Trog's Tavern CCLI

[Gullara]

[Just Outside]

"I-I dunno. I've flown b'fore..." Adir scratches at his mussed hair. "Must just been with Sakura. Man. I can't believe you two haven't never taken me flying before!" Adir sticks his hands on his hips standoffishly, no longer holding up Sakura. He seems concerned that she's about to topple and snatches her back up in his arms, regardless of if she lost balance or not.

[Just Outside]

"We can probably discuss it again tomorrow." Cessie remarks as the elemental starts to solidify around them. It will close them into a bubble created by sheer air pressure which will then life them off the ground as the elemental takes off. It will be like floating in the air as the conceptualized being of steam moves towards the keep. "Just enjoy the ride."

[Just Outside]

Sakura giggles at Adir and holds on tightly to him. "It's great. Just be careful! Not that Cessie'd let you fall." It's like she think she's holding him up, rather than the other way around.

[Rebonack]

"Oh, you know, not much," Maph replies, about as noncommittal as usual. He's such an obnoxious, fickle creature. Sometimes he was helpful. Sometimes... not so much. Like that time he tried to destroy the Nexus and all. He insisted he was going to fix it again afterward, but that probably isn't the sort of promise you want to test.

"I was just wondering how you might feel about a little change in luck."

A beat.

"That, or maybe I just wanted to nettle you. You haven't been around much. And it gets boring up here."

The tiny thing huffs.

"Gets boring out there, too. But what am I going to do about it? Random encounters only go so far."

Wonder what he meant by a change in luck...

He isn't implying that he can actually do something about Raril's extreme luck, is he?

[Artemis97]

"Yeah, well, when you cross a goddess of luck, things happen." Raril had once impersonated a member of Tymora's clergy, with not so good results. "And I haven't been around due to... enjoying the hospitality of my family." He explained, but pulled a face. It was a delicate way of saying he was a prisoner. Thinking of it only reminded him of the literal collar around his neck, which he tugged at uncomfortably. "I haven't seen anyone outside of Delmah Phor in too long." Not even his own wife, though he wasn't going to admit that to the strange little critter that was Maph'Tey.

[Rebonack]

"Bleh. Godlings. They're gross. Them and their stupid arbitrary rules. But you know what they say, rules are made to be broken. Not by the gods, of course. Hehe, they don't get to break their rules," Maph rambles, flashing that nasty little grin again. "Ever see what happens when they do? The fireworks are pretty."

That critter has always had quite a bit of contempt for divine things. Maybe justified.

Maybe not.

One way or the other, he hates the world they've woven. A calcified tumor with death for bricks and suffering for mortar.

"Not seeing much of anyone, huh? I have. I'm good at snooping. Even if I'm not so great at lots of other things these days. Your kids are doing well. Raven has a pest extermination business. Though her definition of 'pest' is pretty flexible. Hehehehe," Maph chortles. "Too bad about ol' Raxy's Nexus avatar, though. You and her were sweet together. What an ignoble way to go. Your bad luck must have rubbed off on her or something."

...

Wait, what?

[Artemis97]

Raxy's Avatar...? It clicked. Zee.

Raril leapt from his chair in an instant, levitating to boost his speed. He tries to grab onto Maph'tey and pull him to eye level.

"Where is my wife?!" The drow snarls, suddenly looking much more canine than just a moment before. White fur poked up from under his collar. His hands were claws. His teeth were sharp and his eyes glowed red.

[Rebonack]

Maph is seized, which causes him to make a funny wheezing noise not terribly dissimilar to a doggie chew toy.

"Ehheh. I guess no one told you?" the little critter replies. "Don't think anyone was there for it. No one noticed. 'cept me. But that's just because I'm so great at snooping."

He really is.

Pretty much the best at snooping.

Sticking his little dragony nose where it doesn't belong.

"There was this giant robot. Something like that, anyway. She was shooing it outta town when our lovely overlords decided to bomb the thing to hell. Don't think they even knew she was there," Maph explains. "Collateral damage. That body was loaned to her, too. She's not getting another to use. No one is going to stick their neck out for her. Least not until That Day rolls around again since she's got a job to do. But that's the Old Ones for you. All tied up by their silly rules for our little game. Raxy's avatar skirted the line of what's considered 'cheating' to save you all. And now she's getting punished for it."

That nasty little smile creeps back again.

"Means she doesn't get to play with the mortals here anymore."

[Artemis97]

"You're lying!" Raril's fangs snap shut bare inches from Maph'tey. "She can't be gone! She can't be. Not again. I can't have left her alone again!" The drow's voice cracks, panic and guilt and pain creeping in.

