Isolde snorts, as if the notion of her being offended is impossible.
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Isolde wrings the salt water from her skirt and seems more than satisfied with the results - whether those are the results of the day's events or her skirt, you can't say. Though she looks blackly on the destroyed ring of trees and the ruined bluffs.
The Oracle nods to Ushari then looks over the battlefield, the wounded, and especially their opponent. She touches Jayse with a spell that restores his drained strength entirely. She says quietly, "This creature is beyond my knowledge. I might be able to learn more but it will take time that I fear we don't have."
Isolde moves over to Jofram, Ushari, and Straehan preparing the same spell again.
ORDER: Jofram, Naladoria, Jayse, Ushari, Straehan, Orin, Isolde MAP: FINALE <-- updated 70|70 - STR: 22/22
On-Going Effects:
Good Guys
All - Inspire Courage 2 Jayse - Heroism - +2 morale ATT, Saves, Skills - 70 mins
Jofram - Shield Other - +1 deflection AC, +1 resistance saves - Ushari takes 1/2 DAM - 3 hr Orin - See Invisible
Ushari - Magic Circle v Evil - 70 min link - +2 Deflection AC, +2 Saves to anyone within 10' of her. Strae - See Invisible
Bad Guys
Isolde moves closer to the heroes who have declared their intent to save the Isles. She watches the others and the formerly exiled Goddess closely.
Isolde looks unsure. "They are silent but I doubt they are absent. Sometimes..." She looks sad but determined, "it is hard to serve them. But I have faith that they have not abandoned us."
Before Jayse can respond, he feels the firm grip of Isolde's calloused hand on his arm. She looks at him earnestly and struggles to explain. "She isn't lying, Jayse. It isn't about getting you to like her. She's a... a gardener and you are her plants. She has grown you to your purpose - guiding where you grew, the direction of your stalks, and when you blossom. She needed you to be heroes, to help people, to gain support and followers. To do that, she had to hide the kernel of who you were, your memories. Evil can only masquerade as Good for a short time. Any mask can be seen through eventually. So she needed you all to be Good for the first phase of your growth. But, she also needed people who would be willing to overthrow the Gods, people who would be Evil enough to enslave a world and kill those they had befriended. So, now, your memories are given back to you, the knowledge of who you were and could be again." She turns to the Goddess, "Oh, you are a patient gardener. Now you hope to have them blossom into Evil."
Isolde listens with keen interest to the conversation, watching the reactions of each of the heroes in turn.
Undeterred, Isolde completes her prayer. Shafts of thin light come down and touch each of the heroes as well as Isolde herself. She looks to you all, "Know the truth of what is said here and the full decision you make. The world may turn upon it."
With her characteristic limp, Isolde approaches, keeping a good distance between herself and everyone else. "My purpose isn't to stop you." She bows her head and begins mumbling a prayer.
Isolde nods. "Very well. I would like to hear the story when your task is finished here." The Oracle limps down the beach, scouring the shoreline for shells of interest, leaving you to your business.
Isolde comes down to the beach to greet you - both relieved and concerned. She can see the fatigue and the weakness etched on your faces from the loss of vitality and strength. "You have suffered much, I see. Were you successful?"
Isolde nods, the doubts of the party evincing a worried frown from the sage.
Isolde fidgets uncomfortably. "I know and hear nothing of her. My hope was that your opinion might serve to guide me... I will think on your reservations and plan based on your caution - just in case she proves untrue."
