Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lylandra" data-source="post: 8234541" data-attributes="member: 6816692">To shatter a Dreadnought          Faedhraven hails us at the entrance to Sentosa, and she appears to be her grumpy self again once she sees Betronga and Talios. We explain the situation to her and add that the Bagheva would rather turn to Sentosa for help than to ally with the Mad King Vardanis and she lets the four of us enter without too much struggle. She insist that they'd at least take a bath before meeting with the High Matriarch and Carlyle tries to ease the tense situation by adding that the bathhouse would only be a “cat's leap” away from here.Then, all of a sudden, Betronga bursts into laughter.“You... you are really funny!” he shouts, holding his stomach while the rest of the group looks at each other with surprised confusion.“Finally someone who understands my humor. That means much to me, thank you Rajah Betronga.” Carlyle says with a roguish wink.(Who would have thought that? We feared Betronga might take the joke as an insult, but he appears to be on the same level of bad puns as Carlyle)The two Bagheva then leave to go to the bathhouse while we take some time to discuss the recent events and hide from Asrabey, as he'd surely insist that we'd use the Arc of Reida immediately no matter what.Auryn appears to be still worried about the visions of the future, even though she wants to believe that the future is not set in stone yet. Still, the moment she tried to make her peace with “destiny”, her faith in their power to change their future was dealt yet another blow. Carlyle however sees their vision as a reminder that any kind of manipulation on the planar seal would be a really bad idea. He adds that he understands Auryn's stance, but states that their intertwined path would also be some sort of “destiny” and that she was actually the first one to desperately search for hints of that.(Yeah, back after adventure 5, Auryn was looking for every little clue she could find to confirm that they were meant to be partners.)We agree that some dash of destiny wouldn't be too bad, but that we'd still do everything we can to prevent this disastrous future we saw in the visions from happening.We also talk a bit about Sentosa and Carlyle says that this city, beautiful as it may be, still has a lot of shadows, more than he originally anticipated. This could very much include Matriarch Athryalla whom even he finds hard to read, especially when it comes to her past relationship with Kasvarina. Auryn returns that she doesn't find it too odd that a woman of 500 years would have her secrets and know how to hide them. After all, he wouldn't be too different for a person who hardly knows him. She hopes to foster a good relationship with the Matriarch so that both her family and the connection between Risur and Elfaivar may prosper.“You really are becoming a politician. I wouldn't have though you'd be able to brush away your feelings about the Ananta Paudha that easily.”, he replies.Auryn sighs quietly. “I know. I am a bit surprised as well. Maybe because we have different priorities now. But I will ask her diplomatically about this institution if I get the chance.”Then, we return the subject to the silver crown of Reida and the myriad of possible ways to use the artifact. Carlyle is a bit worried about the temptation it carries for him, as this artifact would be the greatest treasure for every Deva who tries to reconnect with his past lives. And as someone who died recently and had a lifetime of five centuries before that, this does feel tempting. But he'd also call it presumptuous to not allow himself to be a wholly different person in the next life.“I wouldn't call it that. Not when you are involved. Your past self kept a large collection of notes about his life, and you have been eager to understand them, so this 'you' should be able to use the Arc without betraying who he is.”, Auryn says.She adds that she would encourage him to use the Arc if he feels like it was the right choice. Also, she is very much certain that there are key characteristics that every incarnation of a deva would carry within them, even though the environment clearly leaves its mark on the new person.“You're right. I might try it. But only if we have the time. And only if we don't risk to mess with Kasvarina's memories.”We then move to the inn to rest for the night. The next day, we meet with Talios and Betronga and accompany them to the Seat of the Matriarchs. First, we introduce the two as representatives of their clan and mention that Talios would be a distant relative of the Matriarch. Athryalla is surprised to hear that, but she seems to welcome the opportunity to get to know more about this branch of her family. It becomes very apparent that the Bagheva and the denizens of Sentosa, especially their respective leaders differ a lot in terms of manners and character. Still they quickly agree that King Vardanis and the Crisillyiri colonists would be a potential threat to both their territories. Both sides seem to be open on a future cooperation and offer mutual support. The Matriarch is also surprised to hear that we managed to drive off the Clergy soldiers without bloodshed.We then present the Arc of Reida and ask Matriarch Athryalla to honor her side of our agreement as we wish to give the artifact to Kasvarina. The Matriarch agrees to this as well, even though we get the impression that she is a bit nervous about that.To our surprise, she'd like to talk more about making contact with Risur, and especially the monarch we mentioned. The Matriarch mentions the Ranamandala of old and that she knows from the times long gone that not all Kings are wicked monsters like Vardanis. Yes, she once tried the diplomatic path and failed, but this time, it might be different. Of course this is like water on Auryn's mill and she tells Athryalla about Kellandia