissa worked her heart out and tried harder and harder, pushing herself nearly to the point of a mental breakdown to learn divinations, but she couldn't do it.  And meanwhile, despite this, Ananke sent scathing reports back home to Clymene, praising the incredible talent that lay within the young nereid, from her mother's side of course, but indicting Ianissa for being lazy and disrespectful.  Ananke asked for permission to use more drastic measures, but Clymene refused. Meanwhile, eventually Nissa just gave up and actually stopped trying, her willpower and self-esteem collapsing in the face of Ananke's continual litany of Nissa's inadequacies, of the superiority of time elementals and the strict emotionless rule of law and inevitability over the trivialities of the fey.  She cried herself to sleep every night, dreaming of freedom, of her mother's love, her uncle's laugh, and Anemone's whinny, of the evanescent gleam of the twinkling starlight.  Once Nissa had well and truly stopped trying, Ananke continued her plan by inviting Clymene over to view Nissa's 'lazy and disrespectful' behaviour first hand.  Through continual poison pen letters, Ananke had begun to almost convince Clymene that Nissa refused to try because she hated her mother and wanted to give the family a bad name, among other terrible things, but the water weird seeress still could not quite believe it.  However, while Clymene surreptitiously watched without being seen, Nissa unwittingly played her part perfectly as a listless child who has surrendered the will to continue and is no longer trying.  Clymene was outraged.  She had trusted her daughter over her dearest new friend, and this is how the lazy, spoiled, unappreciative little bitch repaid her love? She stormed into the room and broke Nissa's heart again by verbally abusing her daughter and eventually slapping her and storming off as quickly and angrily as she had entered, while the young girl, in tears worked to form the first syllable of the phrase 'Mommy...I love you...I'm sorry', which went unheard in the silence of Ananke's halls.After this, Ananke was able to get Clymene to approve drastic measures with ease, in her own words, with a girl as lazy and spoiled as Ianissa, it was inevitable that it would come to this (and everyone laughed at the almost-pun even though it wasn't funny), and it was thus that the time elemental began applying carefully-regimented torture to her lessons.  Ianissa, broken and full of despair, was completely susceptible to Ananke's methods, and truth be told, the time elemental wanted this demonstration of her own power to succeed so much that she began using her best methods and spells and even researching those of others to teach the damn girl a divination—any divination!  And after years of harsh treatment, she actually met with success.  Nissa learned not one, but two divinations, albeit rather weak ones.  Ear of the Changing Tides (Comprehend Languages) and Reveal the Secrets of the Depths (Detect Secret Doors).  Nonetheless, Ananke considered this a great success, and she paraded Ianissa back home to perform the spells in front of an audience that included Clymene, who was thoroughly convinced by this that she should believe Ananke on all things involving Ianissa and continue the training.  It was at this first time that Ianissa was allowed to leave Ananke's domain, however, that Uncle Proteus realised just how terribly his little Nissa was being treated.  He immediately begged Clymene to let Nissa roam the waters free and happy once more, but the water weird was completely convinced of Ananke's words, and she would not hear of it.  Discussion became an argument, and eventually Clymene banished her longtime friend from her domain forever, never to return on threat of imprisonment for trespassing.  Angered and upset, Proteus tried to locate Nissa but was completely unable to make it past Ananke's wards, let alone rescue the little nereid.  Nonetheless, he bided his time, realising that even against Ananke, an opening would come some day.  It was inevitable.And although Proteus didn't know what it was at the time, Ananke's meeting with the other time elementals that began to foment the seeds of rebellion against Taala would be just the opportunity he was looking for.  At great danger to himself, Proteus broke past Ananke's wards, battled her guardians, and found the place where Ianissa lay, despondently staring at the ceiling.  Making a joke about saving the princess from the evil castle to cheer her up, he carried her off before Ananke could leave to check on her wards.  Despite having good warning as the first wards were shattered, Ananke couldn't leave the meeting.  It wasn't time yet.  Besides, as time was on her side, her victory was inevitable.Proteus brought Ianissa to a hidden place, not daring to bring her to his own realm lest a spy detect her there and cause him to become an international criminal.  Since he had used an alternate form to rescue Nissa, he managed to pin the blame on a rival time elemental, for the moment.  Proteus had brought Anemone, who was just as excited to see Nissa as she was to see him.  Okay, maybe not quite as excited, but he hadn't been locked up with a time elemental who was torturing him for a decade.  Nissa cried tears of joy as Proteus explained her predicament.  And despie anything her godfather would say, she vehemently refused to believe even one bad word about her mother.  Nissa loved her mother more than anyone else in the world.  And she still does.Proteus took Nissa to visit everything she had missed most for the last twelve years.  Well, everything except Clymene's loving embrace, as that didn't seem too likely to happen any time soon. Proteus felt bad about that, though, and unable to disillusion his goddaughter, he often contemplated taking Clymene's form to console the poor nereid, but he eventually decided against it, lest it crush her heart more if she later learns the truth.  Proteus was disheartened that the gregarious little girl who had become friends with everyone and charmed her mother's guests with her kindness and good nature had become shy, reserved, and sad.  Under Proteus's loving tutelage, Ianissa was allowed to eschew divinations or any other study of spells except the ones she liked the most (though she will never forget those two divinations to her dying day), and she was able to focus on things she liked to do as she learned how to hide amongst the blendingfish that swim the seas in secret, dance with the nymphs, and sing with the sirines, although she could never do the latter two very well and so eventually just took to tumbling dance moves that require agility more than flashy charm, though her new friends always told her she could become great at either performing art if she could just open up.  Eventually, Proteus was heartened to see that Ianissa had become at least a bit more of the person she once was, and as her soul strengthened and her wanderlust for evanescent encounters, inherited from her father, grew greater.  So despite a bit of sadness to see her go and wariness for her safety, Proteus was mostly overjoyed when Ianissa asked to leave to go off on adventures, though he made her swear on the ancient waters of the gods that she would not go to visit her mother (he blamed Ananke for the lack of safety there and left Clymene out of it). ...Later, after joining with her latest friends and adventuring together, Ianissa made the mistake of being thrust into the spotlight as the recipient of a great gift from Taala.  This brought her whereabouts to Ananke's attention once more, and the time elemental was infuriated beyond measure that the 'spoiled princess' would receive such an honour.  Thus, Ananke was among the leading backers of the coup, though she had been part of similar meetings with her time elemental brethren for years.  They had time to wait for the perfect moment.  They were masters of time.  Gathering allies from among the lesser elementals and even from personal friends like Clymene herself, the coup exploited the gift to stage a coup that led to Taala's destruction—and now Nissa flees for her life before the wrath of the many enemies she and her friends have just made...and her teacher, the one old enemy she dreads most of all...</blockquote>

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