Fantasy Terrorchild: Awakening

[Breadman]

3

 

[K0mori]

3. Offer the Cleric - You decide to be a bit playful in your response. "Once we're through with our greetings, he'll be without a direction to travel. Perhaps you would enjoy his company, then?"

Sox's eyes spark with joy at the suggestion. "Aha! Hoho! Yes! None of we are of any intent or direction as of this hour - 'tis a wonderful time for merrymaking with new faces and old alike!"

The cleric thrashes about on the ground, unable to scream his objections.

"See how he dances!" Sox says, clapping his hands together over his heart. "I'll bring us we some drink and music!"

"I look forward to it," you reply with a grin.

"Well you certainly can't look backwards to it!" Sox says, leaping excitedly before dashing quickly into the trees, leaving you alone with the thrashing cleric.

You force him over onto his back with your foot so that you can look him in the eyes. He silently pleads with you for mercy, and you can't help but smile at his helplessness. "What's the matter?" you ask him. "Cat got your tongue?" After having a laugh at your terrible joke, you take him up in telekinesis and pull him through the door into the temple. "We've got a healer here!" you announce loudly enough that Embryx awakens from her sleep.

"Wha...?" she groans before trying to move and remembering her injuries with a yelp. "Shit! Ow! ...Agranne? Where are we?" she asks, gradually becoming more aware of her surroundings.

You almost forget about the cleric in your rush to Embryx's side. "Embryx, I'm so glad you're still with us," you reply softly. "We're in a temple, sister. We were attacked by hunters in Purrosh, so we dealt with them and then moved east. Corrinth... She helped us the entire way."

"She's not dead!?" Embryx replies, completely shocked. "Is she here!?"

"Yeah, she's here," you reply as Corrinth limply waves her hand in the air over the back of her pew. "A lot of stuff happened after you got knocked out. Let me get this cleric working for us and then I'll explain everything as best I can," you say as you flood the cleric's mind with sympathy, watching with morbid fascination as the man's fear and anger dissipates until he lies peacefully on the floor, his expression far more docile than before. Confident at the adjustments you've made to his mind, you release him from your compulsion so that he can speak.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." he says calmly, tears running down his cheeks. "I'm sorry I ran from you."

You stoop down, pull the blindfold from his eyes, and untie him. "You're a healer, aren't you? Who is your patron? Vestria?"

"Zephimus," the man answers, patiently, "although Vestria is honored as well, here. You all worship the dark one, no?"

You frown. "Syrith guides us as our eldest sister, but we don't supplicate ourselves in search of blessings as you do, waiting for acknowledgement that never comes. I've met and spoken with her, and a part of my soul resides with her just as a piece of her lives within me; have you ever met your creator?"

The cleric shakes his head, no, appearing pathetic and ashamed.

You smirk. "Your god is very far from you, and always has been. But we're here, in your temple, and we expect you to do your sworn duty to aid pilgrims in their travels. Our mission is sacred to us, are we not pilgrims?" you ask, casually.

His shame melts in favor of eagerness - he senses a chance to redeem himself by performing his magic, and you guide him to his feet so that he can inspect the health of your allies. While at first, he's inclined to help Corrinth, you guide him instead to Jannava, explaining her condition as you do. He takes out a wand, one that's made of ivory and shimmers beautifully and, if you're being honest, quite ostentatiously in the fire's light, before dutifully setting to work healing the necromancer's unseen injury. "I hope that this will make you see that we needn't be enemies," he pleads. "I didn't mean to upset you all. I... I don't want to go with the fae creatures. I'm afraid of them. Their minds and bodies are warped beyond helping."

"Then you shouldn't have ran away," you reply. "We could have protected you, if you had only made yourself a friend of the coven."

The cleric begins to despair again, and so you induce a calmness in his mind, manipulating him toward a passive acceptance of the terrible fate you've arranged for him. Jannava, meanwhile, takes up her own wand and begins carefully undoing the false life hex, allowing her wounds to reopen as the cleric is closing them for real. A spatter of blood shoots into the man's face, but he hardly seems to notice as he puts the finishing touches on a spell which stitches her back together, giving a bittersweet smile as he admires his work.

Jannava takes several breaths in a row before nodding, her expression awash with relief that she is again fully alive. "...Thank you," she says to you quietly. "...I know I'm not as strong as Corrinth, but you made sure I was safe first. I won't forget this."

The cleric moves on, determined to save Corrinth's life despite his fading pneuma as you and the tiefling move over to sit beside Embryx and explain to her what had occurred while she was helpless to give input. While she listens patiently, her expression tells you a number of different things about her opinion. To hear that Nytha was alive and well somewhere in Sonnamille is a relief to her, but the knowledge that Corrinth was more fae than human, and had intended to trick you into fighting the circle of Purrosh on their behalf, makes her openly question your fragile "alliance."

"She's just doing this to spread madness?" Embryx says. "How do you think we're going to maintain control over any of this? Even if Corrinth is more cooperative now that whatever that fucking book did wore off, how do you entrust the coven's future to the fae?"

You shrug and shake your head. "I don't. I entrust it to Syrith; she's the one who planned all of this. The alternative was to run away. Is that what you want?"

Embryx thinks about it a moment before sighing in severe frustration. "...No."

At that moment, you're startled by a loud thud, and you turn around to see that the cleric had passed out from exhaustion from using up all of his pneuma while working on Corrinth's wound. For her part, Corrinth looks much less like death warmed over, and flashes her twisted smile in your direction. "Poor thing. He worked so hard he needed a nap. We still haven't got his name, do we?"

"Corrinth," Embryx says, "do me a favor and keep quiet until tomorrow. I'm going to need some time to convince myself not to kill you."

