Fractions and Factions: Crystal Calamity - Rae - 06/06/23
Jun 12, 2023 14:45:57 GMT
Jaezred Vandree, Andy D, and 3 more like this
Post by Harry on Jun 12, 2023 14:45:57 GMT
(Following the events of After the Storm…)
A sleek, black phaeton carriage with red leather seats, pulled by a speeding stallion made of shadow, skids to a halt in front of the Hung Rabbit Inn, turning the heads of the humble farmers and workmen in the vicinity. The fancily-dressed drow who hops off it draws just as much attention as he strides in through the open door, forcing himself not to look at the wooden spider effigy in the yard.
He immediately spots the burly minotaur and the purple-skinned earth genasi sitting side-by-side at a table in the tavern. “You called?”
Keros raises a hand and casually invites Jaezred to join them. “You do know how to make an entrance.”
“Always.” He grins as he slides into the seat opposite them. “Apologies, I’ve been terribly busy. I’m… I’m glad you both came back safely.”
Rae smiles at the genuine concern from him. “Thank you, Jaezred. We’ve been busy too, as you know. A lot has happened that we need to catch up on. Big progress in K’ul Goran and Enlace, we both nearly died, and we’re dating now so, you know, ups and downs.”
They smile brightly, as if not giving a second thought to admitting it so casually. Keros, who was expecting a little more subtlety and was in the process of taking a drink, briefly chokes. He puts an arm around Rae and pulls them closer, smiling at Jaezred as he does so.
Jaezred’s eyebrows are climbing up his forehead. “Ooooh,” he intones teasingly. “So… comrades-in-arms, huh? Professional work colleagues.”
“Yep, keep ‘em coming Jaezred. Get it all out, we know you’ve been waiting for this.” Rae smirks, but then smiles softly as they get pulled into Keros’s side.
“No, but seriously, congratulations. Took you long enough! Dhauzith, ciders for the happy couple — put it on my tab!” He smiles warmly at them and laces his fingers together. “Well, I am most glad to hear the good news, but what else have you got to tell me?”
Rae takes their cider on the house happily and sips on it before nodding in a bit more of a serious expression. “Yes, we should get back to business, lots to discuss. May I start with Enlace?”
“Yes, you go first.”
“Okay, so the run down is this. I, and a number of other brilliant adventurers, were called to action in Enlace. The crystal that sits in the centre of their society was getting dangerously close to fracturing. The soldiers of Daring Heights were out on top-side holding off Lucinda and Morena Vazroques’s forces.” Rae turns to Keros for an aside. “They were the two that another party and I spotted wearing the pin on my first trip to Enlace. Powerful spellcasters armed with shards of the crystal for their own use.” They bring the conversation back to the group. “First priority was healing the crystal. I had a ritual I was preparing to test at the previous visit but we, you know, didn’t get a chance. Which is all fine now.”
Rae pulls out their spellbook and lays it on the table, flicking open the pages to a double spread covered with arcane scrawlings and sketches detailing the spells intended purpose to absorb a small fraction of the power of the crystal, and feed it into a transmutation to form new crystal matter from the earth and seal the missing shards. The sketches depict the flow of energy moving into a hand-like crystalline formation, wrapping around the crystal. Jaezred nods in approval as a fellow arcanist. Keros smiles and nods at the complex magical stuff; he doesn’t understand it, but he’s pretty in awe of it.
“The good news is, it was successful. It absolutely would not have held if I didn’t have the contributions of every member of that party. The crystal is incredible, it is stabilised and— and almost fuelled by the emotion of the people of Enlace. So every one of us had to contribute our own feelings and… and our beings in our own way. Lucky’s love, Vicros’s absolute order, Seraphina’s faith, Leif’s sincerity and Markas’s force of will. All of this was felt and received by the crystal and, alongside each of our own spellcasting rituals and processes, we were able to fully mend the crystal.”
“That’s incredible news,” says Jaezred, smiling. “Now we don’t have to worry about it bringing in fiends and whatnot into the Dawnlands — very welcome news indeed. Brilliant job, Rae.”
“Yeah that’s amazing! I do have one question, though. You said that you each contributed something, but you didn’t say what you contributed.” Keros stops suddenly, realising that he was thinking aloud. “Sorry, unless it’s something you don’t want to talk about. I get it’s personal.”
There is a little smirk on Jaezred’s face. He leans in, intrigued to hear the answer.
The young wizard turns a little sheepish. “No, no, it’s okay. I don’t think I was conscious of it in the moment because I was so focused on my ritual, but… I think I gave the awe I had for that place. For the crystal, Enlace and all its people. It’s beautiful and I think their potential is incredible, and all I wanted to do was help them restore it to what it was.”
Keros squeezes Rae with the arm wrapped around them, probably a little too tightly.
“Careful there with your strength, friend Keros. You could break this twink.”
“Oh shit, I’m sorry! That’s just… I couldn’t see the place like that.” The minotaur smiles, “If we go back I’ll try to.”