Isolde listens with rapt attention to the accounts of what happened in the Ruin - every encounter, every gravity defying turn in the path. Her face registers little emotion despite being clearly riveted by the details. At the end, in the early evening light, she blinks several times then looks across the water at the black cube speculatively. "All these creatures you fought, except the golem, have very strong connections to the Shadow Plane. Even the Shaudran buildings are linked to it - existing both here and there at the same time. At least, that seems to be the fact from what you have seen. It is a dangerous business being in two places at once. It is not in the right order of things. Only very unnatural things can exist on the borders of the worlds - undead and that sort of abomination. And they pay for that existence with their lives and souls. There is no afterlife for the undead - not because they are undead as many think - but because they barter away their souls and lives for their twilight existence between the worlds. That is the price of it." She goes silent for a moment. "Every step you take deeper into that building, the more powerful the shadows grow. It is good that they are not in the same numbers as those you encountered in the Star Chamber. But more and more deadly they are even if their numbers are lessened." Another awkward silence falls from the Oracle, "There are things more dreadful in the Shadow than what you have yet faced. Perhaps you have seen the worst of what the Ruin offers - but perhaps not. I will wait for you here and think on what spells for tomorrow may be needed to aid you should you cross the fouler monsters of the Shadowlands..." Her voice trails off before striking a curious tangent, "What does your heart say about this Naladoria?" rolls:
Isolde accepts all the thanks with a nod but seems more than a little thrown off by the kiss, clearly the last thing she was expecting. "I will stay until this business is finished. But I may not have many more spells with which to help you... at least for tonight. So be careful."
The oracle sets to work, endlessly repeating a single spell... By the end she is drenched in sweat and completely exhausted. You are all completely healed, minus the physical wounds suffered by Jayse, Straehan, and Skitter. BOOM Goes the NPC Dynamite:
Isolde listens, absorbs the words, and regards the Shaudran fortress. There is hesitation when she speaks, "It seems I am here for a reason. I will trust it is to help you complete this quest... instead of convincing you to abandon it. I have already given you potions that will help with your losses . I can also cast these spells a few times. If you would dare the keep, you must not tarry here too many days. In the dark fortress, those enemies you failed to destroy will heal - quickly."
Isolde comes across the beach, feet crunching in the sand. "What has happened? I heard howling." She looks you all over, trying to divine what harm may have befallen you. She notes the obvious damage and the clear fatigue.
"Nice, again, to see you Jayse." She returns his smile hesitantly, clearly unused to the warmth. She hands over a set of small vials on a leather bandolier, each is conveniently labeled. "No payment is needed. Use them well."
"I'd feel better knowing that Isolde can put her own safety as her highest priority... whether that means she stays hidden here or tree-travels back to her house until she hears from us." She looks around, her eyes falling on the ring of oaks on the bluff. "I will watch and wait there for your return." "I don't suppose you have a way for us to easily get across the water without having to swim it?"" "I do not think so... not for so many. But you should be able to get very close to the building. I have been to the Hill Tower, close enough to touch its walls. You may be able to anchor your boat very near this thing."
Orin smiles, and approaches Isolde, hand extended in greeting. Isolde takes his hand in her firm, calloused grip. "Isolde." She is a lean, muscled woman with brown hair. Her features are angular as if carved by the wind and her skin is tanned like a hide. Her face has creases and wrinkles around the eyes but despite that, determining her age is difficult, somewhere between 40 and 60 perhaps. Even her race is hard to define - human or half-elven at a guess. Her eyes are bright but their color seems to shift subtly from shades of nut brown to forest green. She seems 'solid', as if she might put down roots at any given moment. Her long fingers are bony and rootlike.
She nods, "I will check for you." She walks down to the shore while casting a spell. She slaps the pooling water until a curious fish investigates. Isolde speaks briefly to the fish in its own burbling language before waving goodbye to the silver arrow and turning to the companions. "He says there are no unnatural creatures in the waters or seen in the airs. The building hangs suspended, just a few feet below the waterline. He mentions a sunken city in the 'large pond' downstream but it does not sound Shaudran... I think you have more to fear from what may be in the Ruin than around it."
The Oracle weighs all statements as if they were of equal import. "You have planted the seed, so I came. Perhaps Fate had reason to make you do so. Since I am here..." She eyes the Ruin with palpable dislike. "Big or small, they are all dangerous. How can I help? I have only a few potions on me and my skills are... not for facing something like that." "...She instructed us to recover an artifact of hers from that Shaudran ruin, else she implied something terrible would happen." Isolde frowns in concentration. "That may be true, I cannot say; The Gods are still silent and do not answer me. Whatever happens here, it has their attention. You must choose your own course in this matter and trust to fate, providence, or your own hearts. I will help as I may."
Shortly thereafter, a section of the tree shimmers briefly and Isolde steps through it, hastily donning gloves and buttoning up some sort of travelling outfit. She takes a moment to look around. "Where is this? What has happened?"
