Broken+Destiny+Session+75

**Session 75** **7-25-2015** **Mielikki and Mask - Gods Stepping In / Posy's Family - a Link to the Myth Taryn Mythal and The Black Mark**

 Having hurriedly returned to Lyrabar, leaving the Echo party behind with the unicorn prince and the woodland animals... the group took refuge and rested, healing their wounds. Coming into the embassy, Annaisaru gave a message to Azarius from Amara saying that she had information for him and wanted to see him right away.

She turned to Posy, "Two gnomes stopped into the embassy looking for you. They said that their names were Aware and Kattri, the Garishthimbles... and they were looking for their long lost niece. They had heard that she had been hanging out with elves. They tried in Myth Coramanth, and spoke to the queen... learning that a gnome traveled in the company of Erevin... so they came here to Lyrabar to search for you." "Are they still here?" Posy inquired. "They are not here in the embassy, but they said they would be staying at The Broken Cog, a local gnome inn," Anna nodded to her.

Annaisuru handed a letter to Shri next. The drow priestess glanced at it curiously and tucked it away in a pocket. Erevin raised a brow toward her, "Whom did you get a letter from?" "It looks like my sister," Shri nodded to him. "Things are okay at home, I trust?" he inquired further. "I haven't read it yet," she shrugged. The young witch nudged her, "Well what are you waiting for? Read it!" "It could be private!" Shri blinked at her. Wren smiled and leaned closer to her, "Then don't read it out loud." She winked at her. "Fine..." the black-skinned priestess sighed, opening the letter and reading it quietly to herself. The young drow tilted her head, creasing her brow with concern as she read her letter... eventually folding it up and placing it into her pocket. "Is everything alright?" Erevin prodded her. "I... don't know," Shri looked a little confused and pulled the letter back out, glancing at it again and then handed it to the blonde elven ranger beside her. Erevin looked over the letter, reading it. It seemed simple enough, mentioning the moon dance and her disappointment that Shri would not be able to attend the tradition... but oddly, it mentioned their younger sister who had died. Shri shook her head, "It seems like everything is well... but it's not how my sister usually writes. It's her handwriting to be sure, but the turn of phrase she uses here and here," she pointed to the letter, "She never uses those words." Erevin frowned, "And what of your younger sister?" Shri's brow creased as she nodded, "That's odd too. Queelest took her death the hardest, being the oldest... she felt she was responsible for looking out for us. She's never mentioned her before in a letter... she rarely even speaks of her as it is very painful." Erevin frowned and nodded to her, "Alright."

Parula, the tall, blonde, elven witch joined them in the room and hugged onto Wren. "Parula! It's good to see you about. How are you feeling?" Wren hugged her warmly.  The elven woman looked healthier, and smiled with a soft glow, "Lady Lionspaw has been treating me very well. I'm feeling much better." "I'm so glad to see it," Wren nodded, "Do you think that you're ready to go home?" The blonde witch paused for a moment and shook her head, "I'm still a bit weak, and probably should remain here for a while longer." Wren nodded, "Have you taken a new familiar?" "Not yet," Parula shook her head. "You should probably look into that," Wren spoke gently, "Even if it's a temporary one." "I've been spending lots of time recovering," Parula nodded. Anna interjected with a smile, "And being visited by a young nobleman..." "Ohhh," Wren nodded knowingly and laughed softly, "Someone has taken your fancy, has he?" The fair-skinned elven woman blushed, "The brave Mr. Jerrandis." "That's fantastic," Wren laughed softly, nodding, "Of all the witch hunters I've ever met in my life... he is certainly still my favorite." "Witch hunter is such a prejudicial word," Parula shook her head. Wren laughed. "I mean it's only the bad witches... he came to rescue //me//... dashing... and gallant," Parula's voice drifted into a dreamy state. Wren grinned and nodded, "Have you told him you're a witch?" "I haven't told him... he hasn't mentioned anything about it..." She stuttered a moment, "but it could be weeks or months and months for me to recover." Wren laughed again, and then nodded, "Well be sure to take your time... We all want you to be healthy. Make sure that you are ready... before you return to the coven... if and when you choose to do so." She nodded, excusing herself from interrupting the group's discussions, and scurried off.

Thorn joined Posy to head to the Broken Cog Inn. It was cool and drops of rain sprinkled into the canals. The gondolas had small awnings put up to protect the travelers from the weather. A rusted cog hung on the doorway of the local inn. Much like the Unexpected Monkey, the doors and windows were smaller than normal human size... gnome sized. The walls were stone, gilded with metal. Stepping in, the gnome and halfling found it strange, but comfortable and cozy. Blue orbs of light in metal boxes illuminated the room with arcs of electricity. The bar was polished brass, and everything had sort of a gadgeteer look to it. A gnome innkeeper with a fat pot-belly welcomed them in, "Good morning to you both. Can I interest you lovely couple in a room?" Posy and Thorn blinked at one another, stumbling over the accusation. "We don't..." Posy shook her head quickly. "We're just," Thorn glanced at his barbarian companion and back to the innkeeper, "Friends. Yeah." He nodded once for good measure. "Ahhh if I only had a copper for every time I heard that one," the innkeeper nodded jovially, "Then how can I help you?" "I'm looking for some fellow gnomes," Posy nodded to him, showing him her letter. "Ahh the Garishthimbles," the innkeeper nodded, "And you are Posy?" The blue-eyed and blonde gnome barbarian nodded, "Yes." "They said that if you came by that you were to go on up to room 103 right away," he nodded, handing her a key, and pressed a button on the wall that had the number 103 written on it, "They've been notified that you're on your way." "Well thank you," Posy nodded, accepting the key. "Should I wait here?" Thorn looked at her inquisitively. "Sure, I'll be fine," Posy nodded to him, shrugging, "I'm in an inn... what could happen?" Thorn shrugged, "If you're sure." "I'm Posy," she nodded confidently and headed up the stairs alone. Thorn sat down at the bar.

The gnome barbarian peered down the hall at the top of the stairs where the door to room 103 stood partially open. A hamhock flew down the hall with a rope attached to it, dropping to the floor halfway down the hall. Posy raised an eyebrow and continued toward the room, eyeing the meat with mild curiosity. Just what exactly was that about? As she moved closer, the ham retracted faster ahead of her... as though bait to draw her in. Posy continued up to the door, suspicious. The door was halfway open, and she could see the ham, along with some venison and beef, was in the center of the room... and a metal cage hung suspended from the ceiling. The back half of the room had been curtained off, and some quick whispers came from behind it.

Posy leaned her head partially into the door, "Um... hello? ...I'm looking for the Garishthimbles?" More excited whispers came from behind the rustling curtain, "She can talk!" "Hellooo?" Posy looked around the room, still not stepping inside. The curtain was pulled back as two gnomes stepped out. The same two she had seen in Myth Coramanth. The female had blue hair shaped into a castle and the male had green hair shaped into a tower. Aware, the female, stepped forward while Kattri stayed behind her, holding tightly to a long rope. The blue haired woman, nodded and spoke extra slowly to the blonde barbarian," Are... you... Posy? ...Posy?" Posy nodded to her, looking them over skeptically. Aware gasped excitedly, beaming over at the green-haired gnome before turning back to her niece and speaking slowly, "You can... understand... us?" Posy nodded again. "//We//," the blue-haired gnome gestured to herself and her male companion, "were looking for //you//." She gestured toward Posy. The barbarian gnome nodded again, still looking them over strangely.

