Adventures in Sigil - IC - Part II [4E]

[Toric]

"I hardly think it matters who I'm ultimately serving." the Drow replies, comfortable with the seclusion if not with the company. He raises one finger to each side of his head, level with is eyes. "What matters is that the third party stands to win a squabble if we can strike a deal, you stand to gain some menial labor or at the very least a little amusement, and by coming here today into the middle of it all I myself stand to either lose everything or gain that which is definitively out of my grasp."

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

"I'm here with friends," Lucan says. "We're old adventuring buddies, you know. I figured it would be fun to visit. Now, who did you say I had gotten the attention of? The Fortune Teller? I don't think I know her, but I do know a thing or two about fortune, and ways to change it with music."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

------------------- Zyrr -------------------

The Baba Yaga cackles. "A wise answer. So tell me," she lowers her arm slightly, so that Zyrr can just barely peak over it, and see the various throngs scattered throughout the room. "Who would this passage be for, and what are you willing to give up for it?"

------------------ Lucan ----------------

Hyrsam gives a bleating laugh. "If you could change the fortunes she tells, that would be impressive indeed." He points across the room towards the Archfey in the gloaming courts that seems to shift between maiden, grandma, and crone. "There's your Fortune Teller. The Witch of Fates. She seems to have taken notice of you, which means you've got a fate she thinks is interesting." He drains his wine bowl, and begins munching on some grapes. "Her predictions always come true, but they tend to be fairly grim. I've found that most people are happier not knowing..." the old Satyr trails off as a beautiful naiad walks by; too distracted to finish his sentence

------------------ Eltain ----------------

As Eltain speaks with Toveliss, a shadow falls over him. Each breath Eltain takes freezes in the air in front of him, before dropping to the ground and shattering. The Half-Eladrin can actually feel the blood in his veins begin to crystallize and ice over. From behind Eltain, a quiet, but hard voice speaks. "So this is the latest addition to our Court..." Eltain turns around slowly, and looks up. A tall, pale haired Eladrin looks back down at him; skin tinted blue and hair the color of platinum. Deep blue eyes, hard as diamonds and glittering like moonlight on fresh snow stared down at the Half-Eladrin, studying him with such an intensity that Eltain felt he should avert his eyes.

The Prince of Frost breaks the long silence. "I understand that you are close with the Printempest family. Tell me, what are their intentions?"

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain takes a quick moment to compose his face into a pleasant mask, glad for the moment of having his back turned to cover his immediate grimace. He turns, giving a suave smile, refusing to avert his eyes.

"Well, this is certainly an unexpected pleasure." He gives a slight bow. "I'm afraid I know little of their intentions. Aramil Printempest is certainly an associate of mine, and we've become fairly close, but I fear that his family rather distrusts me and wants little to do with me. Such a pity that so many distrust winter fey simply on the basis that we are winter fey."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

The Pale Prince looks down at Eltain for a long moment. Really? I was led to believe that you were rather close to them...


"So there's nothing you can tell me? A pity..." He raises up the ice-tipped scepter in his hand, and gently brushes it against Eltain's cheek. For one with Winter-Fey blood, Eltain had rarely experienced true cold, but as the tip of the scepter barely the side of his face, Eltain feels as if every day in his life before that moment had been spent in a furnace. The cold literally seeps into his bones, and even after the scepter is pulled away, Eltain feels as if the ice will never melt. As Eltain tries to recover from the shock, the Prince of Frost leans down. "I'd hate to think there's something you're not sharing with me. I would be very put out."

He straightens, and starts to turn away, but before he does that quiet, icy voice speaks once again. "If you do recall anything, do not forget that loyalty is repaid with lavish rewards. And treachery is repaid in blood...."

With that, he walks away, just as suddenly as he arrived. It's several minutes before Eltain finally begins feeling his body thaw out. Toveliss remained silent throughout the interaction, and now just stares at Eltain, wide-eyed.

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain nods numbly at the Prince, too cold and frightened to speak, his skin turned nearly as blue as the prince's by the deep chill in his bones. He understands just a little now of how those frozen in the Prince's palace must feel. When he can finally move again, he rushes over to Toveliss, grabbing the front of the other man's tunic.