Again there is silence. :: Then maybe the Upper World waits and watches ::
There is silence for a moment as the Oracle thinks back. :: Nine or ten days ago, maybe. :: Ushari: That's put it close or on the day of the battle with Dinwat.
:: My contacts on the Higher Planes, they do not speak to me. They have been silent for many days now, I grow worried. ::
"Isolde? It's me, Ushari. Is something wrong?" Out of the box drops an acorn. You are quite sure it wasn't in there before. After a moment, Isolde answers. Her voice sounds oddly tinny coming from the small box. Her tone is unsettling. For a woman that was unconcerned about Reavers or hoards of Goblins, she sounds genuinely concerned in her odd, clipped way. :: What has happened? The Higher Planes, the Gods have gone silent. I ask of this Naladoria and get no answer... none. This is... unprecedented. Did you get the acorn? If you are in great need - plant that acorn under an open sky. ::
The villagers leave me alone now - a blessing. The peace with the goblins has both groups happy - another blessing. But let us talk of this Grey Lady. Much you were told is true. The gods do war among themselves. Of those that fall, the greatest of their pantheon are extinguished, being too much of a threat to the risen gods to be allowed to live. Lesser fallen gods are sometimes given the choice of exile or death. If the artifact she would have you seek is in a Shaudran keep, it was placed by the Shaudran. This makes her an older than old power. Understand... the Shaudran supplanted their forebearers and raised up their own gods over those that came before. When the Shaudran vanished, their deities eventually faded from existence. The Elven gods then took pre-eminence. Today, our pantheon contains some of these Elven gods as well as the younger gods of men. As each new pantheon gains power, they attempt to erase their older rivals from the book of memory. We know nearly nothing of the Shaudran gods and even less about those that came before them - either the people or their deities. This Grey Lady is from that lost time - over 12,000 years ago and possibly, a great while longer. I do not know her name. Time, it seems, has wiped her from memory. If you are going to Orfallen, you may find some mention of her among legends and faerie tales. It will likely be distorted by the lense of time but perhaps you will find something useful to guide you either way - whether to trust her or not. Seek her by her name, or similar names, or by description - fog, mist, silvery misty woman, and things like that. I will attempt to find out more about her by other means... but don't hope for much. Gods and the workings of the higher planes are hard to fathom and they jealously guard information for its own sake. I will contact you if I find out anything helpful. So all that she has told you could be true. But even an exiled deity is cunning and their words should be viewed with great caution. If her words are true then you have a difficult decision. Do you involve yourself in an affair of the gods? Great risk, great power, and great rewards attend such events.
Isolde looks startled at the young woman's display of affection, patting her on the back lightly, awkwardly. "Thanks. I will be careful as I may." "I don't know, Ushari, I think this old root could give even our mysterious benefactor a run for her money if she decided it was worth it. Thanks again, Isolde. Give us a shout if there's anything we can do for you." Isolde snorts, "I am too old to be playing with Gods, Avatars, and agents..." You get the distinct impression she cut that sentence off unfinished. She seems to have bitten off a word or two - possibly 'any more'? She shifts from foot to foot, clearly debating, then adds, "You are at play in The Great Game now. Not the games of Kings and Crowns, but THE Game... the Works and Wars of Gods across the manifold planes of existence. Keep your eyes open." "I will send word of what I find; You do the same. And let me know if your travels take you off the island. And don't forget to send word when you find any large oak trees. That is very important."
