Atop the hill...
The lay priestesses and acolytes succeed in clearing all the tourists out of the Temple, making way for the party to enter. Once the group is inside the sanctuary, the doors are closed behind them...with the lay priestesses and others outside.
The three priestesses with the party look at each other briefly with apparent puzzlement, and then their silent questions are apparently answered by a sudden swirl of green soulfire. A priestess appears who the party hasn't seen before. She gives the party nothing but a stern glance before turning her attention to the three younger priestesses. A silent conversation is shared, and then the higher-ranked priestess leads everyone through the passages down to the gate as before.
The gate chamber is empty save the gate itself; there is no sign of Par'ai.
"Par'ai is busy elsewhere," explains Gaima. "Kal'mai Ash-Light will operate the gate. I will send Keil'i Glowing-Hill and Bina with you. I will stay here with Mey'Luskar. Par'deth is waiting for you on the other side. Hopefully this won't take long."
With that, the higher ranking priestess turns to the gate and sings to it in the eerie vocal/psychic harmony. It responds by activating as before, forming a glowing portal beneath the shimmering gem.
Mey'Luskar whispers something in Mon'Fargret's ear, kisses him on the cheek abruptly as if it burns her, and moves away from the group with Gaima.
"Come!" says Keil'i, and she steps through the portal.
***
On the lower circle...
Nekshi and Kuluf board the vehicle without any trouble. Granite Spear seems a bit more reluctant (not to mention a bit clumsier when it comes to climbing in). Soon the little truck is humming its way around the main circle road toward the Museum.
"Are you lost?" asks the Yangae man pleasantly in his native tongue.
"She's troubled," cuts in one of the Hergoth women, also in Yangae. "She's searching for something!"
"Well, isn't that why people usually come up here?" asks the Yangae man. "To search for something? The thing is you never quite know what you're gonna find! Bet you didn't expect this lot to come your way!" Then he laughs out loud. The two Hergoth women join him, uttering the low wail that serves as the Hergoth equivalent of a laugh. Then the man says, "So tell us, what's your story, anyway?"
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Zeton braces himself for the journey and follows Keil'i into the portal.
Nekshi looks sympathetically at Granite. The shurian has been through a lot the last few hours but has never complained. Nekshi reminds herself to reward such stoic loyalty.
She responds to the driver in Yangae, "Our 'story' began only yesterday. We search for a source of psychic contagion poisoning members of this city. An Eldrich Evil which may have lain dormant on Lyranell for thousands of years, but has recently stirred; endangering perhaps the entire planet."
"Oh, and we're also searching for a hyperwave communicator."
The Yangae man exchanges looks of puzzlement with the two Hergoth women, and then he says, "Well, we can probably help you find one of those..."
"No, not thousands of years," mutters Kuluf. "Only about four hundred. But I guess last time it only...never mind."
Nekshi puts her hand on Kuluf's arm as gently as she can. "By the Prime, I'm going to suggest something quite radical for a being of your magnitude. You don't have to be Wanderlust or Vision or any of the intrinsic modalities of fate which may have been proscribed by aforementioned destinies inherent within Galactic History. You can just be Kuluf, as I am Nekshi or Granite is...Granite."
"You don't have to be what you don't want to be!"
She gestures to the Temple grounds, "That's what this is all about! The victory of beauty and symmetry over mindless causality and oppression. Be Kuluf, dammit! Enjoy your life, and stop whining about the past."
Kuluf regards Nekshi steadily and replies, "But so much of history here is probably my fault..."
His verbal translator is set to the Zorlan language (which I'm going to assume is what Nekshi was just speaking), which is probably a good thing.
As it happens, however, one of the Hergoth ladies asks (in Her-Galad), "What are you talking about? It felt profound!"
Mon'Fargret nods appreciatively to Mey'Luskar, mumbles something to her, and follows Zeton.
Granite glances around as if noticing her surroundings for the first time in hours. [because, in fact, I've been on vacation the last week]
Pointing at Kuluf with a little mirth, "Your fault? I doubt you are directly responsible." Granite stretches her legs as best she can, and adds "How old are you anyway?"
In the bowels of the Temple...
Dabid hesitates for a moment, and then he follows Mon'Fargret through the gate.
Pru turns to Mey'Luskar and says, "Don't worry, lady. Everything's under control!" Then she moves in front of the gate, stops, looks up at the glowing crystal, and says, "Woah! Would you look at thAAAAAaa....."
After having pushed Pru through the gate, Lirassa sighs, glances at Mey'Luskar and Ham in turn, and then steps through herself.
In the back of a light truck cruising around the circle to the Resort building...
"How old am I?" wonders Kuluf. He thinks about it for a while and then replies, "I lost count. It stops mattering once you've gotten past the first few centuries."