"Do you see now? We have to get mother away from him. We have to get away from him. You heard what he said." His voice, oddly, sounds more determined rather than desperate; and his lips have returned to a normal pink color. He composes himself.

"Come, let's talk while we go do something more... Normal. You mentioned something about girls. Summer, I think. Let's visit our fellow fey for a bit." He drags Toveliss with him, heading for the summer court's section.

"Toveliss, I'm scared."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

-------------Eltain---------------

Toveliss gives a slow nod as the Prince walks away. "I think you might be right..."

As they approach the long silver boughs of the Summer Court, Toveliss gives a chuckle. "Wait, now you're scared? Come now, what's the worse they can do aside from kidnap you and keep you locked in a tower in endless sleep for an eternity?" Toveliss gives a chuckle, and gives Eltain a slight shove towards the summer fey up ahead. As they approach, a number of the nobles and Sidhe look at them with mixed feelings. Some are genuinely friendly, some clearly back away at the sign of the Winter Court, and others are simply curious at the two strangers.

As you move into the trees, a slender, short-haired Eladrin strolls up casually. The golden hair and honey-colored skin immediately reveals her summer heritage, but Eltain notices that around her neck is a pendant with the eight-pointed star of Corellon. "Hullo. I am Nyissa." she extends a hand to Eltain, and gives a slight curtsy. "I do not wish to be presumptuous, but are you a fellow servant of the First of the Seldarine?" she motions towards Eltain's tattoo.

Upon an affirmative response from Eltain, she gives a warm smile. "How delightful, it isn't often that I meet a fellow worshiper from the Winter Lands. Tell me, have you just recently entered into the service of Corellon?"

Insight DC 20

Spoiler

Show

While she seems friendly enough, Eltain gets the sense that she's making more than idle chat with her last question.

[Nai_Calus]

"Not of the summer fey, of him. Of all of this." He smiles slightly. "I'm just worried that the people I love might get hurt. But I won't let that happen. I'll protect you all. But we need to be careful."

He nods to the woman.

"I am in fact a servant of Corellon, though regrettably severed from the church at the moment. And no, I entered His service in my childhood, thankfully. With the recent ridiculous reforms in the winter lands... Blasphemy, I tell you. Ahh, forgive my rudeness. I'm Eltain, and this is my half-brother, Toveliss Sharma."

[Mando Knight]

Aramil smirks. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to give you a little spoiler, would it? Truth is, we've become a bit anxious with the news that we've been getting regarding the Winter, and while investigating rumors we've run across something simply outrageous."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

---------------- Eltain --------------

As Eltain turns to introduce Toveliss, he finds that his half-brother is no longer behind him, but has quickly moved across the room and is giving Eltain a thumbs up and motioning to Nyissa.

Nyissa purses her lips, worriedly. "'Blasphemy' you say? So are the rumors true, about the changes in the Winter temples?"

------------------- Aramil ----------------

The Bramble Queen's eyes narrow in suspicion. She leans forward, forcing Aramil to take a step back. "Outrageous rumors? That does sound interesting. Do tell..."

[Nai_Calus]

"I'm afraid so, yes. They've stopped training the acolytes in both the use of the sword and the arcane arts, and are apparently leaving out most of Corellon's role as the God of Spring, because it 'might make some of the winter eladrin feel bad'. Ridiculous, Corellon loves us all. Indeed, at the temple I was raised at in Celanthir, they've gone so far as to remove the sacred gardens that ancient magic kept in perpetual spring." He frowns unhappily. "When I asked about it, I was told the changes were dictated by the high council of the winter court. The council! They have no business interfering in the church. The changes came because the court thought the church was too warlike, apparently. Ridiculous. That's our duty."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick's face droops. "I have had friendly contact with some of the winter court's nobility. But in talking to them, I have discovered some worrying information. Have you heard of their plans? Oh, what am I saying, of course a man as well connected as you would realize that they plan to try to take over everyone, making one of their own archfey ruler of all the feywild," Pavick says as he leads Karl toward an isolated corner of the room.

