Naladoria mulls it over while watching the clouds. She nods to Bebhinn, "Another time, child." She turns to the heroes, "We'll be coming for you as well." The Goddess recedes like the tide and vanishes into the sea foam.
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Naladoria's eyes glitter with malice as she regards the sky before turning her attention to Bebhinn. "They may not be quick enough to save you, child."
Naladoria, looking little worse for the battering of the wave, bears a brittle smile on her face. "Exile no longer, child. Do you think, even with the help of these people, that you can stand against me? I was..."
Naladoria makes a gesture... and you realise why Sea Goddesses are dangerous opponents on the shores of an inland ocean. The sea rises up to quickly reclaim the half-moon-shaped beach, the entire beach, all the way to the bluffs. The water slaps against the bluffs and you find yourselves standing hip deep in cold, briney water. Then the Exiled Goddess raises her arms and calls to the water, crooning to it in a language both melodic and authoritative. In the distance behind her, you see the black Shaudran Cube launch into the air... Or rather, you think it shot upwards until it dawns on you - it hasn't risen so much as the entire lake level has dropped. In another moment, your sight of the Cube, the lake, the furthest shore, and even the mountains far beyond it are eclipsed by a truly epic wave rising up behind Naladoria and rolling towards shore. The length of the massive tidal wave would be lost to sight past the edges of the bluff were it not for the fact that the wave is taller than them. At a horrifying guess, the wave is 300' across and somewhere near 50' tall. The tsunami smashes against the sheltering bluffs and thunders through the ring of trees. Rock is sundered, split, and crushed. Ancient oaks snap and explode in splinters. The gargantuan wave continues unabated, funneling into the cove towards the beach - towards you. Whatever words you might have shared with your friends are lost in the water's roar - the bone-shattering scream of an Abyssal Lord. Nala laughs as the wave overtakes her - slamming the sure-footed Sea Goddess so hard she is almost tumbled. The wave doesn't slow any - not for God nor man. It rolls up the beach at you. The sunset behind you causes the 50' wall of blue turbulence to glitter in flecks of red and gold. Then the wave strikes you...
Spell Notes: Control Water: Raise Water by 250' x 250' x 50' tall
Tsunami: 250' wide x 50' tall, Move 60'/30' Base DAM: defeats Hardness DC: 27 Fort for 1/2 CMB: <- go prone and carried along by wave Nala Save: vs Water Spells
The Goddess completes her gesture and thin trails of purple electricity drain from Jayse, Jofram, Ushari, and Straehan. They don't feel worse, only lessened.
Naladoria looks contemplative as she pulls something like a glowing shortspear from her misty skirts. She spins the weapon in a dizzying array of martial maneuvers ending with the spear held low in her other hand. She clearly knows how to use it. She gives the heroes one last chance, "I'd rather not destroy you. Join us and you may yet find a place in our kingdom." With your divinely enhanced senses, it seems clear she expects your refusal but makes the offer nonetheless.
ORDER: Jofram, Naladoria, Orin, Jayse, Ushari, Straehan, Isolde MAP: FINALE 70|70 - STR: 16/22 | CON: 14/14
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
Naladoria sighs, "We had hoped you'd join us; you are all tremendous assets. Had you chosen to walk away, well, it would have been a disappointment but we could live with that. But you have each chosen to fight us... we can't let you do that."
"Two pantheons cannot simultaneously rule. When we crossed back into this world, the war began. Your Gods will not turn a blind eye to our presence nor will they allow us to simply gather followers quietly. Sooner or later, we must clash... and they will see no profit in waiting for our strength to grow. Their survival hinges on our destruction - as ours depends on defeating them. We do not war as mortals do. Extinction or Exile is the way." She turns the the gnome, "Your decision?"
"Unfortunately, your conditions can't be met." She looks to Jofram and Straehan, the only heroes remaining who haven't weighed in.
"I choose to stand AGAINST you, Naladoria." The Goddess takes the news stoically, "That's... disappointing. I thought we might have some fun together. You will be missed." She turns her attention to Jayse, Jofram, and Straehan. "Gentlemen? Your decisions? I am hoping, Jayse, that you've re-considered."