Granite eyes Kuluf suspiciously, but then shrugs off the comment. Granite watches the scenery for a few moments, and then moves her tail around to try to get more comfortable.
"Is this all the faster you can drive this thing?", she blurts out to the driver.
Zeton move away from the portal to make room for all the the people in the party. He quietly observes the area to determine where he is and what part of the temple they may be in. He also tries to feel the ominous feeling talked about earlier, to see if it is any stronger now that they are closer to Dusker.
@Dewkid:
(What language is Granite Spear's translator set to when she says that?)
@InfoGeek:
(Ham, Widjgleeby, and Bina haven't come through the gate yet. I'm waiting for comments from the players...up to a point. For now suffice to say the gate brings everyone into what appears to be either someone's living room, a large office, or both. It's rather spacious but isn't well lit. The furnishings reflect an odd balance of expensive tastes, moderation, conflicting aesthetics, and poor housekeeping, but it's all very Yangae. Par'deth is there with the Bolgan the party met in the tunnels earlier.)
(I guess I should mention: The place gives Zeton the creeps, though he's not sure why.)
[Zorlan. I imagine that means the driver won't even realized he being addressed, but that's probably just as well. I'm not sure Granite really wanted a response anyway - she's just uncomfortable, and a little claustrophobic]
Mon'Fargret adjusts to the lighting and surroundings and his eyebrows raise when he says Par'deth.
He nods and says, "After a prolonged absence, it seems our branches meet more often now, Par'deth. Well met. We still have a few yet to enter the portal."
"Our branches seem tied by either the Entity or fate's fickle irony," replies Par'deth grimly. "The authorities have gotten Par'ai's report. They're on their way. We shouldn't do too much before they get here or they might try to charge us with something. But I'd like you to see who's responsible and try to get something sensible out of him."
"Something sensible? Dusker seemed pretty passionate about his feelings when we first met him, so I can only imagine how he must be feeling now. I wonder, will we make him more upset, or will he try and gloat about our impending doom?"
Zeton scans the room and before anyone can answer his first question he asks, "Where are we?"
Nekshi responds to the Hergoth female.
"My friend is disturbed by things he may have done in the past. What is your teaching regarding absolution and redemption?"
Somewhere in Ekr'in
Par'deth hesitates to answer Zeton's question, but Pru speaks up.
"I know this place," she says. "I've been here before. This is where 'Meskar-Dusker' live, as we always said in the Scarlet Order. Well, lived, anyway. I mean...this is where, uh, the lady and...he...lodged." Then she looks around uneasily. "But they're not the only ones living here."
"That's right," says Par'deth. "This is an annex to Mas'Vellaf's place. A number of his higher-ranked employees live here."
As the little truck eases nearer the Resort building...
The woman seems tickled pink (or at least a more pinkish shade of yellow-brown) to be given a question like Nekshi's. "It doesn't really matter where you come from," she says in Her-Galad. "What matters is where you go. To grow beyond what you are is the way of Gôth. To seek the highest truth is the way of the Entity. That's what this place is all about!"
"That and the pretty gardens," adds the other woman. Both women and the Yangae man share another laugh.
"We're where?!??" Zeton completely fails to hide his surprise at the revelation of their location. "Whoa, for some reason I thought Dusker had been teleported to the Temple, instead, the temple teleported to him! I can only imagine the look of surprise on his face when the tables were turned."
Zeton starts to smile a bit, but stops. "Forgive my outburst Par'deth, and forgive me for not greeting you when I arrived. I wasn't expecting to be taken to Dusker's house."
Zeton looks at the Bolgan, "I know we met earlier, but I don't remember your name. I'm Zeton, who are you and, if I may ask, how are you helping Par'deth?"
The Bolgan regards Zeton warily for a moment and then says in Her-Galad, "Braghl's the name. I'm his main wrench. Long story."
Par'deth says grimly, "The poisoned ones can NOT go to the Temple."
"That reminds me!" says Keil'i. She turns to Pru and holds out her hand. "I was told to give this to you!"
Pru eyes the object in the priestess's hand as if it were a poisonous insect. "What's that? A ring? What for?"
"You asked for a way to identify the poisoned ones," replies Keil'i a bit defensively. "This is it! Par'ai sent it!"
Pru reaches out carefully and snatches the ring as if from a hot frying pan. Then she examines it. "What's it do, glow or something?"
"You'll know," replies Keil'i, folding her arms.
"So, can you tell us what we should expect? Are we going to meet with Dusker face to face, or identify him without him knowing?"
Zeton of course is full of questions, so without waiting for answers, he continues, "What sort of retaliation do you expect from Mas'Vellaf? I imagine he's amassing a small army of lawyers as we speak, waiting to work on Duskers release as soon as he's brought in by the police, yes?"