"They have offered assistance with freeing the gnomish people, once everyone is under their control, under the condition of our full support in the meantime. However, I also know through my connections with the spring court that they will not succeed without a fight, if they do manage to succeed at all. I have evidence that both sides are gearing up for war. The winter fey say they are looking for a diplomatic solution, but there is no way that the spring court will allow it. I know that from my associations with the spring court. They will go to war before submitting to winter rulership, and we will be drawn into it. Gnomes will die. We are stick between a rock and a hard place."

Pavick summons a small illusion in the palm of his hand as he speaks. Tiny cartoon-like images of Pavick and Karl stand in the bottom of a valley. Steep hills, one covered in spring flowers and the other in winter snow, surround them. Two boulders, one from each side begin rolling down the hills meeting in the middle. Pavick closes his hand, dismissing the illusion just before the mini-gnomes are crushed.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

--------------------- Eltain --------------

Nyissa frowns. "Wha-That's...preposterous! What business does the Winter Court have in telling the church how it should be run?" Without waiting for an answer, she grabs Eltain by the hand and drags him towards a pair of twins. "Jima, Jimala; this is Eltain. Eltain, tell them what you just told me!"

After hearing Eltain's retelling of the story, Jima and Jimala (brother and sister by the looks of it, although they look almost identical) have a reaction almost identical to the Nyissa's. They too lead Eltain to someone else and have him repeat his story. This process repeats itself, until nearly a dozen acolytes and servants of Corellon from the Summer Courts, Green Courts, and even Gloaming and Coral Courts are gathered around Eltain, discussing this recent news. There's a general consensus that the Winter Court's actions are preposterous, blasphemous, scandalous and many other -ous's. This odd chattering continues for several minutes, until Nyissa looks back to Eltain. "Do you know why they're doing this?" This brings a large pause, as many were so busy being scandalized, they hadn't stopped to consider why, and suddenly Eltain finds nearly a dozen pairs of eyes of Corellon's servants on him, waiting to hear his interpretation.

----------------------- Pavick ----------------------

The deluge of information that Pavick provides makes Karl's eyes widen. The gnome takes a moment to process it, before nodding. "Well then, I guess if war is inevitable, all that's left is for the gnomes to choose a side. Tell me, which side do you think is more likely to be sympathetic to our people if victorious? Actually, that's irrelevant. which side do you think will be victorious? If war is going to break out, we must make sure that we are allied with those who are left standing at the end."

[Toric]

Though he says nothing, Zyrr lifts a hand above the Baba Yaga's bony arm, to point toward the area of the Spring Court. Then, making sure she's looking at him, draws a spiraling path in the air to the Winter Court section of the room.

"The coin I have is paltry compared to everyone else present." the Drow sighs, pulling his hand back to himself. "Perhaps the better question is what I'm definitely not willing to give up, which are my friends, my life, and my freedom. In particular, I offer my skills as a sneak, a poisoner, and somebody who could convince the room's current pet rock to come talk to you."

Though he does his best to hide it, that last offer leaps off a tongue tingling with terror. Perhaps she didn't want anybody to know she'd been keeping a special eye on The Shepherd. Perhaps, but just as nothing risked means nothing gained, so can the opposite hold true.

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain feels a little overwhelmed as he's forced to continually relate the story, and then subjected to the stares of his fellow clergymen. So strange, when most of his life he's been relegated to the side and ignored, to have them hanging on his every word, seeking his thoughts. He prays to Corellon for strength and guidance, closing his eyes for a moment while he gathers his thoughts. No sense tiptoeing about it.

"I... Believe they are trying to weaken the church in their lands. To what end, I don't know. I might be wrong, I certainly hope so. The existing leadership were all replaced by new high priests sent by the council, who enacted this blasphemy. The acolytes spend their time meditating in the snow, and while many of us in the winter lands tolerate cold well, not all do. Those who don't will be weakened by this, and even those that aren't won't have the skill needed to protect the fey of the winter lands from outside threats... Or those from within." He pauses, frowning.

"I can't really go into the details yet, and I'm still not entirely certain why they'd want to weaken the church, or if I'm even right about this, so please don't go leveling accusations, but there seems to be no possible reason for it that doesn't end up looking bad. Regardless, it needs to be stopped, even if the reasons are well-meant and innocuous."

He turns to Nyissa and speaks quietly once things have begun to disperse a bit.

"Can you point out Verenestra to me? I have something I should probably talk to her about."