Orin's speeches Naladoria's expression grows cool as Orin keeps talking. Her response, when it comes, is almost a snarl. "You should have stopped at denouncing me, Orin. You know nothing of being an immortal, patience, my goals, or the alliances and agreements it took to bring this plan to fruition. Spend fifteen millennia trapped in a black void and then you can tell me about patience. Moreover, you are in no position to take the ethical high ground. You called me petty and accused me of being capricious, blood-thirsty, uncaring, and childish. And what were you when you talked those young students in your care to duel to the death for your vanity and petty amusement? Manipulating children into slaying each other... What lofty purpose drove you to that, I wonder?" Her smile is merciless. "We have both 'played god'; The only difference is - I actually AM one and many of my followers have benefited from it."
The teacher takes a deep breath and exhales, saying firmly: "Books don't keep underwater, and aboleths are poor conversationalists. I reject your offer, and denounce your plan to destroy this world." "Denounce if you wish... but will you leave this world for one of the others you've visited or do you plan to oppose us?"
Naladoria almost looks deflated at Jayse's final statement. "Win or lose - I can't guarantee their freedom or survival. No God could. War will come, regardless of your choice here. Some will live, some will perish. By taking our side, you may be able to save some that would otherwise die. And you can guarantee that Amador will not be reclaimed by the sea - saving countless thousands of lives you seem to value." She thinks briefly and glances at Ushari, seeing the want in her eyes, before turning to Jayse again, "I rather hoped your loyalty would be stronger for your friends close at hand rather than the folks you've met in passing. Perhaps we are at an impasse... at least regarding your choice. Your friends, naturally, are still welcome to join us even if you don't." "But before you commit to such a hasty decision, consider what you stand to lose. think about what happened to Fin. I'd hate to strip you of all that you've gained. Or, to alert your assassin brethren where to find you." You all hear the lie in the phrase even as she utters it. Recalling a conversation awhile ago with Isolde, you recollect that the Oracle said there were universal rules even the Gods couldn't break. Once given the power you have, Naladoria could not strip you of it.
The not quite concealed scoffs from some of your group and the grim smile on Isolde's face, tell Naladoria all she needs to know about that bluff's failure. She quickly shifts gears and tackles the subject from a different perspective, "Alright. We can't take back what was given but we can slow your progress if you oppose us. Consider another option - leave the Isles and do not oppose us. Gather a boat and save all those you care about - your fishwives and Hetmons. If you do so, we will leave you to increase your skills as you presently do."
Naladoria is about to respond to Jayse when Orin throws out his measured question. "Their lives will be much as they are now. Farmers will still tend crops - merely different sorts. They will have to adjust to living beneath the waves. There are as many hazards below the surface as above - sharks in place of orcs - but less sickness in general. Their lives will be different - but 'better' or 'worse' is a matter of perspective. I would say 'better' but what else would I think? Prosperity, like here, is something they will have to seek for themselves. As for peace, it will last as it may. While our forces are united for the foreseeable future, after victory and a period of time they may grow envious of one another. It is in the nature of mortals to squabble and envy what their neighbor has."
"Yes, how much leeway would we have in determining the fate of those who oppose us?" "There is little leeway. An island that returns to the depths does not negotiate. Those who cannot flee and will not submit, will die or be captured for servitude. On my islands, there is perhaps room for a few who choose a middle course - if they neither submit nor actively oppose our take-over. But any who raise arms against us or incite others to do so, they must die."
"Every island that we reclaim will sink back down - where it belongs. Those mortals who follow us or join us will have new lives in our underwater realm. Those who don't... will either die in the battles, drown in the sinking, or become slaves or servants to the Aboleth and our other followers." "Ironically, as a Goddess of the ocean's surface, my power is greatest on islands and my followers have never been creatures of the deeps. Sinking all of the islands will diminish me... so I have negotiated the right to retain islands that I prefer." She puts on a look of sympathy that clearly isn't genuine. "I understand that you had friends on Amador. I can imagine that sinking that island might sting your consciences. So I'm prepared to declare Amador as one of my islands. It will stay above the waves, if you like... but it will have to be pacified."
She looks briefly from face to face, hoping to see agreement in the 'heroes' eyes. "Come now... why have loyalty to Gods who don't reward you? You have heard our offer while your own Gods offer nothing. Why not profit by your efforts?"