Aware turned back to Kattri, shaking her head sadly, "Jerome probably didn't teach her very many words." Posy's uncle appeared next to her, yelling unheard and unseen, except by his niece... shaking his fist toward her aunt, "I did too, you pompous windbag!" "What are you doing?" Posy finally asked, looking them over with skepticism and accusation. "We were looking for you," Aware nodded, "We'd heard that you were adventuring? ...the last we had heard, Uncle Jerome kidnapped you and raised you among the wild creatures of the forest." "What?" Posy blinked incredulously at the gnome pair, "I was left on Uncle Jerome's doorstep." Her ghostly uncle nodded beside her, "Yeah!" "Left on his doorstep? That can't be! Your parents were //good// people! They would never leave you with a crazy old gnome like that!" "I'm not crazy!" Jerome retorted, "I was an adventurer!" "He was an... adventurer," Aware nodded, speaking the last word as though it was some tragic disease. "What's wrong with being an adventurer?" Posy raised an eyebrow. "Well you sleep on the ground all the time... attack things that are much bigger than you... things that breathe fire!" Aware shook her head. "And it's fun," Posy nodded and grinned. Her blue-haired aunt gasped, stepping forward to place a gentle pat on Posy's arm. The young barbarian stepped back away from her. Aware held her hand out, inviting her niece closer as though she was a skittish animal to be coaxed in.

Thorn sat comfortably at the bar and ordered a drink. The innkeeper pressed some buttons on the ale-o-matic, "It usually gets it right," he nodded and slid the mug in front of the halfling rogue. "I'll try it," Thorn nodded, sweeping up the mug and taking a gulp. The ale had an interesting cinnamon flavor to it. He nodded his approval, taking another swig.

"We're not going to hurt you, Posy," Aware spoke gently, "We were looking for you because the rest of your family is worried about you." "I don't know why they would be worried," Posy shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, "They knew all along where I was." "No..." Aware shook her head, "Your mother and father were murdered, and you disappeared." "They were murdered?" Posy blinked surprise at her strangely dressed aunt, "I never knew what happened to them..." "Well that's not surprising since Jerome kidnapped you," the blue-haired older woman nodded. Jerome shouted from beside his niece, "She was left on my doorstep!" "He did no such thing!" Posy defended him, shaking her head. "Would you like something to eat?" Aware gestured across the room, "There's some ham over there." The barbarian gnome glanced over at the raw ham shank on the floor surrounded by other meats and shook her head, "No thank you... I just had breakfast." "Uncle Jerome died a few years ago, and that's when I went adventuring," Posy continued on. "Oh... that must have been very hard for you," Aware and Kattri looked her over sadly. Posy nodded. Finally realizing that the barbarian woman was more civilized than they ever expected, they nodded to her, "Would you like to go downstairs and get a drink? We can talk more there." "Sure," Posy nodded, "Just don't try to bait me with the ham anymore." "We didn't know what to expect," Aware shook her head, "We'd only heard that you had been raised out in the forest... so we thought you might be more like a forest animal or something." "Only when I rage," Posy shrugged, stepping out of the room into the hall. Aware blinked, "Wh-what do you mean rage? You get angry?" Kattri patted her, "You know, dear, when you get three cubes of sugar in your tea instead of two... it makes you angry." Aware nodded to him, "Oh... right." "Something like that," Posy nodded.

As the trio walked down the hall, the cage fell with a clunk to the floor in the room now behind them. Thorn glanced up toward the ceiling at the thumping sound, dust fluttering from above him. Sounds like they went and pissed Posy off, he thought to himself as he took another gulp of the strange cinnamon ale, She'll be down any minute now. He listened for shouting or crashes, but nothing came. He nodded, satisfied that she was likely fine. He glanced around the room to realize he was the only patron in the room. A few minutes later he seen Posy come down the stairs, unscathed and accompanied by two older gnomes. He wondered for a moment if they'd used some sort of hair-o-matic to get their hair styled into those crazy shapes.

Posy sat down with the Garishthimbles, telling them she was staying at the Unexpected Monkey down the way. "So tell us all about you!" Kattri nodded to her, "Do you live out in the woods still?" "Not right now... I'm in between houses currently and adventures," Posy shrugged. "We heard you've been travelling with an elf," Aware looked at her with curiosity. "A couple of them," Posy nodded. "What's that like?" Aware asked, "They are tall... and pretty." Posy nodded her agreement. "So what sort of adventures have you had with your elven friends?" Aware inquired further. She told them tales of a flying ship and strange worlds. "You've done all of THAT?!" the two gnomes asked, surprised. "Yeah," Posy nodded and waved over Thorn who was sitting at the bar, "And this is another one of my companions." "Nice to meet you, Mr?" Aware tilted her head at the approaching halfling. "Thorn," Posy nodded. "Mr. Thorn," Aware greeted him, and nodded, "And how long have you known our niece?" "Wait..." Posy looked over at them, confused, "I'm your niece?" "Of course you were probably too young to remember your aunty and uncle..." Aware sighed. "You have a family?" Thorn blinked at her, "And they walk on two legs? ...I thought your family would walk on four legs like animals do." "That's what we thought too!" Aware and Kattri nodded to him. Posy gave Thorn a nudge of her elbow, stumbling him backward from the blow. "That's no way to treat your boyfriend," Aware shook her head at Posy. "He is not my..." Posy shook her head quickly, interrupted by the halfling beside her. Thorn righted himself, an arm still around his chest in pain, "No, no, no..." he shook his head and turned to Posy with accusation, "What did you tell them?!" "Not a single thing!" she shook her head, "My boyfriend is in another inn. You'll meet him later." "We look forward to meeting the nice gnomish gentleman," the two gnomes nodded together. "He isn't a gnome," Posy shook her head. Thorn took a big gulp from his mug, trying to hide the smirk on his face.

The two gnomes went on to tell Posy and Thorn that her parents had been great spellcasters, illusionists... and they had been delving into a great mystery in Lantun, our homeland. Thorn blinked at his barbarian companion, imagining two great spellcasters as her parents, "How did they end up with //you//?" "Shush, you," Posy nudged him. "Some said there was an old elven ruin, a city lost long ago to the mists of time. They claimed to have pierced the veil of the illusion into the city... They were quite the heroes of the family and the community. We had had a good relationship with those elves before they disappeared. It was our history that they were unburying. It created quite the stir! They had claimed that they had found a way into the ruins and made several great discoveries, not even going into the city yet... and they were going to present them to the collegium. It was going to be a grand event. A festival was being thrown in their honor. Not only had they discovered this great lost city, but it was going to be your first birthday as well! When the day of the celebration came... your parents were found brutally murdered and you were gone," Aware told her, "We of course talked to all of your parents' enemies... not that we really had enemies. We're gnomes... we don't really have enemies... maybe the occasional disagreement... but nothing came of it. The only clue we had we found burned into your mother's body..." Aware drew a sketch of a brand... a Black Mark that Posy recognized from the thieves guild that had been on the docks. Posy showed the sketch to Thorn, "Don't //you// know what this is?!" Thorn cleared his throat and stood up, "If you fine folks would excuse me... nature calls." Posy grabbed ahold of his cloak, dragging him closer to her as she muttered to him, "I'll check with you later!" "Oh, certainly, certainly," Thorn nodded, backing up as she released him, "I'll be right back... you three have some catching up to do anyway. Seems like it's been a long time." The halfling rogue stepped in through the door of the restroom nearby.