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

"Well, leth go talk to her," Lucan says, jumping to his feet. Or trying to. He really has had too much to drink, and he nearly falls before catching his balance. Lena's twittering something in his ear, but he brushes her away. Once he finds his balance, he walks over to the Fortune Teller, and gives her a very careful bow. "Hello," he says to her, "my name is Lucan Tho . . . tho-tho . . . My name is Lucan."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

------------------------ Zyrr & Shep ---------------

As Zyrr begins speaking, the Hag Queen waves a dismissive hand "Bah, you've nothing interesting to offer-" and cuts off as Zyrr mentions his "pet rock." The own crone's eyes narrow, and her gaze shifts to Shep. Zyrr can hear a deep gurgling noise from deep within her throat, and a wicked grin spreads across her haggard face. "Ah, now he could have something to offer me..." Her gnarled hand grips Zyrr's shoulder like a vice, as she makes eye-contact with the Shepherd.

Once she's caught the Goliath's eye, she beckens him over with a bony finger. When the Shepherd draws close, she looks him up and down for several long moments, cackling to herself. "Your friend seems to be interested in arranging travel through my realms. He has nothing I need, but you..." she inhales sharply, and lets out another long cackle. "Tell me, what interest does Tiandra have in you? What are you plotting with that golden eyed seelie?"

------------------ Eltain ---------------------

The group around Eltain eventually begins to dispurse, discussing this new information in groups of twos and threes, or slip away to relay this information to their respective courts and patron Archfey.

Nyissa nods, "I can take you to her, but I don't know if she will see you. She's in mourning for her father." The short-haired Eladrin leads Eltain through the winding silver branches, until the two arrive at an opening in the trees right at the edge of the hall. There, a dozen pixies in white robes are holding massive black swan feathers, using them to encircle and shield off a small portion of the room. The feathers block Eltain's view, but he can hear faint weeping coming from beyond the downy wall. As you approach, a nearby pixie (also clothed in white robes, but with a sash of woven daisies) interposes herself between you and the wall of feathers.

"I'm sorry, but her highness Verenestra is not seeing anyone. I am her steward Bellafleuretta, and am handling all her affairs. May I ask what this is regarding?" the pixie (possibly the slowest speaking pixie Eltain had ever encountered; although that's not saying much) looks at the two of you expectantly, and Nyissa gestures to Eltain.

---------------------- Lucan ----------------

The Witch of Fates stop spinning as Lucan approaches, and a smile spreads across the face of the young woman. The old lady returns Lucan's bow with a slight nod. "Greetings. Tell me Lucan Thoene of Sigil and the Material Plane...do you wish to know what fate has in store for you?". The old Hag reaches out and grabs Lucan's hand, examining his palm with glee as she awaits his response...

------------------- Aramil --------------

The Bramble Queen continues moving towards Aramil, sending the Swordmage backing into the wall of vines until he can feel the thorns pressing against his back. "So quiet? I've rarely found the Sidhe lords to be without words.... Perhaps you fear speaking for the other nobles in the Spring Courts? Well," she places a hand on Aramil's arm, and the skin of her palm feels like rough bark in spite of it's smooth and dainty appearance. "If you were the one that successfully brought the two courts together, I can assure you that your position in the re-united green court would be one of prestige, and you wouldn't need to concern yourself with the petty wants and needs of the other Sidhe..."

[Haberdashery]

If Queen Tiandra sowed hope and awe with just a glance, the Baba Yaga sowed dead with a similar look, just a simple flash of her eyes. Only there was so much more animation to the Hag Mother than to the Summer Queen; every motion of the seelie archfey never took more than its fair share of movement, it was all perfectly choreographed, whereas the unseelie crone's movements relished and delighted in over exaggeration.

And so it was that the Shepherd felt as if drawn close to one dizzying, swirling object, then let go to only be drawn close to yet another; head swimming with honey and then lurid, ghastly light. The Baba Yaga was tall, almost as tall as he, but when she looked at him with those piercing black eyes it felt as though she was many stories tall, looking down at him like he was an ant scuttling on her bony knuckle.