The Goddess doesn't even blink, "Yes. I'm not overly fond of the crop-based analogy, but it is essentially accurate... and they will profit greatly by it." She mentally dismisses the Oracle and turns back to the heroes. "I can see you are intrigued by the possible rewards. So let me describe them for you..." she says with clear relish. Naladoria smiles, "How would you like to become Gods? Well, Demi-Gods, to be more accurate. Of course, that is the reward for your final victory. In the meantime, we plan to be very generous with you as a reward for your services to date and to prepare you to lead our armies." "How would you each like another skill-set to draw upon? Or perhaps another mastery within your current talents? We can make that possible for you. Jayse, you could learn Sorcery or master the arts of the Hungry Ghost monk. Jofram, you might compliment your archery skills with study as a Fighter-Archer, or even an Arcane Archer. Many things are possible."
She turns to Ushari, "And we would be willing to help you personally as well. When we come to power, we can halt the phase-shifting of Oxex - enabling you to rescue your poor father. Wouldn’t you like to find him? To find out what drove him to leave in the first place?" She smiles at the gnome, "And your sire... finding dragons, particularly a specific dragon, is difficult at best. We can help you with that, arm you, and prepare you. Wouldn’t you like to inflict the misery your mother suffered on that execrable abomination?" Finally, she looks at Jofram and Orin, "And what would you gentlemen want? Money, power, rare artifacts, glory, knowledge? All that and more could be yours for the taking, if you agree to serve in our cause. Think of the possibilities." She sums up, "That is what we have to offer - and I think you’ll agree it is generous, particularly when we are asking you to do no more evil than you would have done had we not interceded in your lives. Only this time, you profit more greatly from the work."
"But it was never about us, Naladoria. The price you paid and the gamble you took was always for your own benefit. I'd ask that you stop suggesting otherwise... again, for the sake of openness." She nods, taking the warning. "Of course! But credit me with some honesty, please. I've never disguised the fact that I had my own agenda. I believe I told you once that giving you a 'second chance' was incidental to my larger purpose of getting back in the game. What I wasn't honest about was who else wanted 'back in' and what our plans were after that. So have I lied and misled you... yes. But you've profited by it just the same. We all got something from the arrangement. But I am being honest about what we want now."
He listens impassively to her comments about regret and necessity, and even as she shows the visions. "I think you mean 'will never have achieved', correct? These visions -- at least part of them -- are not of what is or will be, but what could be." He delivers a statement, but his look clearly shows he intends Naladoria to confirm or deny it. Nala shakes her head. "These things have come to pass. Visit Forestal and Bartleby's Cross and you will see the shrines. My lay priests have been dogging your path, building on your reputations. Admittedly, they haven't swayed as many people as I'd like - but some are listening. I didn't think you'd come so far so quickly which forced me to speed up my schedule. I was planning to give you more time to build your reputations and spread your good works across many islands before I started sending my servants in your wake. It would seem more natural that way. As it is, I had to move quickly so it is a bit of an up-hill battle."
"You have not once told us the full story of who you are, who you are allied with. This is partially our responsibility for not asking. But you were content to twist the perception of who you are and the intent of your actions regarding us... giving us half-truths and masking our knowledge so that we would be predisposed to want to help you without really understanding the scope and ramifications of our actions. Is this true? And once again, I ask that you be open, honest, and answer with the whole truth." His tone is not necessarily accusatory in the sense that he seems upset, more of someone trying to get to the heart of the truth. She shoots from the hip."Yes and no. Did I tell you everything? No. But I also couldn't do so without ruining our plans, in which case, there would have been no point in involving you. Did I let you make assumptions? Yes. Did I have your knowledge masked? Yes. Did I do it to make you predisposed to help me? Not really. That was an incidental benefit. As for who I am and we are... I am Naladoria, exiled Lesser Goddess of Mists of Fogs. I am herald to what remains of our exiled pantheon. We are eight in total - none above a Lesser God. We ruled this world when it was mostly water and just a few islands. Our servants led vast undersea kingdoms... some still do. We fell due to our complacency as I told you once. The victors in our last struggle were the Shaudran Lords. While we couldn't defeat them - and are ourselves Lesser Gods - we feel our odds of winning against the current pantheon are quite good. Our chances are even better with you leading our forces."