Raril slowly sunk back into his seat and he loosened his grip on the strange little dragon creature. "You aren't lying, are you? Gods... you aren't lying."

[Rebonack]

Maph lands flat on his belly atop the table with an "Uff!" He gives all his various limbs a quick roll, trying to bend himself back into shape after getting manhandled by a drowwolf. "This would be a pretty dumb thing to lie about. What would I be gaining by lying about something like that?"

Honestly, Maph isn't the sort of... thing... that enjoys inflicting suffering for no reason.

So there has GOT to be some agenda behind sharing this information.

"For what it's worth, she isn't dead," Maph points out. "She's just banned from the Nexus for an aeon or two. No big deal to Raxy, really. That sort of time is nothing to an Old One. But for people like you? Hehe. If there's dust left over from your civilization by then, I would be pretty surprised."

There's that grin again...

"Of course... there are always loopholes. Raxy can't make a new avatar in the Nexus. But if she made one somewhere else and some enterprising person brought it here..."

...then?

[Murkus]

[Floating Away!]

They lift off, and Adir lets out a little squeak as his eyes dart between the street and the sky. Sakura may not be holding him up but he's certainly clinging to her for dear life. His bewilderment is purely animalistic and short lived, yet... he continues clinging. Can't help it. She's so soft and warm. "Y'know, we oughtsta' do something nice for Cessie. She's nice."

[Artemis97]

"Then we could be together again." Raril's eyes shone as he blinked away tears. "But how would it be done... and why are you helping me?" He peered down at Maph'tey. In his experience, the little dragon-thing had never been actively malicious, but he wasn't a kind soul either.

[Rebonack]

Sidhe rarely are.

The things they value are rarely what mortals value. They don't think like mortals do. They don't operate in the same frame of time or mind.

Maph can certainly be nice-

-when it happens to fit with his designs. And he really, truly does think he has everyone's best interests in mind. But again, what a thing like Maph thinks is 'good' might seem awful to most normal material folks.

"I'm no fan of K'rax. We don't play on the same side of the board. But we both want to do right by you goofy mortals even if our end-game is different. And I would rather deal with her any day instead of someone like Lord Crabface or Ol' Squidbeard or the Queen of Starfarts," Maph explains. "So giving Raxy a player on the board here is good for me. And goodness knows it's good for material people, too. Not sure if you've noticed lately, but the Dreamlands have been seeping into the Waking World like crazy. And I can think of at least twelve active Far Cyst busy mutating reality in the Nexus right now. Raxy helps keep that stuff in check. Because goodness knows I'm not going to do anything about it."

He sure won't!

Some heroes might.

Maybe.

[Artemis97]

"And what's good for you happens to be good for me, as well. Alright. I can understand that." Raril nods, composing himself. "Alright, so the first step would be to contact her, I assume? I'm not sure how to go about that. Ususally I would use the bracelets we share, but my family took mine from me, and... I suspect hers is slag right now. Should I try to find those cultists who kept calling her up?" The drow speculates, recalling them.

[Rebonack]

"Hahaha, the Watcher's Watchers? Nah. Stay away from the deranged cultists, they're crazy for a reason," Maph'Tey laughs. "No, you don't want to contact her directly. Not from here, anyway. Raxy hasn't got any avatar in the Nexus. And that means if you try chatting with K'rax, you'll be chatting with K'rax. Not with her teeny tiny physical representative. You wouldn't be talking with Zee. You would be talking with the big girl herself, and as soon as she says hi your brain will be melting out your eye sockets."

Oh.

Well.

That sure sounds like fun.

"No, you need to find a world outside the Nexus where she's got an avatar already," Maph explains. "You have to track her down there. Normally that would be pretty impossible. But!"

There's that grin again.

"Lucky for you I'm good at snooping. Ever wonder what the Aboleths worshiped?"

Oh no....

[Artemis97]

"No, I haven't because I value my sanity." Though contacting the elder gods was a fine idea a moment ago. "But go ahead and tell me, since it seems to be part of your plan."

((Deadtiming for the night. Goodnight Rebo!))

[Zefir]

[Duel]

Mia nods to Wenomir, not sure in what way a duel can test a philosophy.

Witha slight bow she introduces herself to Ambrosia.
"My name is Mia Mechanicus. It's a pleasuere to meet you to Ms Ithil.
How do you get to that conclusion?"