"I..." The Shepherd paused, slowly regaining the ability to properly command his vocal chords without stammering like a fool. This was not unbearable loveliness that he was confronted with, this was despair and malevolence--two things that the goliath was far more prepared to deal with. He cleared his throat, attempting to stand taller in the hag's shadow. "I don't know. I don't understand. I've never been here before, I've never seen this place or anyone here before either." For a long while, the Shepherd stared back at the Baba Yaga, his face calming back into his familiar serenity and alignment, until he finally spoke again, "I suppose you are the Baba Yaga."

[Mando Knight]

"Pardon me, milady, I was merely gathering my thoughts, as I have been rather brash in speaking, at times, and I do not wish to offend you. The disturbing news we've had lately does not implicate you, but the Winter Court and its icy Prince. That the sudden and strange illnesses of my father and other lords and the recent solidification of the Prince's power base are no mere coincidences."

Aramil turns his head down and away. "And with the other rumors of what is occurring within that Court, we fear not only for ourselves, but for the whole of the Feywild if they are as true as the evidence we've found has led us to believe. Because we discovered this plan so late, we have been desperate to learn who our allies truly are."

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain leans in close to the pixie and speaks softly.

"It's about Lord Oran. My companions and I suspect we know what happened to him... And who's responsible for it."

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

"Sure," Lucan says with a grin. "I'd love to hear my fortune."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick frowns. "To answer your first question, the winter fey have made great promises, but I have seen that they act contrary to their protestations of wanting to help us. You see, in the very tale that Elias referred to, I discovered that certain members of the Winter Court were purchasing a rare poison from the beholder who was using gnomish slaves to produce it. It is this very poison that has caused some key members of other courts to fall ill of late."

Pavick nods across the room in the direction of each of the parties who has been affected by the toxin. "This willingness to use slave labor to accomplish their ends makes me believe that their promises to work to end slavery will not be fulfilled. I do not have any promises from any other court, but I have not yet sought them out. I would imagine that many would agree to help us."

"For possibly the more important answer of who will come out on top..." Pavick rubs his chin, thinking hard. "That is difficult to say. The Winter Court has certainly been plotting this for a while, and probably has better overall preparations. However, for one Court to seek power over all the others means that they will be up against a lot of opposition. I know that as we speak, the Spring Court is seeking out alliances against them." Pavick gestures around the room to his friends engaged in conversation with members of the various factions present. "All the preparation in the world will not allow one court to stand against all of the others, if they can agree to work together against the Winter Court. Unfortunately, with the longstanding feuds that is not a guarantee. But ultimately I believe that they will see that uniting, at least for now, is their best chance."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

-------------------- Shep & Zyrr ----------------

The Baba Yaga strums her long bony fingers on Zyrr's shoulders, as she studies the Shepherd for a long moment. I prefer to be called 'Little Grandmother', if you don't mind. And you..." she gives a cackle "I know your name. Or at least I knew your name once. But you... she looks at Shep from head to foot and smacks her lips. "You don't know who you are, do you?"

This seems to amuse her to no end, and she shakes with laughter. Shep can see tiny bugs and spiders fall out of the Archfey's greasy hair (many of which land on Zyrr) as her head shakes in laughter.

"Your little dark elf friend was attempting to secure passage through my land, but why don't we make this interesting?" She raises her long staff, hooks the handle around Shep's neck, and draws him close. "I'll give you a choice. Pending the payment arrangement, you can either have the passage through my lands, or... her voice drops to a low whisper. "I'll tell you all about yourself."

"So, what do you wish? Passage for some Eladrin, or full knowledge of who you are?" She cackles maniacally, waiting for Shep's answer

-------------------- Aramil -----------------

Selephra listens as Aramil speaks, before giving a deep, throaty laugh. Perhaps, little Fey Lord, instead of your allies, you should pay more attention to who your enemies truly are." As she speaks, the beautiful face begins to darken, and thorns begin to rip out through her flesh. Her teeth turn to bark, and the green silk dress becomes a pile of tattered rags and thorny vines. The soft flowing red hair becomes matted and stringy, and her eyes glow like red-hot coals. "If you cross me, little Fey, I'll wipe the Spring Court from existance and the ground where your pathetic lands once stood will be naught but a smoldering pile of refuse, burning until the end of time!"