Naladoria tacks, "The lies were unfortunate but wouldn't you rather know how you'll profit from assisting us further?"
Jayse rolls back the scene in his head on the sudden appearance of the Fallen Gods and what Naladoria has said, referring to them as 'cousins' and 'brethren'. It seems quite likely they are all exiled lesser Gods (now returned) from the pantheon that fell to the Shaudran Lords. Further, it seems they were a pantheon of deep aquatic Gods who must have had - and clearly retain - aquatic followers. So their weaknesses, if any, would likely be things the same as aquatic creatures... resistance to cold and possibly vulnerability to fire. Given their undersea nature, it makes the monk wonder what will happen when they 'reclaim' an island. "...It's bothered me from the beginning, but I complied because your desires seemed earnest and -- for the most part -- nondestructive." He pauses for a second, and when he continues, it's seemingly on a serious tangent. "We've given much to help you, so please speak plainly and truthfully. Are you or those you work for or with responsible for the loss of our memories?" The Grey Lady glances at Jofram as Jayse speaks. She waits politely for him to finish. "And I've given much to help you as well - I've saved your lives more than once and let's not forget the unprecedented powers you enjoy. Do you think that was easy to arrange or without cost to me? As for being 'nondestructive', I wouldn't think you'd take issue with that, Blackstone, given your past. No insult intended - my cousins admire your career. It's why you were selected for this mission." She thinks a moment, "But I will speak candidly and plainly, it is my preference... Yes, it was a regrettable necessity to accomplish our ends that your memories were temporarily hidden from you. Without it, we could never have achieved this." The Goddess conjures a large globe of solid fog in her hand. As it did in the White Room, the mist clears a bit and the orb shows many sights - a scrying device. The heroes see Forestal, Badger Lope, Bartleby's Cross and other communities where they righted wrongs and rescued people. In each one, they see small monuments being erected, shrines really, featuring four or five small statuary figures that look like themselves. Naladoria wipes a hand across the scene, distorting time, and they see lay priests standing before the shrines and reciting stories of the great deeds of the heroes. The word 'saints' is carefully and subtly dropped by the preachers... Naladoria wipes her hand again and the ball vanishes in a flowing mist. "Your memories were hidden to remove the blocks that prevented you from being heroes - heroes that would prove beneficial to our cause by helping to sway people to our side. With you heading our forces, some may decide to join us, or at least, will find opposing you difficult."
"Dear Ushari, it is more than a proposition. The war has already begun. It began the moment my brethren rejoined this world." She looks up at the blue vault of sky as if she can see what she describes, "Forces already marshall across the planes. The Heavens tremble as Gods on both sides gather their heroes, muster their strength, and contact their mortal agents through dreams, omens, and prophecies. Oh, yes, the wheels are well in motion, now." She turns her attention back to the cleric, "But this isn't two wars - Divine and Mortal. It is all one war... for the strength of Gods is in their determination, their power, and most especially in their mortal servants. If you win us the Great Southern Isles, you win us the war." With a large smile, she adds, "And you've already helped us so much in that regard."
Naladoria smiles, taking the cautious statements as signs of assent, "We want you to general our armies and lead our forces to victory. In round terms, your objective will be to reclaim every island in this archipelago - either voluntarily or by force. After that, well, my cousins may wish to make a bid to reclaim the mainland but that is still being debated and, naturally, you won't be obliged to agree to that as part of the pact you make today. I should tell you - you will be rewarded handsomely for your assistance."
Naladoria dismisses the Oracle's actions with a wave. "Are you ready to hear what we have to offer?"
Naladoria watches the prayer with amusement and a hint of scorn, "It's definitely too late for that."
In a moment, it is done. Naladoria drops the fragments of the shell, dusts her hands, and turns to your group, looking worn but satisfied. "My cousins are well-pleased with your work. They wish to reward you and offer you greater rewards still for your continued service..." Her words falter as she sees the figure hobbling slowly up the beach towards your group - the woodsy Oracle Isolde. Naladoria’s frown passes quickly and she says pleasantly. "You’re too late."
Naladoria picks up the shell triumphantly, looking at it like it is a long lost friend, but she addresses the heroes. "You've done very, VERY well. I feared this day would never come. So, thank you and know that you shall be rewarded for your many deeds." She looks to Orin, "Even you have earned our thanks."