“I will take you back when I can! Ziha was incredibly apologetic when I was able to reunite with her, to me and Keros. I think she would appreciate a second chance. And I think she deserves one.”
Keros sucks his teeth for a second, then shakes a thought off. “I… Yeah, sure.” It’s easy to tell that he’s struggling with this.
“That’s also good to hear. However, I’ve heard reports that very few of the soldiers stationed there came back with you,” Jaezred chimes in, changing the topic for Keros’s sake. “Did most of them desert?”
“Ah, yes. That’s the other half of the story I didn’t quite get to.” Rae sighs before continuing. “Soon after the crystal was healed, we didn’t have much time to wait. Lucinda and Morena showed their faces, as well as a… frankly gargantuan monster of fire that they were attempting to summon through. We were able to close the portal summoning the monster, but the soldiers abandoned the fight and then Vazroques themselves came into the sanctum of the crystal. It ended up being just us and them so… We did what we had to do.”
They take a sip of their drink. “The fight was a haze, a flurry of spells and weapons, it was hard to keep up. I was knocked out partway through, and when I came to… Lucinda Vazroque was dead, but Morena got away. Swearing that dusk will fall on the Dawnlands.” They stare at their drink and swill it around idly as they mull over those words.
“Oh wow. That sounds… pretty awesome,” Keros says. “Wait, you were knocked out? Are you feeling okay?”
“I am fine, Keros. Thank you.” Rae places a reassuring hand on his forearm. “We had incredibly capable healers present.”
“Well, that… Morena? She’s going on my list.” He pauses for a second. “Do we have a joint list now? Is that a healthy thing?”
“Couples who slay together, stay together,” Jaezred says with a smirk.
Whilst Keros has a moment of doubt considering whether having a joint bloody vengeance list is moving too fast in an adventurer-adventurer relationship, Jaezred continues speaking, the look on his face turning slightly grave. “The desertion is a pity, but not unsalvageable. There will always be new recruits. It seems like the face of Fort Daring is changing again anyway with Commander Trymyng’s resignation yesterday. Morena Vazroque lives… Unfortunately, there’s no telling what she’ll do now. Needless to say, it’s a loose end that must be tied up.”
Rae nods solemnly. “But that’s pretty much it in regards to Enlace. Overall, positive? The crystal is healed, one of two Vazroques slain, and the relationship between the people of Enlace and the Dawnlanders is much more positive than we left it last. I think they will be valuable allies, and I hope to do more work with them in the future.”
“Great work. If those soldiers wouldn’t stick around once a fight started, you could never have relied on them anyway. It was a fake projection of strength,” Keros says. “Sounds like a big win all round to me.”
“I agree. Alright, your turn, Keros…”
(Continued in Fractions & Factions: The Coup.)
A sleek, black phaeton carriage with red leather seats, pulled by a speeding stallion made of shadow, skids to a halt in front of the Hung Rabbit Inn, turning the heads of the humble farmers and workmen in the vicinity. The fancily-dressed drow who hops off it draws just as much attention as he strides in through the open door, forcing himself not to look at the wooden spider effigy in the yard.
He immediately spots the burly minotaur and the purple-skinned earth genasi sitting side-by-side at a table in the tavern. “You called?”
Keros raises a hand and casually invites Jaezred to join them. “You do know how to make an entrance.”
“Always.” He grins as he slides into the seat opposite them. “Apologies, I’ve been terribly busy. I’m… I’m glad you both came back safely.”
Rae smiles at the genuine concern from him. “Thank you, Jaezred. We’ve been busy too, as you know. A lot has happened that we need to catch up on. Big progress in K’ul Goran and Enlace, we both nearly died, and we’re dating now so, you know, ups and downs.”
They smile brightly, as if not giving a second thought to admitting it so casually. Keros, who was expecting a little more subtlety and was in the process of taking a drink, briefly chokes. He puts an arm around Rae and pulls them closer, smiling at Jaezred as he does so.
Jaezred’s eyebrows are climbing up his forehead. “Ooooh,” he intones teasingly. “So… comrades-in-arms, huh? Professional work colleagues.”
“Yep, keep ‘em coming Jaezred. Get it all out, we know you’ve been waiting for this.” Rae smirks, but then smiles softly as they get pulled into Keros’s side.
“No, but seriously, congratulations. Took you long enough! Dhauzith, ciders for the happy couple — put it on my tab!” He smiles warmly at them and laces his fingers together. “Well, I am most glad to hear the good news, but what else have you got to tell me?”
Rae takes their cider on the house happily and sips on it before nodding in a bit more of a serious expression. “Yes, we should get back to business, lots to discuss. May I start with Enlace?”
“Yes, you go first.”
“Okay, so the run down is this. I, and a number of other brilliant adventurers, were called to action in Enlace. The crystal that sits in the centre of their society was getting dangerously close to fracturing. The soldiers of Daring Heights were out on top-side holding off Lucinda and Morena Vazroques’s forces.” Rae turns to Keros for an aside. “They were the two that another party and I spotted wearing the pin on my first trip to Enlace. Powerful spellcasters armed with shards of the crystal for their own use.” They bring the conversation back to the group. “First priority was healing the crystal. I had a ritual I was preparing to test at the previous visit but we, you know, didn’t get a chance. Which is all fine now.”