A pair of vines lash around Aramil, and the swordmage finds himself violently hurled out of the enclosure, bouncing off the ground until he eventually comes to a stop just outside the edge of the Green Court's area of the Great Hall.

---------------------- Pavick -------------------

Karl Stoneshine frowns, and Pavick sees the fellow wizard weighing his words in his mind. He seems to be searching for a reason to disagree with Pavick, but in the end just sighs. "If there is veracity in what you say, I agree that our options seem to be rather limited." He grits his teeth as he looks around the room, before finally looking back to Pavick. He almost sounds as if the words pain him, but he finally mutters. "What do you suggest?"

---------------------- Eltain --------------------

The Pixie stares at Eltain wide-eyed, before finally speaking. "Please, wait here one moment."

The pixie flutters back towards the swan-feathered enclosure, and slips inside. A faint murmuring is all Eltain can make out, until suddenly he hears a loud shout. From out of the enclosure a creature bursts out, sending several of the pixies tumbling end over end in various directions. It would have been rather amusing, but before Eltain can react there's a woman in front of him, grabbing the front of his cloak. "You! What do you know! Tell me!"

The woman, at first glance seems little more than a slim dryad in a long black gown. Her bare feet peak out from under the dress, and she looks to be barely out of her teenage years. However, the strength of the grip on Eltain's cloak, and the fiery passion that blazes in her eyes leaves little doubt as to the puissant nature behind this otherwise demure creature.

-------------------- Lucan --------------------

Lucan is slightly distracted, as he sees a small disruption by the Green Court of some Eladrin being forcibly thrown out, and the sounds of shouting from deep within the silver boughs of the Summer Court, but the Witch of Fates doesn't seem to take notice of either of these. Her grip tightens like a vice on the Half-Elf's hand, the effect instantly sobering for the intoxicated bard. The sky above the Great Hall darkens, and above the din of the conversations and revelry of the banquet once voice rises and speaks, echoing throughout the hall.

You shall traverse the lands of the damned,
to forgotten places thought lost.
Thy hands shall bring forth the strings
that bind the Lord of the Frost

There's a flash of lightning, and a peal of thunder that rattles the great hall. Just as it began, it ends, and the sky returns to its former brightness. The one thing that has changed, however, is the noise. Throughout the hall, there is dead silence as fey and Archfey alike stare at the Half-Elf and the Witch of Fates. After a few seconds of tense quiet, whispers begin filling the room as the Sidhe and the courtiers discuss this latest revelation. Even as the music and the revelry begin again, across the room next to the iceberg one creature remains motionless. The Prince of Frost stares unblinking at Lucan. Even as the winter nobles and other Archfey attempt to speak with him or gain his attention, the Pale Prince never acknowledges anyone, his eyes never leaving Lucan's.

[Mando Knight]

Aramil brushes himself off and walks away. That went about as well as he could've hoped, really.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf bard

Lena is yelling something in Lucan's ear, though to everyone else it's just loud twittering. Lucan yanks his hand away, glances around at all the fey around him, and starts babbling, "ThankyouverymuchforyourtimebutIreallyhavetobegoing now." He backs away slowly, looking desperately for someplace to hide.

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain lays a comforting hand on one of the hands grabbing his cloak and looks Verenestra in the eyes.

"Have you ever heard of Teimann? It's a poison. It creates symptoms such as losing track of time, confusion... As you may be aware, several of the fey have fallen prey to similar diseases, with the same symptoms of near-madness. It's no illness. I'm almost certain they're being poisoned. Certainly Lord Printempest was." He pauses.

"A couple of months back, we went into the Feydark in search of some enslaved gnomes. The Winter Court had sealed the entrances to the Feywild, and they'd been trapped there, where they were forced into service on a farm. A farm growing Teimann. We destroyed the beholder in charge, freed the gnomes, and the drow assassin who works with us was able to create an antidote while we were there that successfully helped his father. Unfortunately, we weren't able to bring any of the Teimann back with us, and the farm was burned by the time Printempest agents were able to return to it. I think Zyrr may have crafted some of the poison, or perhaps a second antidote while we were there, but I'm afraid I can't offer any real hope of help for your father. From what I've heard, even if we have the antidote it may already be too late. I'm so deeply sorry for that." He graps her other hand as well, shedding a tear of remorse, before his expression hardens.