The Grey Lady looks away from the collapsed shimmering outline of the fallen Ranger and towards the three heroes across from her. "It seems we are out of time. Once I send you back, I'm ringing a bell for your Gods. After this, they will likely close the border. I won't be able to help you much until you get my artifact and dip it in the ocean. I'll visit your dreams to give you more directions when I can. For now, good luck and stay alive. Those kids, that town, and I am relying on you." Without another word, the White Room vanishes...
"Warning others of the Dweller takes priority here!" Naladoria's response is laced with curiosity. "Must it? To what end? If that beast gets loose in the world, everyone in Bartleby's Cross will be dead by dawn unless they are prepared to run all the way to Orfallen. All your warning would do is consume them with fear and possibly save a lucky few. It seems to me that what is needful is stopping its crossing into the world - then no warning is necessary."
The Grey Lady watches the fight as well. She sighs, "You know, if in my time, my followers had half as much grit as your friend there, I don't think I'd have ever faced Exile."
"It will be quite soon. To give you the maximum chance for success, I needed both of your principle spellcasters here. Ushari, it seems, is a woman who sets her own schedule." Ushari appears on the couch feeling the after-effects of having her soul literally scrubbed from her body... accompanied by a squelching fart sound. Nala waves a hand over the pup and wrinkles her nose, "Gah. Gnolls have no manners anywhere."
She nods, "Correct. At one moment, once, I can send you all back. But time drives the need. If the Dweller gets through, sending you back will be pointless - you'll die. I have to send you back before it is too late to stop him. He already has a foothold in this reality." She gently covers up the hyena's ears before she answers Jayse's other question. Nala says quietly, "It's a pack dominance thing. He needed to understand that despite my appearance - I'm in charge. He was quite grateful really. Apparently, he wasn't confident he would enjoy the afterlife served up in Yeenoghu's court in the Abyss." She unmuffles the furry pup's ears and scratches his neck. The Grey Lady returns her attention to the globe. "Oh! This should be interesting - cleric on cleric. Ushari may be joining us in a moment..."
She laughs, "I didn't bring you here and risk the wrath of the current crop of Divines just to show you the furniture. I've got the strength to violate the Laws of Fate once... but I can't do it piecemeal. I'm waiting for the right moment and the maximum benefit." She gives you a good-natured wink, "I wouldn't be a very good patron if I let my allies get killed before they can help me get back in the game."
The Goddess chuckles. "On my own, I couldn't. But our connection enables me to watch you." She waves a delicate hand over the globe and the view shifts to the Arch and podium. She points at the blank spot where the Necromancer should appear. In his place is nothing. Jayse and Straehan see the energy threads flow from the children to a point, vanish, and then reappear a few feet later and flow into the Arch. She points a finger at the blank spot. "That irritates me."
Straehan suddenly appears on the couch near Jayse, clutching at his throat to staunch the artery-severing claw slash from the Whipcord... a wound which no longer exists on his unblemished neck. Naladoria nods in greeting, and restates the obvious facts suggested by the previous events as well as the current situation. "You're dead and I've delayed your journey... well, more short-sheeted it actually." She looks with interest at the swirling misty globe on the coffee table. "This is getting exciting. Despite the poor odds, your friends are planning to continue fighting. How unusual." The baby hyena in her lap mews with irritation. The exiled Goddess pulls up the animal by the scruff until she can look at it eye to eye, "Hush, Shaggar. The adults are talking."
Jayse bolts forward with a start, still feeling the crushing fangs in his back and skull. He finds himself sitting on an unadorned grey-blue couch, in a vaguely white room. The walls seem to swirl. It's like being in a glass box stuck in the middle of a fog bank. His foot taps against a silver coffee table. Across from the couch and coffee table is a matching couch. Sitting on it, legs crossed, and watching him with mild curiosity is Naladoria. She appears less ethereal and more real than he's ever seen. She's idly stroking a tiny hyena pup held in her lap. She gives the monk a soft smile and offers him a white bowl filled with roasted... "Nuts? They are quite tasty." She also offers an answer to the unasked question, "Yes, you're dead. Sorry about that. But it was quite a glorious charge you made. Not too many mortals would have dared that crossing."