"So the investigation didn't turn up anything else?" Posy turned back to her relatives. Aware shook her head, "Unfortunately whoever killed her used some sort of divination magic to block the discerning of her killer. Using truth spells on those your parents knew turned up nothing." "And what happened with the celebration?" Posy tilted her head, "Who was supposed to throw it?" "The city council was throwing the celebration," Aware nodded, "Your parents never had the chance to reveal their findings." "Had they revealed what they had found to anyone else?" Posy asked. "No, they were pretty secretive about it," Kattri shook his head. "I'll look into this symbol that was left on my mother's body," Posy nodded. "Oh, alright," Aware nodded, "We'll be here for some time yet. We should get together later." Posy nodded to her, "Of course." "Is your friend alright? He's been in the bathroom for some time now..." Aware glanced toward the door, "They do have quite the suction. You might want to check on him." Posy nodded, and stood up, "I'll do that." "We'd love to hear more about your adventures. We're so glad you're okay, and we're sorry to hear about Uncle Jerome," the two gnomes nodded to her, not looking very grief stricken. Posy nodded, and headed off to the restrooms.

Thorn stuck one of his daggers to the wall in the bathroom. He turned invisible, slipping out of the bathroom cautiously. He made his way up to room 103, seeing a 5x5x5 big iron cage sitting in the middle of the floor near a ham shank. Thorn looked over the cage curiously, wondering if they had thought to trap Posy. He laughed, and continued to search the room for any secret doors or information regarding the two gnomes. It became obvious that the gnomes weren't actually staying in this room, and he could find nothing really about them. Disappointedly giving up, he teleported back to his dagger and flushed the toilet, backing up with wide eyes as the violent suction drew down the water through the pipes. He washed his hands and exited the restroom to see Posy coming up to the door, looking ready to leave. He nodded to her in greeting, telling her about his trip up to the inn room. She nodded, and inquired further, "How did you come to know about the Black Mark?" "I used to be with them," Thorn nodded to her. "Oh," she nodded, "Did you kill people?" "Maybe..." he looked at her a skeptically. She asked him if there was any chance that he had been the one to kill her mother, and he shook his head, "No, no way I was involved in that... I'm around the same age as you... I would have been an infant then."

With Thorn elsewhere in the city, Azarius had gone back to the Vastel estate alone to see his sister. Amara was sitting at a table loaded with books and papers, but stood up to throw her arms around him in greeting as he came in the room. "Big brother!" she cheered to see him again. He returned her hug, greeting her warmly, "What news have you?" "I had spoken to Trieste who mentioned some of the things you were doing," she nodded to him, "So I wrote to our parents about the city they had found years ago under the sea. Trieste had mentioned finding that city might be important. They sent me their charts and notes about the city. They were admittedly curious as to why I wanted to know such a thing since all of the treasure has already been removed, but Father sent me the information on it anyway... so I've been doing some research in the Vastel library here, and borrowing books from the arcane university. I think I have a pretty good idea on where and what it was." She gestured to the table where she had all sorts of pins put into a chart. She opened a narrow book with a strange flowing language that seemed difficult to look at, "This describes a city known as Carcosa, an ancient city of... perhaps sahuagin ? It looks like they had several cults that worshiped this tentacle god." Azarius frowned, "There's a lot of that going around." "Well there was some sort of calamity, and a lot of the inhabitants fled to the deeper water of the sea, leaving their treasure behind... which must be what Mother and Father found," the well-endowed young blonde woman nodded, "As far as I can tell it's been abandoned... and according to all of the charts, it's somewhere right in this area." She gestured to her pinned map. It looked to be in an area where the ocean floor was about 200 feet deep. She smiled up at him, looking up at him for his approval, "I hope that this has been helpful?" "Oh yes, yes. Very helpful. Excellent work," Azarius nodded to her. The servants brought them in a delicious lunch to the table where Trieste joined them, giving Azarius more of a status report of while he has been away. A few letters from his parents had come in, wondering why he hadn't written. "I've done my best to sugar coat it, telling them how busy you've been whining and dining the local nobles," she nodded to him, "but you may want to write to them." "Excellent!" He nodded to her, "Thank you."

Mali took Ursus, returning to the druid park to follow up with Rayum. Black Fang and Melleron happily played in the wide open park despite the rain. The smell of wet cat and wet bear wafted around them. Rayum arrived in eagle form, transforming as she landed next to them, "I had heard that you returned. I trust everything went well since you're not dead?" Mali nodded, "It was a long and arduous journey, but in the end we succeeded." "Well please come and sit. Have some tea," Rayum led them along. Mali interrupted, brightening, "Ooo tea! Is it welcoming tea? Is Wren here?" "I'm afraid it's not quite the special Wren tea," the elder druidess shook her head. "Oh," Mali nodded, "Well that's okay." She sat down to drink the tea, and weave the tale of the unicorn prince, the red fungus forest, and the trip under the sea to defeat the Red Lord. As they sat in the greenhouse, rain sprinkling against the glass, Mali caught movement in the corner of her eye when she mentioned the unicorn prince. Another unicorn, this one even more beautiful and graceful than the prince... almost unearthly... a female. Mali stared, watching it walk along. Rayum followed her gaze, "Oh, those rose bushes are lovely this time of year." "Oh," Mali nodded, noticing the rose bushes for the first time, "Yes, those are nice too." "I'm afraid I don't understand," Rayum shook her head, "What do you mean too?" "She's beautiful. Even moreso than Leitha Sul... almost transcendent," Mali nodded, still looking off toward the bushes. "Who is?" Rayum turned to look again. "The unicorn, woman," Mali pointed toward the rose bushes as though it should have been blatantly obvious, "Right there... by the roses." As she looked again, the unicorn had vanished. Rayum raised an eyebrow at her. Mali shook her head, "It was right there..." Rayum looked into their mugs, "I swear this isn't welcoming tea..." Mali frowned, "Maybe I need to eat a sausage." She pulled a handy snack from her haversack.

Rayum nodded to her, "I'm happy to see you safely returned. I trust all of your companions are well?" "Yes," Mali nodded back to her cheerfully, "Nobody died!" "That's wonderful! I'm sure Mr. Dominic and Mr. Bishop will be happy to hear that their potions worked so well," Rayum smiled. "It worked fantastic! We'll have to tell them," Mali nodded. Rayum asked more details about the grove and assured the halfling druidess that some of her circle would continue to check and be sure that no fungus returned. Mali nodded appreciatively, "I don't think you'll find any, but it will be good to check. Be sure to pack a lunch. I'm sure it'll be nice there to stay... for lunch... or noonsies... or afternoonsies... or predinner." "I'll make sure any other halfling druids are well prepared and take a basket," Lady Castle laughed softly, "Please make yourselves comfortable and use the park whenever you wish. I have to get back to the other families, but just leave me a message if you need me." "Thank you, I'll be sure to," Mali nodded.