and the progress her grandmother Kaealys and governor Roderick have made over the years. She explains that what once was a colony had become a place where Eladrin and Risuri could work in harmony and where technology was only used to protect. She adds that maybe other colonies might turn to a similar model in time, especially those founded by Berans. The others might need more political pressure though. But an ally like Risur might just turn out to be a powerful enough signal to make other nations stop founding new colonies on Eladrin lands.Should this path of equal coexistence prove to be stable and steady, Auryn says, then maybe Elfaivar could just secure its future for the centuries to come. Athryalla seems a bit more cautious as she burned her fingers before with the Crisillyiri, but she understands where Auryn's optimism is coming from.Before they part ways, Auryn then finally and carefully asks Athryalla about the Ananta Paudha, as this institution would be unthinkable in her home enclave.“I understand your aversion and your troubles, my dear. But back then, we were so few Eladrin. We needed children and this way worked well. Our men have long learned to respect the tradition, and they would not dare make demands. And look at where we're now... almost back where we've been. At least as long as we stay inside Sentosa.”Auryn nods silently as she sees that Sentosa is doing well despite what seem to be flaws in her eyes. She thanks Athryalla for her honesty and then we leave the pyramid to return to Kasvarina and Asrabey.When we finally arrive at Kasvarina's house after the audience, we spot a very impatient Dreadnought walking up and down like a tiger in a cage. He seems very pleased when we inform him about our successful mission with the Arc.“Honestly, I didn't expect less of you.” Asrabey says, finally at peace now. “If I'd ever had a daughter... no, you are very much like the daughter I've never had and will never have.” he adds and pats Auryn on the shoulder with a smile both proud and... almost mournful.We all bring the good news to Kasvarina who is very eager to try out the Arc of Reida the moment we unpack the artifact. We urge her to play it easy before getting into the unknown head over heels, but she quickly places the crown on her head. She immediately feels drawn towards someplace else in Sentosa and we all follow her straight through the enclave.Kasvarina's path leads her straight to what must have once been an inn which is now inhabited by an Eladrin family. Kasvarina seems to be in trance as she enters the place and we do our best to calm the family down and explain the situation to them. Around Kas, the room seems to shift just like in our visions in the Sanctum of Ingatan, turning it more opulent. We are pretty curious to find out where this vision may lead us, but Asrabey appears to know exactly what this is all about. And he doesn't like it at all.“Oh no. I know tha-” he says and falls silent as if the trance is getting him as well. Then the Arc recreates Kasvarina's memory. Asrabey appears to be younger while Kasvarina stays very much the same at first glance. Then she turns to her husband and expresses her frustration about her unfruitful talks with Matriarch Athryalla. She states that the Crisillyiri will never learn and that any kind of negotiation with them will be futile, if not fatal. Then Kasvarina talks briefly about her own enclave, Ushanti, disrobes and dons her nightgown as she is about to go to sleep. She casually tells Asrabey that she'll send him to the Unseen Court and that she's unsure whether they will see each other again. Asrabey appears to be taken aback for a moment, but then regains his posture. He says he understands and will heed his Matriarch's command, but asks her to lie with him one last time.Carlyle, of course, feels very much uncomfortable in this private situation (especially as he doesn't know what might happen next), but he doesn't say a word to not disrupt the memory. To his relief and Asrabey's dismay, she rejects him though as she has different issues on her mind and will visit her daughters' graves in Resal tomorrow.The vision ends abruptly and the room turns back to normal. Asrabey, however, turns around and leaves the house without saying a single word.“Asrabey, wait!” Auryn shouts and runs after him. But the moment he steps outside, Asrabey draws his Dream Staff, opens a semi-stable portal to the Dreaming and vanishes in a burst of flame. Carlyle stays with Kasvarina and helps her recover from this rush of emotions and memories. She regains her mental control and when Auryn returns, she looks utterly sad and heartbroken.“I... don't understand. Once she felt something for him. She still did somehow. But in this moment, when she turned from him, her heart was cold as ice. Is this... was this really me? How could I have been so cruel?”We both take her hands and do not leave Kasvarina's side until the immediate rush wears off. When she finally says that she's fine for now, Auryn offers to send a message to Asrabey as he only knows half the truth and will be just as heartbroken as Kasvarina, with the difference that he's all alone. But Carlyle closes his eyes and quickly shakes his head.“Leave him for now. He needs his time alone. Right now, he won't understand a single word you say anyway. Contact him in a few days and he'll be ready to listen. Believe me, I've been there before.”(Poor Asrabey. He's really getting the short end of the stick here. All in all you could say that he is very much like a character in a Shakespearean tragedy. Also, his continued loyalty to Kasvarina is so much more impressive once you get to know that they once parted like this. Carlyle still doesn't like him as he's too unstable for his taste, but he's starting to feel for him. Auryn however holds him very dear which will obviously lead to much drama in the upcoming adventures.)</blockquote>

Verification