"Your foe is both clever and lucky. Clever in that something about him prevents my scrying. I noted him only by his absence. And he is lucky in that the old fort where the children are is built from the bones of a Shaudran structure. My sight is obscured." She frowns, "In short, I cannot see what awaits you." She starts to slowly fade, along with the dream. "Good luck."
She frowns, "I'm not sure I can answer those questions to your satisfaction, but I will try... Humanity is all that is left of the Shaudran, at least on this plane. Whether that blood runs truer in any particular branch of Humanity - such as the Bollini - I can't say. I don't believe so, but I may be in error. Were there Shaudran with powers similar to yours, Jayse? Yes, but not many of them. I'm inclined to believe that Shaudran blood runs truer in certain individuals... whether through luck or the combination of disparate bloodlines that are once more rejoined after thousands of years apart." She shrugs off the speculation and continues more pragmatically, "Whatever the truth, I don't know that it will make their ruins any less or more dangerous for you. To my knowledge, the Shaudran had no traps that keyed off the heritage of the trespasser. As their servants, the elves had a great deal of access to their fortresses. But those were in the days before the Downfall. Their structures were different then... which brings us to Ushari's question. Could it be that your visions were received because of some blood tie? Yes. But Shaudran structures, particularly the most preserved ones, have presence. They give strange visions and dreams to the sensitive and merely discomfit others."
"Follow the river and find the trail... then East. Locate the old fort and you'll find the children. You may find their abductor as well."
Naladoria practically claps in delight and can scarcely hide her grin. "All I needed, for the moment, was your willingness to help. Soon, I'll ask you to recover an artifact of mine - a corborundrum Seashell. It's locked in a Shaudran stronghold... However, before you are ready to pit yourselves against that keep, I think it wise to have you test yourselves against a less forbidding Shaudran structure - to familiarize yourself with what you might encounter in the stronghold. I'll find a suitable one as quickly as I can." She gives Jayse an amused smile, "I don't like debts either. So let us agree that what I say now, I say in token of thanks for your offered assistance... the trail you seek is to the South, further than you searched this night."
Naladoria nods her thanks and looks at the three men. "And you gentlemen? In, out, or undecided?"
The exiled Goddess gives you all a genial nod, "I hope your research on me has born fruit. Now that you've had a little time to weigh my request... have you reached a decision? Or do you yet consider whether to assist me or not?"
Silence sits around the unwavering campfire. Naladoria cocks her head after a moment as if hearing a distant sound. "I must go. I've stayed too long already... but it has been nice to sit on a beach and talk." She looks at Jayse but speaks to the group, "I hope you'll choose to help me. I'll try to assist you as I may... but empowering you has cost me much. Even this conversation is taxing. Look to your dreams, I may appear there. Goodbye for now." The Grey Lady vanishes along with the roiling fog. The campfire begins crackling once again and the quiet conversations of the women resume as if they never stopped.
She gives the small sorcerer sitting nearby a rueful smile. "As I said, free will is a b!tch. Findelgwing's eyes have always strayed to her home-world. She has decided to return there as soon as she may. Her choice made, I saw no point in asking for her help. "As for Jofram, I have no idea why he was held longer or released here... seemingly in your path."
"So you say we were all in the hands of the aboleths... were we their captives by happenstance and the choices we made in our lives? Or was that captivity orchestrated as well?" "My powers are limited but strongest on the ocean. I sent all of you to a ship, then I rested. The Aboleth intercepted you almost immediately. They sank your vessel and dragged all the passengers down. It seems that you five were separated from the rest and hidden by powerful magics I could not penetrate. Those seem more than coincidental... so, yes, I think it was orchestrated." "Where was I born? Specifically. And to whom?" She closes her eyes briefly, "You are the child of Herune and Moon Akechi, fisher-folk of the village of Artoum, on the shores of Bolline. Your village is no more than a dozen miles from the temple where you were trained. Your mother still lives in Artoum. Your father died a few years ago." Everything she says rings as familiar in Jayse's ears like it was on the tip of his tongue already. He has no doubt she has spoken the truth. Every name she drops conjures familiar images for him - of swimming off the shores of his village, getting into trouble with Tengu kids, and fleeting images of his sun-baked mother and weathered looking father. He thinks a few moments before continuing, "...how do we know we can trust you?" She thinks awhile on this, running her toes through the sand. She can offer only one conclusion. "I could perhaps argue that by admitting I brought you here for selfish reasons, not to give you all a 'second chance', that I'm displaying honesty you can trust even if my motivations weren't altruistic... but that could be a ploy on my part. Or I could suggest that you could evaluate the quality of my character based on the fact that I have given you great power and tools while demanding nothing in return. But again, that could be a ploy or a way to make you feel indebted. In the end, I have no way to prove you can trust me. You will have to let your instincts guide you on this. You will either trust me or not and help me or not. The choice is yours. Free will is a b!tch."