[Rebonack]

"And your skin, and your free will, and your ability to breath air," Maph replies, ticking off points on his little claws. "Avoiding aboleths is usually a good idea. Anything that worships the Old Ones is bad news. Especially old things that worship the Old Ones. Did you know those ugly frog-fish are more ancient than the gods who rule your home world? Only one that's older is whats-his-face, the creator."

Maph probably recalls Ao's name.

Probably.

But being disrespectful to gods, up to and including overgods, really isn't anything new to the feisty little sidhe. After all, he's far more of a danger to gods than he is to mortals. They're things he holds in utmost contempt, as he finds the physical realities they uphold to be vile affronts to freedom. As said before, sidhe are weird.

"If you wanna get in contact with Raxy again, you'll have to travel to the deepest, watery depths of the Underdark back in your home world. A harrowing journey, sure, but you're up to it! Probably."

Probably.

"Word of warning, though. Raxy's avatars are united in purpose, but they don't share a single set of memories or even a single will. Raxy is at best vaguely aware of what they do individually. Whatever you find in Abeir-Toril will not be Zee. Make no mistakes about that. But if you can get it to come back to the Nexus with you, Raxy'll swap it over into the correct avatar for the Nexus and make a new one for the Underdark."

That's... good.

Right?

[Artemis97]

"But first I have to locate the Underdark Avatar and essentially kidnap her. I have a feeling she's not going to want to be replaced with Zee." Raril frowns. Zee probably wouldn't approve of kidnapping and replacing another person's will with her own. The drow, however, had far fewer reservations. Still, he sighs. "I wish I could talk to her about this."

[Rebonack]

"Kidnap her? Hehe! Funny, but not exactly," Maph chortles. "Just convince her what your plan is. Normally when an Old One loses an avatar, they'll make a new one just like the old one to continue its mission. Y'know how that went with Zee. She just wouldn't stay dead. Same thing would happen here. Raxy would swap Abeir-Toril avatar for a Nexus avatar and make a replacement. See, the avatars don't share memories, so the one in the Underdark, or anywhere else for that matter, wouldn't know that Raxy has been banned from making a new representative here. They are, however, united in common purpose. So they would probably want to fill that gap in. All you've gotta do is convince them that you aren't an enemy and that you're trying to help."

So.

Given how the avatars work...

Chances are, whatever K'rax-Naggath's avatar in the Underdark is, it probably isn't anything very nice.

Mostly because the Underdark in general isn't very nice.

So Raril would need to get close enough to whatever this thing is to convince it that he's a friend without getting mauled to death.

Or worse.

Fun!

[Artemis97]

"I'm going to need help to do this. I'm hardly allowed weapons, nevermind magic items. Where do I even begin searching? And Aboleths?!" The drow shook his head. "This almost seems impossible. I'm hamstrung from the start. Still, it's not like I haven't faced bad odds before." He admits.

[Rebonack]

"Because of the short leash with your family, right?" Maph asks. Though it's pretty clear he already knows the answer to that question. "What if I told you I could help on that front? I haven't made any big moves in a while, so I've got points in the Eternal Game to burn."

Just a little reminder of the sort of thing Raril is dealing with right now.

"I could get your favorite toys back, if you really want them. Could even do something about that leash, but it would take something pretty drastic."

There's that nasty little grin again.

"How would you feel about cutting all ties to your charming drow family to bring Zee back? By the time I'm done, they'll never know you were gone."

What is he-

Oh.

Oh. He's offering to create a fetch of Raril, isn't he?

Because Raril-doubles have always worked out so well.

[Artemis97]

"What are you suggesting? I don't want to cut all ties. My children are still there. They're the reason I'm playing so nicely and agreed to this damnedable collar." A part of Raril was worried Maph'tey would somehow just poof the entirety of House Xar'Cha away.

[Rebonack]

Poofing them away?

Nah.

That's a little drastic.

Possibly beyond his ability to accomplish, too.

Possibly.

"I can create a double of you, a fetch," Maph replies. "For all practical purposes, it would be you. It would wear the collar. It would be your house's little lap dog. And it would free you to go get Zee back. And before you ask, no, parlor tricks like True Sight wouldn't reveal it. No one will be the wiser, as long as you don't go and show yourself to your family ever again. Like I said, you would have to cut all ties. Because these deals always require sacrifice."

Always.

"So what do you say? You get your freedom and your gear back. You get the chance to save Zee. You get a fun little adventure. All it'll cost is everything else."

[Artemis97]

Raril considers the offer for a moment, but then sadly shakes his head. "That would mean abandoning my children to my family's clutches, and I can't do that. Sornnolu and Erelae would probably survive just fine, but Aly'ithra, she's still innocent. No, I can't."