The young red-haired druidess wandered nearer to the rose bushes looking around for any sign of a unicorn, wondering if she was perhaps crazy. Not finding any tracks, she sighed disappointedly, chattering to herself about laying off the welcoming tea... and as she looked back up, the beautiful unicorn was at the other end of the greenhouse, tossing her mane. "Son of a bitch!" Mali blinked, shocked to see it again, but grateful that she hadn't been seeing things to begin with. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and took off toward the unicorn. The beautiful female unicorn bound into the thicket, and Mali shapeshifted into a deer, bounding in after her. The tangle of thicket becoming thicker and thicker the deeper they leapt in. Ursus's voice faded far behind her, "Where are you going?" It occurred to her that this thicket was awfully long and she surely should have reached the end by now... but a few minutes later, she entered into an enchanting forest grove. The sky was beautiful, lit up with a starry night. She looked around to find an idyllic waterfall where a beautiful young woman was leaning down to drink, bringing up handfuls of water to her lips from the clear cascading water. She stood up, wearing a thin gauzy cloak that left her silhouette easy to see even in the dim lighting. She turned to face Mali, her features vaguely caught between elven and human. A long horn came out of her forehead.

Mali peered at her curiously, hailing her. "Miss Maliumpkin," the beautiful woman greeted her warmly. "Yes," the halfling nodded to her, "And you are?" The horned woman paused, peering at her curiously. "Did you forget your own name?" Mali tilted her head, "Are you well?" "I am well..." the woman smiled, shaking her head, "I'm merely surprised that you do not know my name." The red-haired druidess peered up at her, "I was raised in the woods... and I'm not very learned about a lot of things..." The horned woman laughed softly and knelt down to her level, taking the pendant that the druidess wore around her neck in her hand to lift it up and show it to her. Mali tilted her head, "Yeah...?" She peered curiously at the holy symbol she wore with a unicorn head embossed on it. The amulet was for her goddess Mielikki, the Forest Queen... "Ohhhh //that// amulet!" Mali gasped and nodded. "Yes... //that// amulet," Mielikki laughed a bell-like tinkling laugh. "Esme gave that to me... she never really explained much about it," Mali shook her head, brushing her fingers over the image of the blue eyed unicorn head on her pendant," I just thought it was really pretty and sentimental." The beautiful goddess laughed again, "Esme was not one to put names to things... she taught you the way of the forest and the forest creatures... the ways of the woods... and I am the lady of the woods." "Ohhh!" Mali nodded, "That's fantastic for you!" "Some know me as the Goddess in the Woods... some know me as Mielikki," the horned woman nodded to her, explaining. "How do you do, Mielikki?" Mali cheerfully asked. "I am doing very well," the goddess nodded. "I've gotten to meet two unicorns!" Mali nodded to her. "I know," Mielikki nodded again, "They are my children... and I want to thank you for easing the passing of the father and aiding the son, saving his life." Mali sighed heavily, "You had to bring up the father... that was not my finest moment." Mielikki smiled, "You did your best." "My best wasn't good enough," Mali protested. "I am sure that he forgives you," Mielikki smiled and glanced off to the side, "Do you not, Ara Sul?" A noble and handsome elder unicorn stepped out of the wood into the glade, almost unrecognizable from the the last time she saw him ragged with red fungus, but she knew him anyway. She ran up and hugged her arms around him, "Ara Sul!" He wrapped his head around her to embrace her with his neck, "It is good to see you again. I heard what you did for my son, and I can not thank you enough for ending that blight on the wood." Mali stumbled over her words, "Well of course..." she finally let him go and stepped back, "I could do nothing else." Mielikki ran her fingers through Ara Sul's pristine white mane, "Ara Sul serves me now in the Wild Court." "The Wild Court?" Mali blinked and took another look around the glade, "Did I die? ...is it permanent this time?" The beautiful forest goddess laughed, "No, my dearest little Maliumpkin, I've merely brought you to The Glade for a time to thank you. It is not your time... yet. All good things go through the cycle of life." Mali beamed at her, "It was a lovely treat to come here to The Glade, and to see Ara Sul again... and to meet you! You're very nice." Mali nodded at her happily. "Yes..." the beautiful horned woman laughed softly, "My name is Mielikki... should I write it on the amulet?" "Yeah! That'd be the coolest!" Mali beamed, holding up the back of the amulet to her. "A terrible time has come to The Glade... as you know, we in the heavens fight against Ghaundahaur," the Forest Queen continued. Mali nodded, still holding her amulet, "And we fight against his lieutenants." "Yes," Mielikki nodded, "You have 1 left to face... and you must also retrieve the power of the Mindbreaker. For though you slew him, you did not take what you needed from him... and in your absence, the drow did." "Ugh! Cursed Drow!" Mali stomped her foot and then held her amulet back up. The beautiful goddess smiled and signed the back of her amulet. Mali looked it over, pronouncing twice more as she read it, "Mielikki..." She nodded. The horned woman smiled, "When you need my power, you will have it... if you can remember my name." She laughed and winked at her. Mali beamed up at her, nodding, and the Glade started to fade around her... "Oh! Wait Wait!" Mali quickly called out, "You said we didn't get what we needed from the Mindbreaker... What is it that we need?" "You need his brain as you already have the Red Lord's heart," Mielikki nodded. Mali paced around a bit, talking out loud to herself, "How are we supposed to get his brain?" "That's not my problem," the goddess shrugged at her. As if realizing she was still in the presence of the goddess, Mali looked up to the sound of her voice and nodded, "We do have a task at hand then, don't we." The horned woman nodded, "It is in the hands of the drow... perhaps your young prince can do some negotiating." "Oh I know what kind of negotiating he'll have in mind for the drow!" Mali laughed. The Glade faded to dark until Ursus woke her, gently slapping her cheek and calling her name. "You jerk! What did you do that for?!" Mali yelled at him, waking suddenly in his arms and flailing about, "I was communing with Mielikki and I had important questions and you woke me up! This is all your fault!" "Who?!" Ursus blinked at her, "Mielikki? I don't think I've heard you mention that name before..." The two of them walked away from the thicket as the little halfling told him the story.

Erevin gathered Shri and went to Wren, "Would you teleport us to Myth Coramanth?" "Of course," Wren nodded, taking Kale along with them. Telling Annaisuru of their departure, the princess handed him a few letters to deliver to their mother. The four appeared near the entrance of the grand elven city, the maple and oak trees were turning brilliant shades of oranges and yellows. Elven children were playing in the leaves on the ground. Elven guards in their leaf armor snapped to attention, "Lord Erevin, it is good to see you have returned! And Lady Dreamspinner." He nodded to them both, greeting Shri and Kale as well. Wren smiled with a soft curtsy to greet them, "Always a pleasure, gentlemen." "How fares the city," Erevin greeted them with a deep nod of his head. "It is well," the guardsman nodded, "Your mother has been corresponding with Lady Anna in Lyrabar and we have not seen much sign of any drow."

