Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 371124" data-attributes="member: 143">Book VI, Part 4Dana Ilgarten walked barefoot through the field, the soft, wet grass feeling cool against her feet as she made her way up toward the rise at the far edge of the meadow.  To her right rose the ancient trunks of the Misty Forest, while to her left she could just make out the silvery line of the Delimbiyr River in the moonlight.  The glow of the rising moon limned her face it a nimbus of soft light, and she sighed as she tried to let her troubles go and enjoy the beauty of the night in this place of natural wonder.  It was a difficult effort, given all of the dark thoughts that had dogged her steps in recent months.Once she had reached the top of the rise, where the meadow gave way to a copse of trees, she paused and looked back over the valley behind her.  In the moonlight the surrounding terrain took on almost a surreal glow, as if the landscape were a painting that a gifted artist had laid out on a canvas rather than a real place.  In that direction, down the length of the river, stood the town of Daggerford, although she was too far away to make out the collection of comfortable stone houses around the bend in the river.  Thinking of the town brought to mind thoughts of Benzan, and her eyes limned with tears as she stood there, hesitating.  For the last few months she’d traveled widely, speaking to high-ranking clerics not only of her own religion, but followers of Silvanus, Oghma, and Lathander.  For a time she’d even considered traveling far to the south, to visit Cadderly, the Chosen of Deneir, at his Spirit Soaring cathedral.  She hadn’t found many of the answers she was seeking; if anything, more questions filled her mind now than when she had begun.  She’d fought battles and faced trials, and bore a few new scars that had not been fully healed by her divine magic.  Selûne was with her, and her strength as a cleric continued to grow, but as the days continued to pass she felt increasingly alone.  The logical part of her mind told her that she only had herself to blame, that she’d pushed away everyone who cared for her, but when she closed her eyes she still saw his ruined body, still felt the terror she’d felt when they’d defeated the demon only to see Delem’s soul drain away into the Abyss with its going.  Dana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it drain out of her along with her doubts.  Tonight, she would find some answers.  Determination replaced grief on her face as she turned and strode resolutely into the wood.  The clearing wasn’t far, perhaps a few hundred yards from the edge of the wood.  Even before she reached it, she could feel the faint tingle of power in the air, like a caress on her skin.  She was clad only in a soft robe of flowing cotton from Calimshan, her other equipment left behind in the encampment that she’d been sharing with several of the other pilgrims who had gathered here in this sacred place to greet the coming of the full moon.  She’d wanted to come here on her own, however, seeking the solitude of the night to clear her thoughts and gather the purity of purpose that she would need, and the others had of course respected her wishes.  She reached the edge of the clearing.  Most of the others were there, women both young and old, some dressed like her in simple robes, others clad in battle armor with their maces ready in their hands.  Several of the warders spotted her and nodded in greeting before returning to their vigilant search, their role here one of protection and defense of the ritual that was most sacred to the followers of Selûne.  Dana passed through the ring of warders and approached the altar that occupied the center of the clearing.  Created from a single piece of white rock through the power of divine magic, it now formed the shape of a crescent moon.  The moonlight seemed to focus on the altar, until it glowed as though it itself was hanging up in the sky, rather than being bound to earth in a quiet wood.  The supplicants gathered around the stone, some of them laying objects upon the grass near its base.  Two approached carrying silver pitchers, and stood flanking the altar, waiting.  Jerym Galorwin approached from the far side of the altar, her long hair glowing silver in the moonlight, her aged face appearing young again in the soft glow.  She and Dana had spoken several times in the past weeks, and the young mystic wanderer had come to rely upon the older woman’s wisdom. “What exactly is it that you are seeking, sister?” she had asked. “I need to give my friend’s soul peace,” Dana had replied.  “The thought of him existing in torment in the Abyss...”“And what of your friends?  Do they not share your suffering?”“Yes, of course they do.  It’s just... I cannot...”“I cannot give you easy answers, Dana.  But I can tell you that you will never be able to help your friend, as long as your own soul is not at ease.  If you allow the darkness to claim you, then it is two souls that the demon has managed to enslave...”Dana knew that the words were true, but she could not let go that easily.  Even here, in this place of peace, dark emotions roiled within her, only just beneath the surface of her conscious mind.  Only just under control.  Jerym stepped up to the altar, he arms outstretched as if to encompass all those gathered.  Several of the women gathered began to sing, a soft, haunting melody without words that filled the clearing and seemed to resonate against the vast open sky above them.“Mother Goddess, we come to greet you in the fullness of your coming.  We ask that you share your blessing with we your servants, that we might bring the power of your light to the world that you brighten with your glow.”The two flagon bearers came forward with their burdens, and as the song continued its intricate weaving they poured their contents upon the stone.  Wine and milk, together symbolizing the flow of life, and the natural flows of a woman’s body in harmony with the cycles of the moon.  When the goddess shared her blessing upon the ritual, the mixed fluids would be transformed into moonfire, and become infused with magical power.  Dana did not see whether the blessing was granted this night.  Even as the two women came forward to bless the altar, she was becoming lost in the song, falling into the warm embrace of Selûne’s power.  Her gaze turned inward, not outward, and she felt her call echo out into the vastness above her.  For a moment, there was only darkness around her, then a voice filled her mind.Ask your questions, daughter.Dana had prepared for this, although it was still startling to feel the actual communing with the goddess.  She knew that she could ask nine questions, and had thought long and hard about what those would be.She formed each question in her mind.  Is Delem’s soul trapped in the Abyss?Yes.Dana’s heart leapt, and she nearly fell out of the link, but she refocused her thoughts with a discipline born of learning and experience.  Does the ghour demon that we battled still have him?No.Her inquiries thus far had given her at least a few scattered bits of information about demons and the Abyss, so she knew of a few more follow-up questions that she could ask. Has his soul been traded to another power? Yes.Is this power a demon prince?Yes.Dana’s heart skipped a beat, and only reflexive self-control kept her focused on her task.  Has Delem soul been restored to corporeal form?Yes.Is he still... intact as a sentient entity?Yes.Can the plane shift spell be used to travel to where he is being imprisoned?Yes. It wasn’t as simple as that, she knew, even setting aside for the moment the demons that filled the Abyss like vermin infesting a rotting corpse.  From her conversations with the various high-ranking clerics she knew that traveling the planes was a difficult proposition, and required both detailed knowledge and specific foci that this commune could not provide.  Dana paused briefly before asking her next question.  The purpose of this commune was to find out about Delem, but she could not pass up this chance to find out about her other friends. Are Benzan, Cal, and Lok alive and well?Yes. Relief. Dana took a deep breath, and asked her final question.  It sort of pushed the boundaries of the “rules,” in that it asked for an opinion rather than fact, but she desperately needed some sort of guidance to aid her.Should my companions and I plane shift to the Abyss, and try to get Delem back?There was a long pause, and at first Dana thought that the link had broken, her question unanswered.  Then, finally she felt a soft touch in the back of her mind, almost a whisper.You will not have to.Dana’s mind whirled in confusion, but before she could ponder the significance of that reply, she felt her connection to the goddess dissolving.  As the link faded, Dana fell back into the darkness, which enveloped her like a womb.</blockquote>

Verification