This post has the following content warnings:
View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
An adventuring party recruited from Osirion teleports into Azir on the 8th of Desnus. Rahadoum's recruiting contact in Osirion wrote ahead to note they were expected. Couple of guys he's known a long time - a wizard, a ranger - and a new guy, sorcerer, probably to replace the cleric they usually travel with. They spend two days in Azir getting oriented and head out to the front. The ranger wears an unusually high quality amulet of Nondetection; the sorcerer wears a headband for intelligence, which is a bit unusual as sorcerers usually don't need it to cast, but some variants do; they are otherwise unremarkable. Chaotic Good, Lawful Neutral, no reading, which could mean neutral or 'hiding it'. They work quickly and effectively, manage resources reasonably well, get recommended to higher-ups for a closer look on that account.
"We believe so, yes. Perhaps indirectly - Moondance is a Healing-Adept, he has deep rapport with the land, and this is Her land as well..."
Moondance shifts his weight. "It feels right. The - deep beneath the earth..." His voice is toneless, strange. "A forgotten story - master and student - a young man who acts as one immortal, because he is - who turns to evil, not for lack of caring, but because he cares too much–" He breaks off. Blinks. "Mmm?"
"That's what Nefreti said. Almost identical. Young men who think they are immortal, because they are, because they were, but everything else was lost, a price they did not know they might need to pay..."
"Well, I think we should probably try to learn more. Even if it's dangerous." He glances around. "We've got a lot of powerful people here, I don't think we're easy to kill."
"Yeah. Uh, I can meditate and know an area like I'd spent my whole life there, including underground, radius of like two miles. If we had any guesses about where the buried danger is I'd be able to confirm them, probably. I wouldn't want to do it without your god but it sounds like she wants us to check this?"
"It seems so. It would be where his Tower was, I think. Ka'venusho. The name his city once bore, though there is nothing left. At least not aboveground."
Shortly later, the cheerful friendly Swordsworn is back with supper for them, and then announces that the moon is rising soon and Karna can show them the tapestries if they wish. It is much of the same story they saw already, but in more detail.
Moondance looks over at Starwind.
"We would like to see them," Starwind says, "but - also, if possible, we wish to see the remains of Urtho's Tower, at Ka'venusho. Moondance sees things from Her, sometimes, and - he has a feeling it is important."
Ke'valen looks startled and kind of flustered. "Oh. Er, I will - tell the shaman..." He leaves their food and flees.
"...That's really inconvenient." Frown. "I could - try to read your thoughts about it? But you're probably not allowed to agree to that and also it - seems hostile to him."
"I'm wondering if he wasn't convinced, because why would you do that to your self from another universe who's sending an army."
"Leareth would absolutely do that if their positions were reversed. He is very - cautious, that way. And, Aroden's situation is almost worse, right, he was betrayed by the other gods - well, at least one of them - he's got to be feeling awfully paranoid about making waves now."
He feels bad about this but kind of needs to do it anyway. "...at the site of Earthfall there was the Starstone."
Vanyel has noticed the face. "Does he want us to be calling him something else for, er, information-security reasons? That'd be pretty reasonable, honestly, I just don't know what else he goes by."
"...the man in charge of Rahadoum is named Malduoni. I don't... actually know that it improves information security... to claim that Malduoni found the Starstone at the site of Earthfall...but apparently I can think it, so there's that."