"There are certain immutable, universal laws that not even the Gods can ignore. A man cannot be made to walk a path that is not his own. A man whose hand is only destined to wield magics cannot be turned to hold a sword instead." She looks pointedly at the glowing blade in Jayse's hand, "That was yours before you were ever born. No God could put it in your hand, nor take it away. They could, however, make you come into it early or late, or shape whether you would wield it skillfully or not." She looks at the group as a whole, "It is the same for all of us." "For nearly all people who possess more than one art, to learn and grow in their power is difficult. A woman might be a soldier and a wizard but she is only able to improved one skill at a time. This is not so for you. Your powers in your arts increase simultaneously, keeping step with one another. This is the gift you have been granted - and it is exceedingly rare." "Who the Grey Lady is... I can pursue this question but it could be very dangerous. If she is a God or Avatar who has purpose to remain secretive..." She gives you a grimace, "Crossing her desires carries great risk. There are many tales of Oracles who transgressed against deities and the punishments they endured." "I can say this without risk, I think. A gift such as you received must come from a God or an agent of one. At it's most benign, it would be a reward for service, an acknowledgment that your acts pleased a God. You showed great bravery in choosing to fight the goblin army even though heavily outnumbered. A God of War or Bravery might look on such an act favorably." You get the impression from the look on her face, that she is skeptical this is the explanation for what happened to you. "In such an event, the deity would generally be one that someone in your company reverences. That person would recognize their own deity. Or, if you were not a worshipper of that deity, his or her appearance would bear symbols so that you might discover who had blessed you and some clue as to 'why'. But this is not the case, is it?" "Your benefactress and her reasons are unknown; So the price of this gift is unknown. That concerns me. I will try to find out more about her." rolls: Off-line DM rolls
"...More likely, she feels we will need them to...save Miir from the Dweller, I would guess." She faces Isolde, and suggests "Perhaps, if you learn more about the Grey Lady, it may provide further clues as to the nature of the Dweller." Isolde's frown deepens. "This is not a gift granted for the purpose of defeating a single creature, no matter how ferocious. Power and responsibility go hand in hand. Your lives have been profoundly changed, your potentials expanded... stopping a single evil would be a very small price to pay for such a benefit. You have been given a new life.. expect the price required to be commensurate with that gift."
You head back down the cart trail anxious to return to Forestal, the Mako, and your further adventures. As you pass under the shadow of the Hill Tower, which is far less ominous than it once was, you decide to pay Isolde a quick visit... updating her on all you've seen and learned. She accepts you warmly, providing you with a hot meal, and listens carefully as you share all that you have experienced. Her brow furrows as you mention the gate to the Plane of Shadow and your suspicion that perhaps the Dweller in Darkness comes from there. "This is an ominous thing. Many evils come from that world, for it touches on the Black plane itself... from where all unlife springs. You have met this Dweller's servants twice and both times they were the unliving. You may find that this Dweller is a powerful necromancer, possibly an adopted part of the Shadow or the Black... still... I think it more likely that 'he' is a creature native to one or the other plane and a strong force of unlife." Listening to Ushari's theory that the Dweller was linked to the destruction of the Shaudran, she smiles, shakes her head, and says with a note of hope, "We do not know much of what happened to them, but all accounts say the Shaudran brought about their own doom in a single night. Were he that strong, the Dweller would have already drained this world of life. But, IF he is that old, IF he ascended as they fell... it is because he fattened himself on the corpse of their empire like a carrion crow. I will follow this lead and try to learn more for you." Isolde offers no comment on much of what they say. Only the mention of the Grey Lady and their increased abilities draw her attention and, though she attempts to conceal it, her concern. She says cautiously, "Maybe you have a patron from the outer planes... the power you have been given is rare."
She gets about halfway up the shingle before she turns around to wave goodbye. It seems an awkward gesture from her. She pitches some final words loudly enough for you to hear, "I think you should get a boat. I have a feeling you may need it." She turns and walks off.
"And why wouldn't we be concerned? You've been nothing but helpful and kind to us." "Thank you. Most who seek me are fixed on their problems, their needs. I am just a way to a solution for them." If this upsets her, she isn't showing it, merely stating facts. "We can go talk to Thrane about your payment whenever you're ready." "There is no need. I know where my goods are kept; I will take them and go now. What I find of this Dweller in Darkness I will send to you. If you learn more, message me." She rises and begins heading back up the shingle.
Isolde almost pulls off the perfect poker face when she quotes, "One must take care in the questions asked, for the answers may not be the ones sought."
"I'd love to know what happened to your leg." Isolde blinks back her surprise at the tenor of his question. "You... you ask about me?" It takes her a moment to focus on answering it. "My leg has always been this way. It is part of the price for the gift of prophecy. Some are blinded; some speak in tongues; I am lame."