"While we're here, we should check up on my sister," Kale turned to Wren, "It'll be nice to see her without Thorn." Wren laughed and nodded, "I'm sure she'll send cookies or something back to him." "I hear she's a freak," Erevin glanced over to Kale, teasing him. "Those cookies are never making it back to him," he shook his head. Wren laughed again.  "Would you like to go and see your sister?" Erevin turned to the drow priestess next to him. After she nodded, he asked, "Would you like me to attend with you or would you rather go alone?" Shri nodded thoughtfully, "You should come to the temple with me, but I will speak to my sister alone." He nodded and Wren wove a telepathic bond over the four of them.

The two of them headed off to the temple Eilistraee. A beautiful shrine among the trees where the moonlight could shine through, a few elves and drow meandered about. Erevin went to spend time in prayer, giving the priestess time for privacy. An elf in white gossamer robes brought him a glass of crystal clear blessed water from the stream nearby. Shri sought out Queelest. Shri returned to Erevin looking disturbed. "Is everything okay?" Erevin looked her over with concern. "I... I don't think so. The rangers practically raised me..." she looked thoughtful, and continued on, "She was surprised to see me since she had just recently sent that letter off. I know her well enough to know that she is hiding something from me." Erevin frowned and nodded, "Something troubled you about your sister last time we were here as well." The white-haired drow woman nodded to him, "That was when I noticed that something seemed a little strange... when I read the letter, it struck me again. We are very close and rarely hide anything from each other... but she seemed preoccupied when I spoke to her about it back then... blaming it on a man. She's had many lovers, which isn't unusual." Shri shrugged and continued, "When I spoke to her about the letter, she said she hadn't slept well lately and she apologized if the letter seemed off... that she hadn't meant for that to be so. I know that's not the case... but she doesn't seem to want to talk to me about it... and I can't force her to." "No, of course not..." Erevin shook his head, and turned to look at her with concern, "I hate to ask... but we've known people to be possessed... Does it seem something like that?" "Certainly not like those awful masks," Shri shook her head, "That would be easy to tell." Wren shook her head, "That leader of the witches we fought... her coven had no idea she was wearing a mask." Erevin nodded, "That's right." "There could be some kind of illusion... but she wasn't acting deranged like Wren's mother was, for instance... I've known her for a long time, and I don't think she's being controlled. She is a priestess and has indomitable will. ...I mean we live among angels and demons... and gods... so it's possible, but..." "Is there anything you can do?" Erevin questioned. "I could perhaps cast some divinations over her to make sure there is nothing on her," Shri nodded. "Would that help you?" the elven ranger inquired further. "It would help to put my mind at ease," Shri nodded, "I should bring her out to at least greet you anyway." "It would be good to see her... it's been some time," Erevin agreed. Shri returned with her elder sister alongside. Queelest sauntered over, the elder sister but still stunningly beautiful, dressed in white gossamar robes that left little to the imagination. Queelest nodded her greetings, "Lord Erevin, Lady Dreamspinner, It has been a long time." "It is good to see you. How have you been?" Erevin nodded a greeting to her. "I have been well. Things have been quiet here, praise Eilistraee," the voluptuous drow priestess nodded, and then turned to the witch, "You look well and beautiful, Miss Dreamspinner. You are very lucky, Mr. Kale." Wren smiled and nodded her thanks, "Lady Queelest, it's a pleasure to see you again." "You have taken part in the services here," the black-skinned priestess turned back to Erevin. He nodded to her, "I have." Queelest nodded and turned back to Wren, "It's been awhile... certainly your mother will be impressed with the growth in your magic. I didn't mean to startle my sister so with my letter. You didn't have to come all the way here. I apologize for you having to use your magic in such a way." "Nonsense, it was my pleasure to do so. She is your sister," Wren nodded back to her, smiling warmly. "You are family," Erevin agreed, nodding, "It was no trouble. Any worry of Shri's is a worry of mine." Wren pulled her mirrored mask down in place, reflecting the drow priestess on the surface. Nothing seemed amiss when Erevin looked at it as Shri wove some divinations, satisfied to find nothing. "My sister is very lucky," Queelest nodded to him and smiled, "to have such a ... simple woodsman... to look after her." Erevin grinned and nodded. Both Erevin and Wren picked up on a strange nervous undercurrent coming from the elder priestess... there should be nothing for her to be nervous about... and everything else seemed ordinary. The elven prince wondered if perhaps she had seen something that she wasn't supposed to and she was threatened to silence. He frowned, not wanting to put her in more danger by confronting her about it. "How is the connection to Eilistraee? How is the church?" Erevin asked instead. "The connection with Eilistraee has never been stronger, and I suppose I should more formally congratulate my sister," she turned to give a slight bow to Shri, "All of us here received a vision of your ascending. You have brought great honor to the drow by becoming Eilistraee's servant in this world. I always knew you were blessed of the goddess." The other priestesses in the area joined Queelest in a low bow to Shri. "I am pleased that things are going well here for you and for the church... if you have any needs, certainly let us know," Erevin nodded to her. "You give me much honor, my prince," Queelest nodded graciously to him. "You serve The People well," he nodded back, "Whatever I can do to help continue that good service..." he smiled, a flicker in his eyes letting her know that he knew something was amiss, "I would be remiss if I came in to the city and didn't look in on my mother, so if you'll excuse me."

Horitsu was happy to see her son, and made it difficult for him to leave once he was there. Wren and Kale greeted her and left the prince to her bidding while they sought out his sister. Yienshul asked how Thorn was doing, watching the rise she got out of her brother, "Certainly it would be good to see him... I haven't gotten back into the sack with him since." "You can stop talking about him anytime," Kale looked over at her and as her mouth opened to speak, he repeated himself, "Any time." "but... he's just so... memorable," Yienshul mischievously grinned up at him and Wren couldn't help but laugh. The three of them ate a delightful lunch and shared tales of adventures. Eventually Wren and Kale met back up with Erevin and Shri, pulling him from the politics of the court, and teleported back to Lyrabar.