Nala addresses a comment that had been lost in the exchange. "Ushari, your mother lives in Crux still. Your father traveled far and wide, whether running from or to something, I cannot say. Chasing fortunes, his greed drove him into Oxex. There he is trapped, amid the shifting realities of that curious place." She looks to the unusually quiet gnome and the contemplative monk, clearly soliciting their questions.
Jofram focuses on the Grey Lady's goal to return from exile. "So how do we go about your return? How can mortals affect the affairs of divinity?" Naladoria looks notably relieved. "You've already spoken my name, that's a first step. The rest of the task will require you to be more experienced and well-equipped before I'll risk your lives on my behalf. So, for the time being, do as you will. When you are ready, I'll ask you to recover an artifact of mine from bygone days. It is locked in a Shaudran keep and those aren't to be trifled with."
Naladoria shakes her head. "I know no deity who counts the Aboleth among their worshippers... but I have been gone a very long time. Since your god has not seen fit to withhold spells from you, Ushari, I assume he doesn't care what I am trying to do. I don't know who seeks to bar my return. Even were I able to come back, I pose little threat to any in this pantheon."
Naladoria answers his challenge matter-of-factly, "An exiled deity is still a power to some extent. The book of your life, from your set past to what is now your uncertain future, are open to my reading. It was for your past and the cusp upon which you stand right now, that I brought you here. I could tell you the number of platinum ingots in the bag you bounced in your hand or the black deed that caused them to be there, if need be." She gives him a grim smile at the mention of her crimes. "My crime, the only one deities are err to, was complacency. Becoming and being a deity is a strange existence. In the first few millenia after you are touched by divinity you struggle to prove yourself worthy, testing yourself against threats to the world, seeking more followers, and reaching equilibrium with the other gods. Once those boundaries are set, you coast along, satisfied that all is right in your world. You get complacent. And you forget that just as you rose to divinity, others rise too. After a time, new beings become divine and they challenge you. There are a finite number of worshippers after all. Sometimes whole pantheons spring up to challenge the existing order. Then the gods struggle and war. Those that lose choose oblivion or exile - to be discarded and forgotten. I am one of those."
She looks apologetic. "The Aboleth or their masters have your memories." "Thank you for giving us ALL a second chance." "Who are we?" The Grey Lady's brow furrows in thought, "These are complex questions. I haven't given you a second chance really - just altered your first chance. You have each done evil acts and were walking paths of infamy, slated to do far worse. I observed your futures and saw they were dark but you were not yet wholly committed to them. By interceding and bringing you here, you have an opportunity to choose different paths but that is, to be honest, incidental to my purpose. I needed iconoclastic people who might choose to help me. Law-abiding, entirely up-right people don't choose to bring exiled deities back into the world. As for 'who you are', you will have to decide that for yourself. Murderers, Saints, or Thieves - the choices are yours."
The Grey Lady gives the monk a broad smile of approval. "Good! You don't disappoint, Jayse. Mind if I sit?" Without waiting on a response, Naladoria plops down on the sand, resting on her elbows. Only the lack of a serious butt-imprint makes it clear that she is only partially there. "So let me answer your questions in a roundabout way... You know my name now. I can't repeat it. That would cut this conversation very short and draw attention I can't afford. As for what I am, I'm an exile and a forgotten deity - a minor one at best in my day but considerably less now. Did I bring you together? Yes, guilty as charged. I'm sorry that didn't work out quite the way I had planned. I didn't know that forces would deployed to thwart me or that they'd be so effective." "As to my 'ends', the nut of it is this... I want out of exile. I want back in the game... and I want you to help me do it."
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