"But we know who was behind it. There were two eladrin on the farm. Winter eladrin. One of them was killed, but the other one was captured and confessed. The Winter Court is behind this. We have the testimony of our poisons expert, the winter eladrin, and evidence that the winter fey are arming themselves, that will be presented when the court convenes. We suspect that they are preparing to move against the other courts, that the Prince of Frost intends to finally make his move. I don't want a war between the fey, it would be disastrous, but the Winter Court's ambitions must be stopped. We need allies. We all need to work together. Will you help us?"

[Haberdashery]

Perhaps his wits had returned to him, for the Shepherd no longer stammered, or acted quite such a fool.

"You know..." He said, feeling the staff hooked around his neck, bowing him forwards under the superior might of the Hag Mother, "...I'm not so sure I enjoy being on the opposite side of this." He tapped the gnarled staff with his first two fingers.

...then again, maybe his wits hadn't returned to him.

"Little Grandmother then..." The Shepherd coughed, feeling somewhat uneasy and a bit foolish, tugged towards the old crone like one of his own goats. Perhaps...perhaps he had been a bit cruel to his goats with his own crook. The Shepherd tugged at his collar, feeling the restriction on his windpipe. "...ahem." He tried to swallow, but found the movement entirely too painful and unpleasant for his liking...maybe he should be rethinking his position on crookery in general.

"I think, Little Grandmother, I will answer you with a story." The Hag Mother loomed over him, and the blacks of the Shepherd's eyes stared up into the twisting voids of the crone's. "There once was a young goat..." And the Shepherd paused, a frown stricken across his face. "...No. No, in fact, it wasn't a goat at all. It was a young man. This young man lived all alone in the middle of the wilderness, surrounded on all sides by fields of endless green. This young man had no family, nor relatives, nor friends. He had no neighbors, and no people even remotely lived near him. This young man did not even have a name. He was simply the young man that lived in the middle of nowhere, all alone, and this was the only life that he knew. But this young man was not sad, for this young man had never known a different life--loneliness bites at those that have had company and lost it, but for this young man, who had never had been around another proper person, did not feel unhappy. In time, this young man would find others--not others like him, for he was the only of his sort, but those at least he could speak to, when they weren't staring at him oddly. These places that the young man found, and these others that he came to look upon, they accepted him no differently than they'd have accepted a stray and mangy dog. And so, despite having found others that he could talk to, and live beside if he so chose, he was, unfortunately, unwanted. And so the young man returned to his little home, seemingly content to leave the other folk well enough alone."

"But he wasn't content. Not any longer. He had seen something else--the world did not end at the end of the green valleys, or past the tall trees. There was a world behind them, where he could not see them before. There were others in these places, and while they were not the others that he had hoped or dreamed to find, it put funny thoughts in the young man's head. Maybe, past the edge of these places with these other people, there was another place, with other people, and beyond that place, there might be another, and another. And maybe, just maybe, there would be a place that had people like him."

"The young man has been to these other places. And then to the other other places. The young man is not a particularly young man anymore. The man has found no others like him. The man has found no places that he belongs to. The man has started to think that he belongs nowhere. The man walked, and he walked, and he walked beside others that were not like him, until he came to a tall tree. And at the top of this tall tree, the man beheld two birds. One was bright and luminescent, the other dark and full of lingering shadows. Where the other folk never called to the man before, never sought him out, never saw him as anything other than strange, these two birds called to him as if he was terribly familiar. And..." The Shepherd stopped in mid sentence. "Well, I'm afraid the rest of the story I don't know. At least not yet."

The goliath smiled, a bright, toothy smile.

"I think, Little Grandmother, what you are offering me is to spoil the ending of this story."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

--------------------- Shep & Zyrr ------------------------

The Baba Yaga meets Shep's gaze for a long minute. Even as thunder rolled from the Witch of Fates, she didn't break eye-contact. Eventually, she spits, and in a low voice crones. "You Fool. You would turn down knowledge for such a reason as that? Pathetic. You're weak. You always were weak. It doomed you once, and it will again. Your wasted potential sickens me." She removes the crook from around the Shepherd's neck, shoves Zyrr away, and hobbles off, squawking diakkas trailing behind her.