Isolde turns her ancient eyes to the town, looking for the boy in question. She stands, pulling Ushari to her feet with a gnarled hand and points at...
Isolde reseats herself and addresses Jayse's question...
Isolde sits patiently, awaiting the young woman's next inevitable question... she has clearly had more than a few run-ins with the girls in town wanting to ferret out possible admirers.
"Ummm...yeah. What Fin is trying to say is there is a boy out there that likes me, I think. He has left me a token of his affection." She points to the daisy still in her hair. "I guess what I would like to know is, how can I draw him out so I can meet him?" Isolde plucks the daisy from her hair and holds it for a moment, closing her eyes. When she opens them she says, with some amusement, "Your wish is granted. You have already met him." She hands Ushari the daisy back.
"A name is not much to work with but perhaps it will be enough. Is there anything else I should know or that you would ask of me?"
"Do you think this Dweller is the thing you saw in your dream?"
You see her reserve crack for a second. Something in her eyes tells you that Mila has spoken a truth. "Yes, as you say. I have also come to see if you have delivered my potions and to take those items promised in trade." "Finally, I have come to know what you found among the goblins. The shadow of the Hill Tower has retreated to its normal level. I would know the cause of this. Have you discovered more that I can use to answer your previous questions?" You realise her circuitous speech is meant to protect the confidentiality of your search for the answer to who you all are.
"Is somewhat social in that I have come to see how the town has fared. I have... hm... concerns here."
Isolde blinks at the term returning with "Harlot."
Their course chosen, the companions pack quickly. Isolde walks with them back to the hedge. She says, "To find the cave, follow the Tower's shadow. You will cross the trail and continue into the foothills beyond. You should be at the cave before this day ends. I have sent friends wide and far. On this side of the trail, there are no goblins nearby but that may change. Safe journey." The hedge opens allowing the heroes through. No trace of the goblins remain save the skulls posted on the rootlings. As soon as they descend the hill, they immediately feel the cold touch of the Tower despite the sunny day. Isolde waves goodbye and vanishes through the closing hedge. Her falcon sits on a tree branch watching the heroes. Kwee! Kwee kwee! They turn and head off beneath the unseen eyes of the Tower. Isolde is as good as her word... they travel quickly for several hours seeing no sign of goblins. At noon they reach and cross the trail between Forestal and Colona. The oppressive feeling of the Tower lands on them like a shroud. As they sneak up through the foothills, within a dozen miles of the Tower, they each attempt to view the Tower more closely, only Fin and Straehan can lock eyes on the structure for any length of time. The oppression of the place even effects Jayse. Fortunately, their focus is something more earth-bound - goblins. Whether by luck or skill, they avoid encountering any of the locals. rolls:
Isolde frowns, "I cannot advise you on that course of action. Perhaps it will prove to be the right choice."
Isolde looks to Ushari, "I did not understand you rightly then. There are a few Shaudran structures in the Isles, many more on the Mainland. A couple can be entered, though they are strange. This Tower - I have never found an entrance for it and it seems ageless. Around any Shaudran building, care is needed. This one, I think, should be left alone. It watches and breathes, unlike any of their buildings I have seen." "If the Tower and the goblin activities are related, then it could explain why the goblins are attacking outside their usual predicted cycles. We have to find out for sure." "Yes. What has poked their nest? This would be good to know."
"We are closer to the goblin's cave than Forestal. It would take less time for you to see the cave first then return to Forestal. If you learn why they attack now, open the box and tell me. Here." In addition to the 8 healing potions she gave them for the town, she adds another 4 potions. These are not the thick nasty liquid found in the other vials but a lighter, frothier, and pleasant smelling mix. "In case, you are hurt, drink these. They are potent. Use from the other eight as well if you are in need."
Isolde shakes her head with alarm. "The tower has no entrance that I have seen. And the Shaudran portals were created by their spellcasters. They are not... hm... permanent gates. It is very dangerous to go near their Towers, more so to enter one if a way can be found. They are an old power. But the goblins have a cave near the Tower. That is their nest, source of their flood when it comes. There you could learn their numbers and perhaps why they are stirred up now. Maybe it has a connection to the Tower, maybe not. This would be an answer, I would value." |