Thorn stopped by Odds and Ends, chiming a bell as we walked through the door. He was greeted by the colorful parrot, "Oh look, the man whore is back!" "Hey you little bastard, how are you doing?" Thorn turned to look at him. "Fine, fucker, now give me a god damn cracker!" the parrot squawked at him. "Do you greet every customer like that?" Thorn asked him calmly with an accusational tone. "Only the ugly ones," the parrot retorted. "That's fine. Love you too," Thorn shrugged it off. "With the short cocks," the parrot continued. "Oh... them's fighting words... why you little," Thorn gritted his teeth, reaching to choke the parrot as Seri arrived in the room, her short red hair tousled in waves. Thorn patted the parrot on the head, "Such a nice bird... such a pretty bird." "I'm a pretty bird," the parrot squawked, preening. Seri flashed him a smile, "It's good to see you again," she nodded to him, laughing softly, "I was a little worried that you'd never stop by." "We were busy..." Thorn shook his head defensively, "I've been out of town for awhile." "So you were just stopping to see //me//?" She raised an eyebrow, "That's very nice." The halfling rogue nodded, "Just thought I'd stop by. That's all." She smiled, pulling a bottle of Dulsaer whine from under the counter, "Care to share a cup of wine with me before you go back out? It's still raining out there... You should at least warm up a little." "Well..." Thorn glanced at the wine and the door and back to her, "I'm not really one to turn down a drink... one that's free... or anything free really... Sure!" Seri flipped the Open sign to Closed, and the parrot squawked loudly, "Brown chicken, brown cow." "Can it, bird," Thorn glared at him, and sat down by the counter with the alluring acrobat. The lithe former pirate relaxed comfortably, pouring them each a glass of wine, "So I would love to hear stories about your adventure... Your cute little girl has stopped in a couple of times looking for you." "She has?" The young rogue smiled in surprise, "Do you happen to know if she's staying out of trouble?" "Well, she didn't bring me anything to fence... so that's probably a good sign," Seri winked at him. "Okay," Thorn nodded, satisfied with that answer. "What about you?" Seri arced an eyebrow over one of her curious brown eyes, "Run across any interesting things lately?" "Let's see... we have a whole bottle of this wine... let me just tell you about my latest adventure," he nodded, settling in, and telling her the full story the Red Lord and his fungus and Ghaundahaur... Seri listened intently, not interrupting his tale until finally she stared at him shaking her head in wonder, "I... don't even know what to say. It sounds amazing! How in the hell do you even get involved in that kind of stuff?! ...that's what you get for traveling around with an elf." She nodded. Thorn laughed and nodded his agreement, "That's what I've heard. It seems to be the gnome's slogan." "Posy hasn't broken you yet? You should watch out for that," the fiery-haired halfling nodded her head. Thorn grinned, "Not yet... she seems to have her hands pretty full at the moment." "Oh? I heard there were some other gnomes in town looking for her," Seri looked at him questioningly. "Yeah," Thorn nodded, "She met up with them... I guess there's some sort of relationship involved... family matters. I didn't really want to get too involved." "I can understand that. Family can be complicated," she nodded, "So are you going to be staying in town for a few days?" "Umm ...I'm not entirely sure," Thorn shook his head and thought for a moment, "We still have a long list of things we have to do... You know... saving the world... it never ends." The acrobatic halfling grinned, "You've got a surprisingly long altruistic streak, Mr Thorn. Not what I would have pegged you for. But you've surprised me." She smiled, admiring him slightly. "I tend to surprise a lot of people," he nodded in agreement with a smile. "Well if you do stay for a few days... come back and see me," She smiled, pausing thoughtfully, "I've got a few other things that I'd like to show you." "You can count on it," he assured her. The parrot squawked from across the room, "You'll never see him again!" "Shush, bird," Seri waved her hand dismissively at the parrot. After their pleasant visit, Seri walked him out, handing him a poncho to protect him from the rain still coming down. He smiled, accepting her offer, and nodded, "Thank you! This will come in very handy."

Walking through the streets, Thorn passed by a dark alley, and a whispered voice came from the shadows, "Psst! Over here... come into the alley." Tilting his head for a brief second, the halfling rogue stepped into the alley to find young Boots in a cloaked hood, dressed stealthy, "Hi, Mr. Thorn!" Intrigued that he hadn't noticed her before she stepped out of the shadows, the fair-skinned halfling nodded approvingly, "Much better. Have you been practicing? ...I wont tell anyone else." He winked at her. "Thank you!" She grinned happily, "...when I have a chance." "Practice makes perfect," Thorn nodded. "They keep me pretty busy," she replied thoughtfully. "Doing what?" he inquired further. "Magic and stuff," the green-haired human girl shrugged. "Well I would hope so," Thorn retorted to her answer, and still interested, pressed further, "Anything particular?" "Mmm... defensive spells... a stranger danger spell... You want to see it?" She smiled, suddenly more excited. The nearly-shaved-bald halfling took a careful step back, and nodded, "Okay." Her hand lit up with a pale blue electricity as she reached toward him. "No, no!" Thorn stepped back further and pointed down the alley, "Use that hobo." "Okay!" She exclaimed, touching her hand to unsuspecting sleeping man on the ground to light him up with a shocking grasp! He woke, screaming and shocked, and tottered much further down the alley before falling over to fall back to sleep in a drunken stupor. Thorn's eyes widened, "That was... effective. I don't need to see it again." He nodded, approvingly and a little shaken. She had almost touched //him// with that spell! Flashed memories of Salem's cast against him previously made him glad he had stepped back. "Oh! I see you made a friend," Boots nodded to him as she faced him again, her adorable smiling face looking up over his shoulder. "I have?" Thorn turned around, his face paling and demeanor going cold as he seen the familiar golden-haired elven rogue, Echo standing behind him. "Really? Even to here, you're following me?" his accusing voice was filled with frustration. "Yes, I'm his friend... You can call me Echo," she ignored the halfling and smiled at the green-haired little girl behind him before turning to smile sweetly at Thorn, "I'm your friend, aren't I?" Thorn glanced at her and back at Boots, catching the threat that was more consuming to him than his own life, and spoke through gritted teeth, "Yes, you're my friend... Echo. We are always kind to each other." "Why don't we go back further into the alley?" Echo smiled innocently, her sweet voice dripping with hidden poison. Thorn didn't move, and tried to speak calmly through his anger, "Because that would be dangerous. Wouldn't it, Boots?"

Boots smiled cheerfully, "Not with Mr. Thorn! He'll protect me." Thorn turned to face Echo directly, his tone serious, "Look. Leave the kid out of it." Echo smiled sweetly, "That's entirely up to you, Mr. Thorn... Now will you come quiet?" All of the sudden the blade of a dagger appeared through her eye, stuck in from behind her head! "HA!" Thorn laughed at the opportune strike that fully caught her off guard and interrupted them. Echo blinked, looking stupefied before falling unconscious to the ground. Thorn seized the moment to grab Boots' hand, pulling her quickly out of the alley into a more public area where hopefully the girl would be safer, "You okay?" Tears were flowing down from her young violet eyes, and she wailed a little hysterical between sobs, "They killed her! ...that woman... she just fell... right there... in the alley!" "Shhh, shhh, but then she disappeared," her patted her soothingly, "That's just the game she likes to play." "Get stabbed by a dagger and then disappear?" She blinked up at him, calmed by the bizarre idea of the game. "Yep!" Thorn nodded confidently, his voice upbeat. "That's a funny game..." she nodded, her voice more normal, "You have some weird friends." "I will not deny that," Thorn shook his head and glanced carefully around the corner down the alley. He could barely make out a shadowy shape toward the back of the alley, and he nodded to the blue-haired little girl, "Why don't you run along, Boots." She nodded up to him, "Okay, but stop by and see us! We made you some cookies. Miss Samira let us borrow the ovens. They turned out pretty well! ...I think." "I will," he nodded to her, assuring her before she ran off down the street.