[Rebonack]

"Aaww, that's a shame," Maph pouts. Then flashes that nasty grin of his again. "Technically, I don't really need your permission. Sidhe steal people away and replace them all the time. But I don't think it would be very nice to visit that kind of violence on your will. I'll leave the choice to you. So if you eeeeeever change your mind-"

The little critter simply fades from sight, his toothy grin lingering a little too long.

"-I'll be waiting."

And with that he's gone.

[Artemis97]

The drow shivers. To simply be replaced without anyone being the wiser. It was not a happy thought, and Raril had no doubt Maph'tey would do it, too, if it ever suited him.

Raril sat back and sighed. So into the depths of the Underdark, he would need to go. Without magic and possibly without any help. No, he needed help with this one. House Xar'Cha be damned, Raril needed help. But did he still have friends? Even if he didn't, Zee must have some people who would care enough to try to get her back. Zee was so kind. She must have friends.

The drow doubted he had any anymore. Had anyone even sought him out since he was being held prisoner by his family? He tugged at his collar and stared down at the table, deep in thought.

Eventually, his order came. Raril dug into it, mostly from instinctual hunger than actually wanting to eat anymore. Transforming to a wolf, even just a tiny bit, always left him hungry. The burger devoured, Raril sipped his Fox Cola, thinking. Again he sighed.

"I need help."

[5a Violista]

Harley finishes the chapter and puts down the book just in time to hear Raril's voiced thoughts. Maybe this is the opportunity she was waiting for. Why else would she have come here, if not for fate? Maybe helping with some random person will help her conquer herself.

She stands up and walks towards Raril. She walks not too quickly to be very surprising, and not too slowly to be misinterpreted as being stealthy.

"I couldn't help but overhear," she says, "that you want help. Might I help?"

Since I haven't described her since last page, I'll do it again: She looks pretty normal (black hair in a ponytail and a clay-earthy skin tone) and a skirt, except for her black mask which covers half her face, but masks are generally common in the Nexus. Also, she has an empty scabbard, which is probably the most unusual part. In a hand, she has her book as well. (Sense and Sensibility, for those who guessed)

[Artemis97]

The drow looks up. He didn't know this woman or her capabilities, but it was the Nexus, anyone could be anything. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say.

"Possibly." Raril admits. "You see, I've just found out my wife has died, but I have an opportunity to bring her back. It won't be easy, or remotely safe, but I believe it's doable. Unfortunately, I am lacking in resources, especially of the magical sort."

[5a Violista]

He just found out his wife died? Harley sits down by him. Wow, that's sad, but hopeful. "She...wow. That's hard. If I had the chance to bring my husband back, I would try it in a heartbeat. You absolutely have to do it." She looks at her hands; this has to be fate. She was expecting it to be something silly like dragons or pirates or something like that, and here it's something relatable and important.

"Well, I'm not a magician," she says, "but I could definitely help some. I mean, I can do some shapeshifting tricks;" Tapping her pointer finger to draw attention to it, she proves this by hardening and sharpening her finger into a claw. Then, she snaps and it catches fire like a birthday candle. "Besides, I've been playing it entirely too safe recently."
"And I'm not too shabby with a sword, if I do say so myself." As evidenced by her empty scabbard. There's got to be something up with that, right? She probably knows what she's talking about, though. Maybe she can pull out the femur of her enemies and use them as swords, or something.

[Artemis97]

Raril smiles, a tinge of sadness still on his face. "An extra sword arm is always welcome in the Underdark. Well, one you can guarantee won't stab you in the back anyways. Not that I think you would, it's just... I come from a very strange place compared to the Surface. Paranoia and backstabbing are like...breathing down there. As if the caverns weren't hostile enough, everyone is always trying to get the better of everyone else. But that's why I left. I was sick of it, and now I need to go back. Are you familiar with the Underdark?" He asks.

"Also, where are my manners? I'm Raril." He extends a hand across the table. "What's your name, and would you allow me to buy you a drink? I feel it's the least I can do, since you're considering helping me."

[5a Violista]

"Harley," she says. Before extending her hand out, she takes care to turn her finger back to being pretty finger-like. Her hand goes out to shake. "Yes, you can buy me one. Maybe something fruity."

After letting him know those important bits of information, she gets around to answering his question. "The Underdark? I've never personally been there," she says, "but I've met people from there. Actually, the second person to welcome me to the Nexus was from there." Well, she was just a drow but that's pretty synonymous with being from the Underdark.