Rae pulls out their spellbook and lays it on the table, flicking open the pages to a double spread covered with arcane scrawlings and sketches detailing the spells intended purpose to absorb a small fraction of the power of the crystal, and feed it into a transmutation to form new crystal matter from the earth and seal the missing shards. The sketches depict the flow of energy moving into a hand-like crystalline formation, wrapping around the crystal. Jaezred nods in approval as a fellow arcanist. Keros smiles and nods at the complex magical stuff; he doesn’t understand it, but he’s pretty in awe of it.
“The good news is, it was successful. It absolutely would not have held if I didn’t have the contributions of every member of that party. The crystal is incredible, it is stabilised and— and almost fuelled by the emotion of the people of Enlace. So every one of us had to contribute our own feelings and… and our beings in our own way. Lucky’s love, Vicros’s absolute order, Seraphina’s faith, Leif’s sincerity and Markas’s force of will. All of this was felt and received by the crystal and, alongside each of our own spellcasting rituals and processes, we were able to fully mend the crystal.”
“That’s incredible news,” says Jaezred, smiling. “Now we don’t have to worry about it bringing in fiends and whatnot into the Dawnlands — very welcome news indeed. Brilliant job, Rae.”
“Yeah that’s amazing! I do have one question, though. You said that you each contributed something, but you didn’t say what you contributed.” Keros stops suddenly, realising that he was thinking aloud. “Sorry, unless it’s something you don’t want to talk about. I get it’s personal.”
There is a little smirk on Jaezred’s face. He leans in, intrigued to hear the answer.
The young wizard turns a little sheepish. “No, no, it’s okay. I don’t think I was conscious of it in the moment because I was so focused on my ritual, but… I think I gave the awe I had for that place. For the crystal, Enlace and all its people. It’s beautiful and I think their potential is incredible, and all I wanted to do was help them restore it to what it was.”
Keros squeezes Rae with the arm wrapped around them, probably a little too tightly.
“Careful there with your strength, friend Keros. You could break this twink.”
“Oh shit, I’m sorry! That’s just… I couldn’t see the place like that.” The minotaur smiles, “If we go back I’ll try to.”
“I will take you back when I can! Ziha was incredibly apologetic when I was able to reunite with her, to me and Keros. I think she would appreciate a second chance. And I think she deserves one.”
Keros sucks his teeth for a second, then shakes a thought off. “I… Yeah, sure.” It’s easy to tell that he’s struggling with this.
“That’s also good to hear. However, I’ve heard reports that very few of the soldiers stationed there came back with you,” Jaezred chimes in, changing the topic for Keros’s sake. “Did most of them desert?”
“Ah, yes. That’s the other half of the story I didn’t quite get to.” Rae sighs before continuing. “Soon after the crystal was healed, we didn’t have much time to wait. Lucinda and Morena showed their faces, as well as a… frankly gargantuan monster of fire that they were attempting to summon through. We were able to close the portal summoning the monster, but the soldiers abandoned the fight and then Vazroques themselves came into the sanctum of the crystal. It ended up being just us and them so… We did what we had to do.”
They take a sip of their drink. “The fight was a haze, a flurry of spells and weapons, it was hard to keep up. I was knocked out partway through, and when I came to… Lucinda Vazroque was dead, but Morena got away. Swearing that dusk will fall on the Dawnlands.” They stare at their drink and swill it around idly as they mull over those words.
“Oh wow. That sounds… pretty awesome,” Keros says. “Wait, you were knocked out? Are you feeling okay?”
“I am fine, Keros. Thank you.” Rae places a reassuring hand on his forearm. “We had incredibly capable healers present.”
“Well, that… Morena? She’s going on my list.” He pauses for a second. “Do we have a joint list now? Is that a healthy thing?”
“Couples who slay together, stay together,” Jaezred says with a smirk.
Whilst Keros has a moment of doubt considering whether having a joint bloody vengeance list is moving too fast in an adventurer-adventurer relationship, Jaezred continues speaking, the look on his face turning slightly grave. “The desertion is a pity, but not unsalvageable. There will always be new recruits. It seems like the face of Fort Daring is changing again anyway with Commander Trymyng’s resignation yesterday. Morena Vazroque lives… Unfortunately, there’s no telling what she’ll do now. Needless to say, it’s a loose end that must be tied up.”
Rae nods solemnly. “But that’s pretty much it in regards to Enlace. Overall, positive? The crystal is healed, one of two Vazroques slain, and the relationship between the people of Enlace and the Dawnlanders is much more positive than we left it last. I think they will be valuable allies, and I hope to do more work with them in the future.”
“Great work. If those soldiers wouldn’t stick around once a fight started, you could never have relied on them anyway. It was a fake projection of strength,” Keros says. “Sounds like a big win all round to me.”
“I agree. Alright, your turn, Keros…”
(Continued in Fractions & Factions: The Coup.)