Thorn crept quietly back into the alley where he seen Knives drop down from the shadows to land in front of him. The young boy moved with grace and finesse, "That was a close call, wasn't it, Mr. Thorn?" "Yes, it was," Thorn nodded to him gratefully, "Thank you." He looked over the kid, curiously... Knives didn't usually speak. The cautious halfling continued with a serious tone, "You remember what that lady looked like? The one you just stabbed in the eye?" "Yes," Knives nodded to him. "That lady and several who look just like her... are after //me//. If you ever see any of them around you or your sisters... do what you just did and get them to safety," Thorn continued. "Strictly speaking... //They// aren't really after you," Knives shrugged. "Well... they're being used," Thorn nodded his agreement and then turned to look surprised at the silver-haired boy, "Wait... what do //you// know?" "I know quite a bit actually," the young boys grey eyes twinkled for a moment, his smirking expression not really his own, "Why don't we step further into the alley where we can talk about it?" Thorn stepped back, looking over the boy with suspicion, and demanded, "Show me your arm." The black-hooded cloaked boy held up his arms innocently. "Are you marked?" the suspicious nearly-bald halfling looked his skin over carefully, but found nothing. Still distrusting of the situation with the young boy acting unlike himself, he peered at him questioningly, "Why do we need to go further back into the alley?" "You look a little strange talking to the shadows in the alley," a sly smile crossed the boy's face. Thorn nodded toward the alley, "Go ahead, let's go." Knives moved ahead of him, completely silent, and the halfling rogue used his ring to fade invisible. The grey-eyed boy glanced back, looking directly at Thorn, "Oh, paranoid." He nodded, "I like that." Whoa... the kid has gotten good! I need to watch out for this one, Thorn thought in his head as he looked surprised back at darkly clad silvery-haired figure in front of him. Knives jumped up deftly to stand on a crate, "You haven't figured it out yet, Mr. Thorn? Your Mr. Knives has left the building..." "Really? ...the kid," Thorn looked at the boy in front of him with accusation. "Well he's an interesting vessel," the silver-haired boy nodded, "and he's very good at what he does." Thorn sighed heavily, "You couldn't find someone else? Anyone else really?" The boy shrugged, "Well you know him... so I figured you trusted him a little bit." "That's low," Thorn glared at him calmly. "Deceit is //my// way," he shrugged. "Any other surprises I should expect while I'm here?" the halfling rogue frowned.

"Life is full of surprises for mortals, isn't it?" the boy smiled. Thorn looked him over, curious... a god? ...Mask? "So... why me? What do you need to know? What do I need to know? What..." Before he could finish, Mask smiled, "I've had my eye on you for a long time, Thorn. You're an exceptional specimen." "Thank you," Thorn nodded, "I'll accept that." "Crafty. Deceitful. Sneaky..." Mask spoke casually. "Please go on," Thorn grinned and nodded. "A true credit to the word... rogue," Mask nodded, "And yet in all of that time... I have not heard you once... offer a prayer of thanks to the Prince of Shadows... the King of Rogues." "Absolutely no offense... but I tend to think of it as it all being part of my //own// skill," Thorn shrugged. "It is," Mask agreed, "There is no doubt about that. You are quite skilled... Still... it would be nice to get a kind word once in awhile." "I suppose it would pretty dumb to ask what's in it for me, huh?" Thorn looked up at him curiously. A sly smirk lit up on the boy's face, "That's a good question... I could tell you a story that you might find interesting." "What kind of story? Give me a hint," Thorn raised an eyebrow. "I could tell you a story about your old master," Mask smiled, "Your old... Black Mark friend." "Is it going to be a story that I'm going to enjoy?" Thorn asked. "It might," the god within the boy nodded, "You have an odd sense of humor." Thorn laughed and nodded, "Yeah, I do... so... what? ...Should I do the thanks now? ...or later?" Mask smiled, "A little offering later... a token..." "Of my choosing?" Thorn raised an eyebrow. "Of course," Mask nodded, "It's the gift that says everything about you." "That doesn't sound like a bad deal, alright," Thorn nodded, spit in his hand and offer it out. Mask smiled and blew into his hand, a glob of dark swirling shadows came out. Thorn's eyes widened and he stared at the darkened offered hand a moment, "Uh yeah... we'll just make it a verbal agreement then, shall we?" Thorn wiped his own hand on his cloak. "Very well," Mask nodded, almost laughing. "So squeamish... and yet you've been hip deep in hydra sphincter... and I was going to shake //your// hand." "Yeah..." Thorn looked him over, wondering for a moment if he'd made the wrong decision, but he stuck with it, keeping his hand to himself.