Nekshi smiles and claps her hands. She continues her conversation with Kuluf and Granite in Zorlan.
"There you have the answer to all of Life's questions. Move ahead, grow, adapt and plant."
She pauses and enjoys the final few minutes of the journey, admiring the Gardens and the strange diffuse sunlight which seems to come from all angles.
"When faced with such sensory input it's easy to forget one's individuality and attribute Beauty as an end and not a source."
"I could easily surrender my core to this existence. Why not serve that which is pure, and sweet?"
She shakes her large lobed head.
"Because someone has to do the pruning and weeding. That's why Gardens grow as they do. It's not a natural relationship. Not yet. Call me in another couple of thousand years, or get an Aragonese gardener."
Somewhere in Mas'Vellaf's sprawling complex
"Very likely," says Par'deth. "But something tells me he won't be showing his face for a while." With that, he turns to go, motioning for the others to follow.
As the truck pulls up to a stop next to the Resort building...
(I doubt the remaining trip took a few minutes. The total linear distance covered was only about 300 meters, meaning that even going at an easy clip to avoid tourists and easing into the entrance it was probably over in just around two minutes.)
The three elderly workers gaze at each other in puzzlement, and then they wish Nekshi & co. a polite blessing.
Zeton allows the rest of the group to follow Par'deth and takes up a position near the back of the procession. He wonders what tactical advice Nekshi would offer in the unfolding scenario...
Widjgleebe is following wherever she's supposed to be going.
(All these conflicting conversation threads are confusing. I'm too close to tax day to follow them. Great, I can't remember my password . . )
(I know...sorry about that! Nekshi and Granite Spear's side adventure should probably be conducted via e-mail to avoid confusion.)
Widjgleeby emerges from the gate with (I'm going to assume now that a week has passed) Ham close behind. Bina brings up the rear, and as soon as she's through the portal closes behind her.
Glancing around the room, Bina pouts and lets slip a muffled snort of derision before hurrying to Keil'i's position.
[Mon'Fargret imagines a quasit.]
Mon'Fargret examines the assembled group, "Are we all here?"
Ham comes through the gate and takes a quick look around the joint...sees Pardeth ...nods... and immediately finds a comfy place to lean up against with a better view of the space, and stay out of the way. Th scanner for now is set on passive reception. [I'm trusting Pardeth's senses to be less intrusive than an active scan.]
These digs remind me of a acquaintence of mine ....sort of" Ham grunts softly.
"Zeton ..I wouldnt be surprised there would be a more direct response ... just like in our case. Security deposit or no."
[strong inclination to just plop down in the nearest comfy chair .... put the ole combat boots up on the first piece of furniture.... light up a stick *belch* and say ...I notice no burn marks or scorch holes in the the floor ...so he isnt here yet.. any decent food around here? where's the kitchen?" ...but maybe later...]
"They're all here, Honored Hero," reports Bina with a sigh, but Par'deth has already moved out.
As stated before, the room looks like it's both an office and a living room. On one end (near where the party came through) there is a multirole gaming table surrounded by stools. Toward the middle but slightly offset is a low table surrounded by sofas and chairs with a holovid nearby. One wall is dominated by a collection of shelves and cabinets. The other, opposite it, is a small bar with a cooler and pantry nearby.
At the far end of the room is a large desk with a typical Foldorian-style "virtual workplace" chair behind it.
There are three doors. The most conspicuous one, obviously the main entrance, is on the wall next to the bar. There is a smaller door with features suggesting a water closet behind the gaming table. There is another small door behind the desk.
It is through this latter door that Par'deth goes, Braghl following right behind him.
Mon'Fargret follows Braghl [unless someone else wants to go first].
Mon'Fargret does manage to be first through the door after Braghl. Both Pru and Lirassa race to be next, circling around the desk on opposite sides before colliding right in front of the door. After a brief fuss, Lirassa smiles and says politely, "After you!"
Pru's "Thank you" seems a bit more acidic. Straightening herself, she marches through, Lirassa falling in behind her.
Dabid, who had wisely given up on trying to be next behind Mon'Fargret himself, steps in behind the towering Besteeng Amazon with a mournful sigh.
(Who's next?)
(BTW the doorway is clearly designed for the somewhat elven proportions of Foldorians and not Farbetts. It's liable to be a very tight squeeze for Widjgleeby.)
Zeton is going to hold back and make sure Widj makes it through the door without too much trouble, so I guess that means he'll be going last.
If I can't make it through the door, i'll just rip off the door jamb. Well, maybe not . . .
Widjgleeby thinks, meh, I've worked in Yangae houses with smaller doors than this, sucks in her gut, and gracefully bends her way through.
Well, maybe not gracefully per se...
Zeton follows through.
(Based on what ElTigrez said before, I'm going to assume Ham hangs back a bit, watching his scanner.)
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