-------------------------------------------

As Eltain speaks to Verenestra, the fire in the young Archfey's eyes begins burning brighter and brighter. By the time Eltain has asked for her help, the Oak Princess has stopped listening, and is marching across the hall, eyes fixed on the Prince of Frost. "YOU-!" She begins screaming, glaring at the Pale Prince. Her hands are already beginning the gestures of some arcane ritual but before she can continue, Queen Tiandra juxtaposes herself between her son and her daughter. "Verenestra..." she begins, in that same melodious voice. "I do not know why you seem determined to break the peace of Senaliesse, but I assure you that whatever grudges you have against your half-brother can wait until after the Court. Correct?" Tiandra phrased that last word as a question, but her tone makes it clear that it was more of a command than anything else.

Verenestra, still livid, turns and storms back towards the area of the Summer Court; while the Prince of Frost seems to be listening to news brought to him by a red-headed naiad from the Green Court. As he does so, he spots Eltain coming out of the boughs of the Summer Court, and his eyes narrow.

Tiandra turns, and in a loud voice she speaks to the entire hall. "While I do wish that this banquet could continue for the rest of the night, I regret that it must come to a close. I shall see you all when the Court meets in session tomorrow at midday." She gives a polite smile, and nods at the applause, before making a swift exit, Verenestra in tow.

The Prince of Frost pays no attention to his mother, but instead shifts his gaze between three mortals. One, a young Sidhe lord who seems to be set on a course of conflict against him; the second, a musician who became the focal point for an odd prophesy;and the third a bastard son of his own court who decided to reveal more than he should to the Summer Court...

------------------------------

That evening, you find yourself back in the rooms provided for you. Everyone from the banquet seemed to exit fairly quickly after the Summer Queen's announcement, and many of the Courts had much to discuss.

The room is more crowded than it was previously. Azula, Lady Altshuler and Lord Ressort have followed you in, as well as Karl Stoneshine who still seems to be following Pavick in spite of his previous curtness with his fellow gnome. Just outside the door, Eltain seems to be involved in a long conversation with Toveliss, and from beyond them the normal sounds and music of Senaliesse can still be heard.

Eventually, Azula speaks. "Well, that was...interesting. Now for the hard part: presenting our case against the Prince of Frost. Aramil will need to bring the charges against him, of course, but once that happens we can call as many witnesses as we need."

[Toric]

After a brief break in the conversation courtesy of Lucan's current archfey of choice, Zyrr takes in both the question and the sight of the spider on his shoulder. Most peoples' response to a spider falling out of an unimaginably powerful hag's hair would be to perhaps scream, smash it, or at least brush it off said shoulder. That said, most people are not Drow.

Up until this point, Zyrr had been feeling ill at ease, the sense of dread only growing as he traveled first to this unfamiliar plane, then away from the only familiar estate on this unfamiliar plane, then culminating in this conversation with what is possibly the essence of every Matron Mother he has ever had the displeasure of meeting. It's all been terribly, terribly horrid until this spider. In the middle of the realm its respective goddess has been cast out of. Which up until this moment has been thriving right in the middle of the Feywild.

Once he's back with reality, Zyrr finds himself moving sideways, pushed away along with his new rider. Apparently the Little Grandmother didn't like the Shepherd's answer. A moment ago he would have been glad to be away from the hag's smothering presence, but now his feet are propelling him swiftly in pursuit. "I really don't care what you have to say about me." Zyrr calls, regardless of who can hear. "Because as soon as you told me I know I'd do everything in my power to prove you wrong. If you knew anything about me you'd know I'll never accept an easy explanation when I can find out the hard way. So keep walking. You and I both know it's because you can't admit you offered us a wax apple in trade and we didn't bite."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

When Pavick opened his mouth to answer Karl was when all the chaos broke lose. Before he'd even spoken a word, Pavick's attention was drawn away to the witch of fates, and then shortly thereafter to Verenestra's attack on the Prince of Frost. To be honest, Pavick was glad for the interruption. These events helped him to firm up his resolve.

"We should side with the Spring Court," he says on his way out. He walks side-by-side with Karl. "They have the best chance to end this without war. A conflict on that scale could only be problematic for everyone. If there is a chance to stop this before it begins, I believe it is our responsibility to do everything we can."