"Long ago there was a man named Garret... a fledgling, but he showed //great// promise... and unlike //some//... properly venerated to the Lord of Shadows... who really doesn't ask for much... a trinket, really... I mean we are rogues... and giving is not really in our nature." "Redistributing is more like it," Thorn nodded his agreement. "I was generous with my favor to him and his gang and they rose into quite a bit of prominence," Mask continued, "And all I asked for in return was one little... bauble... the heart crystal... unfortunately Mr. Garrett decided he did not wish to part with this little bauble... and kept it for himself. Is there no honor among thieves?" "No... not really," Thorn shook his head. "However, I as his patron... expected more," Mask nodded, "especially given all of the favors I had given to him in the past." "That's only fair," the halfling agreed. "However this bauble could be used for in such a way that would give him quite a bit of power... and he thought that this was a way that he could separate himself from me... and I thought it very... desperate." "Tsk, tsk," the young rogue agreed further. "So I thought that this would not do... that this bauble could not stay in his hands... and since you have a score to settle with him... I thought perhaps you could retrieve this bauble... liberate... redistribute," Mask suggested. "Describe it," Thorn nodded, interested. "It is an ancient elven artifact," Mask began. "Oh those elves again..." Thorn shook his head. "Once it was the heart of the great elven mythal," Mask continued. "Boy, you're not asking for much there, are you?" Thorn raised an eyebrow, realizing how big this "bauble" actually was. "It stores the souls of the elves of the city... at least some of them... the great heroes of the city... and now he uses those souls to do his bidding... certainly you have met one of them," the god of shadows nodded. "Echo..." Thorn nodded, "Well... I would certainly be more than willing to take it off //his// hands... but... what happens to it afterward makes me a little concerned." "It would be a fine jewel to add to my collection of thousands of others," Mask shrugged. Thorn stared at him. "Oh don't look at me so pensively... if you wish to free the souls first, you may do so... I'm only interested in the gem," Mask shrugged. Thorn nodded, more relieved, and asked to confirm, "Soul-free?" Mask nodded, "I would assume that your prince who says he's some woodsman... but everyone knows he's a prince... probably wouldn't go for me taking the elven souls into the plane of shadow." Thorn laughed, someone had been paying attention. He nodded, "That might cause a lot of drama in our little group." "Well I'm not here to cause drama," Mask shook his head, "I know what you and your company are doing. You're helping the gods against Ghaundahaur. I am a god... and my shit is going to hit the fan if this Ghaundahaur has his way too." "Consider it done," Thorn nodded. "It is a shiny bauble... and I do like the shinies," Mask nodded, "You do this thing for me and I'll help you out." "Deal. Verbally again, of course," Thorn nodded. Mask shrugged, "I wouldn't want to shake the hydra sphincter hand.... Do you have any questions for me? You always have questions." "Of course," Thorn nodded, "My first is... when we part ways here tonight... What's going to happen to the kid?" Mask shrugged, "He'll be here in the alley with you... he'll have no memory of what's happened." "Alright," the halfling nodded, satisfied. "So... where do I start?" "Well that's easy... you want to find Garrett... you're going to have to go back to Raven's Bluff. That's where his base of power is," Mask nodded, "And you and your group are quite threatening. He's quite content to keep sending Echo out after you as much as it takes until she gets lucky." "She is showing up rather frequently and annoyingly," Thorn agreed. "I wouldn't blame //her//," Mask shrugged, "And he's amassed quite a bit of power there. My bauble isn't the only thing he's stolen... he's quite a few baubles including one that I bet your hot little witchy would like." Thorn nodded, thinking about all the sorts of things he's probably seen with Wren... "What should I be prepared for? I've increased my skills and abilities... any hints or tips for going in there?" "Well certainly, Echo is a formidable weapon. The fact that you'll actually be closer to the heart crystal... she may be able to summon more souls... and you should also be wary of another bauble he has... a piece of my old friend and partner in deception... the Lady of Mists." "He has a piece of her?" Thorn blinked. "Yes," Mask nodded. "Well that doesn't sound good..." Thorn furrowed his brow, "What does that do?" "The Lady of Mists was quite practiced in lies and deception... like your witchy friend," Mask smiled. Thorn sighed, reciting Wren's common phrase, "Lies and Deceit." "Or more specifically in her case... lies and illusion... so things may not be what they seem," the god of shadows cautioned him, "And of course he has lots of rogues... but you can handle those... you can't be backstabbed... you'll be fine." Thorn nodded, "One more question... when I get this bauble... how do I de-soul it before I ... you know... give it back to you?" "Mmm that's not really my forte... I would talk to someone who knows more about mythals ... or perhaps those who had a hand in creating it... didn't it end up with some gnomes or something like that?" "Funny you should mention that..." Thorn nodded. "Mmm funny I should mention that," Mask smirked, his eyes twinkling "Getting the hint?" He pretended to smack Thorn over the head. Thorn grinned and nodded, "Okay... well this has been educational... and surprising. Not exactly what I was expecting when I came to visit my friend over here." "One more thing... Make sure that you take care of young Knives here... he's a special boy. Great things in his future," Mask nodded. "He certainly has your attention," Thorn nodded. "As do //you//... don't be jealous," he winked at him. A shadow rolled off of him, disappearing from the alley.

Knives shook his head, looked at Thorn, and then looked around, opening his arms and looking at Thorn like how the hell did i end up here? "It's okay, Knives," Thorn soothed him, "Are you alright?" The silver-haired boy nodded. Thorn sent him on his way, making sure he was well, and then joined the others at the elven embassy.

Mali bounced in to see the others gathering in the hallway as everyone seemed to be arriving about the same time. She held up her amulet proudly, exclaiming excitedly how she had met Mielikki and she signed the back of her pendant. "Oh my goddess! You got a God's autograph?! That's fantastic, Mali!" Wren stepped closer to admire the pendant at the same as Thorn, the two of them exchanging a look as the red-haired halfling pranced around the room to show everyone who reacted a little stunned when they seen nothing... "Oh... it's... it's nice," Wren looked again at Thorn as though asking silently if he seen anything. The halfling rogue looked back at her shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. Erevin looked at the pendant and then at Mali and then back at the pendant, nodding, "Okay..." "If you say so," Posy smiled sweetly. "You don't see it?!" Mali held it up looking at it, seeing cute little hearts dotting the i's. "It's got hearts over the i's and everything! ...Screw you guys!" She huffed, hugging her pendant. "I can see it," Ursus put a strong comforting arm around her. Thorn looked him over, muttering, "He's a liar." Wren giggled... pointing out the liar was usually her job. Mali told the whole story of the glade and the goddess and her reunion with Ara Sul with excitement and flamboyance... at the very end, adding casually that we had to somehow get the Mindbreaker's brain back from the drow. "But we killed him... he's dead," Thorn sighed. "But we need his brain... and the drow have it," Mali shrugged. "Back in the volcano?" Wren blinked, "Magmadon is sure to be waiting there for us." Erevin nodded, readying his dragon-slaying equipment.

Everyone shared information about their adventurous day... Thorn shared everything except "Mask's" involvement... naming him only as a "source". And everyone laughed as Posy told the story of the ham bait. "We should surely all meet them," Wren nodded. "Try not to stare at their hair," Thorn warned them, drawing Wren's interest with a questioning raise of an eyebrow. Azarius told everyone how Amara had narrowed down the area of the underwater city where it was most expected to find The Mother. Erevin told everyone about the concern of Shri's sister back in Myth Coramanth, "It seems she's keeping something quiet and acts almost as if she's under some sort of threat." Kale suggested having Loch and Crowe keep an eye on Queelest quietly, "If we're not sure who to trust... I wouldn't want to tell too many people. Perhaps if there was a way where we could communicate without being heard?" Erevin agreed, nodding to the witch, "Perhaps your telepathy?" Wren nodded, "It's only short term though. I'll look into more."

Loch and Crowe were both willing to be in Myth Coramanth and keep an eye on the drow priestess. The discussion fell heavily on the weight of Echo's constant reappearance and bad timing... "How big is this Black Mark?" Erevin asked. "When I was with them... their numbers were small. They were recruiting... but that was years ago. In the time that I was with him, I never seen any sign of Echo or anything like that," Thorn shook his head, "But I'm guessing his numbers in Raven's Bluff are great now." Figuring out how to work the gem was probably obtained recently, though it was likely procured back when Posy's parents were murdered.

The Black Mark resided in an old dwarven ruin high atop the cliff's of Raven's Bluff. A city about as big as Lyrabar. The drow were said to have had a struggle nearby the city with a powerful mythal, but it had also supposedly been abandoned for some time. Apparently the dwarves and drow fought and both civilizations were both destroyed. Thorn turned to Wren, "Is there anything that may protect us or help us get through the illusions we may encounter there?" A slow smile spread over the witch's face as she heard the familiar whisper in her head of I'll protect you, my daughter. The young witch nodded to him, "We'll be fine." Thorn raised an eyebrow, "You'll be fine... just like I'll be fine with all of the rogues." Wren giggled, "I'll do what I can." "We can ask my aunt and uncle... they are masters of illusion," Posy suggested. "Are they really going to want to go on an adventure?" Erevin asked. Meeting them for dinner, they were willing to go along to help avenge the death of their kin.

Erevin met with an architect recommended by Anna to start building a noble elven estate on the outskirts of. He chose a spot on the cliff face where they could disguise a place for the submarine below. (The cliff to the right by the docks on the right side of the map) He bought the land and set into motion a few level home, some deep into the earth with about 2000 gold. A design of several gardens and a moonlit dancing shrine was also added.