Jannava walks over and inspects Embryx carefully. "...I'm going to set your arm," she says, "and any other broken bones you might have. It'll take some of the pain away while you rest tonight."

"Fine," Embryx says, closing her eyes and awaiting the hex of false life that will disguise her injuries.

---
​

Hours pass, and as the sun goes down completely and shrouds the temple in darkness, you hear a tapping at the door. Now recognizing this as a sign of crows about, you hurry to receive the message. A number of the birds are gathered outside the temple doors, and one by one, they rattle off their replies:

"Elder sister! Fae are deceitful! Tread with caution! Hilthia!"

"Sister Agranne! I'll assist! Coming to you! Kaal of Thuldaal!"

"Elder! Are you mad? Do not trust fae. You will die! Stand with Kulka! Anielle!"

"Elder sister! We support you! Faran of Tashlaan!"

And so on. You smile as you hear from Faran, whom you haven't seen in years, especially since she and the majority of the responses you get suggest that the territories which were once loyal to Diala are now cautiously supportive of your dealings with the fae, although they're extremely weary of treachery. As the final birds speak and receive their corn, you sense movement in the trees, and soon, Sox appears from the darkness with a pitcher in one hand, and a sack in the other.

"Agranne, old friend!" he salutes you. "I am of the feelings that we are near to understandings. It is too late and too soon to celebrate our friendship, no?"

You blink, tiredly. "...you're correct, Sox. It's too soon for the troubadours, but we're not departing until tomorrow, and so there's plenty of time for us to share."

The faun grins. "...Good. All is, as all should be. I bring a small gift, just for you, Agranne," he says, dropping the bag onto the ground with a crunch. You're certain something inside the sack has shattered, and sure enough, he reaches in a moment later to retrieve a badly-chipped clay cup, and then another. You watch as he quickly pours two cups of wine from the pitcher and hands one to you. "Drink. The hour may be late, and our visit short, but any time spent with friends should be merry."

You look at the swirling wine in the cup; you aren't used to drinking wine at all, but the smell is far from unpleasant, and don't want to offend your new allies. With a polite smile, you take a sip of the drink and find it delicious - irresistibly so. Seeing your eyes widen in surprise makes Sox giddy with joy, and he dances around a bit in celebration. You quickly drink the remainder of your cup and set it down beside you, hoping that the faun will pour for you again, but instead, he takes up the pitcher and pours the rest of it in his mouth, gulping it down greedily as it goes. Nevertheless, as he finishes, you join him in a laugh.

A laugh that goes on a bit too long.

You feel a little lightheaded afterwards, just slightly out of touch with the world around you. As you finally stop laughing and regain your senses, Sox snatches you up into a hug before stepping back. "I will see you again, soon, my old friend!"

"Or maybe you'll see two of me, should the drink prove this good tomorrow," you quip, surprised at your quick wit, for once. Tickled, in fact.

Sox gives a deep bow before disappearing again into the woods, and you feel a strange longing to follow him and see where it is he keeps going.

1. Learn Wildshape - You figure that with the night being young, and with Corrinth being in a much more stable condition, you should see if she can teach you some new magic. Perhaps now would be a good time to finally learn how to perform wildshape.

2. Learn False Life - Jannava's false life technique has saved her life, and has helped Embryx remain patient while waiting for healing. You figure you might want to pick up this skill for yourself, and open up a new frontier of magic while you have the chance.

3. Wander the Woods - The forest is dark, deep, and inviting, and you feel awash with curiosity for its secrets.

You have a playfulness in your spirit that you've never felt before. Perhaps you'll soon learn what it's about.

 

[Infab]

3

 

[Damian0358]

2

 

[joshuadim]

3

 

[turtwigwins]

1

 

[hardcore.munchkin]

2

 

[bat_hacker]

3

 

[K0mori]

3. Wander the Woods - The forest is dark, deep, and inviting, and you feel awash with curiosity for its secrets.

At first, you walk only to the edge of the road opposite from the temple, peering through the spaces between the shadowy trunks of trees and into the void beyond, in which a distant sound, like music, can be heard so subtly amidst the chirping crickets and rustling leaves in the wind. It's... peaceful, and it reminds you a lot of the night you first offered yourself to Syrith. What was once a chilling memory has become a fond one in the years since, as the terror and uncertainty of meeting the Eldest and glimpsing life after death has waned on you, now that you've dreamt of it dozens, if not a hundred times.

But right now, there's no fear - only curiosity, drawing you closer to the wilderness as your boots leave the hard-packed ground and cross into the tall grass. You place your hand on the first tree trunk, and listen closely. The music you hear is strange... It's like nothing you've ever heard from the bards who play in taverns. The cadence and harmony are difficult to discern, but it's nonetheless striking a chord within you, and soon, you venture forth, looking for the sound and wondering where Sox has gone.

It isn't long before you find the source of the music - a cacophony of sounds that you can't quite place - seemingly originating out of thin air as you reach a clearing. Despite the closeness of the sound, it still seems as if it's far, like a distant echo, and you walk cautiously in various directions trying to find the meaning of it, until, at last, the music swells and you begin to see the movement and swaying of dancers at the edge of the clearing: the ghostly, half-visible fae, in all their mysterious and beautiful forms, in bliss and entranced by the sound of lyres. You look down at your dour clothing and feel like an intruder, and you wonder if you should simply leave, before you're noticed.

It's only when you look away from yourself that you notice the ring of mushrooms which surrounds you, and how the dancers seemingly form a wall beyond, unbroken, as they glide in circles around you. At once their movements tease your mind and set it at ease, welcoming you to stay while challenging you to move. You haven't enjoyed music like this in quite a while... the weight of dark magic had robbed you of the sensation. But now, you begin to turn, stepping in rhythm with the others, and closing your eyes as if resting in a warm spring.

This... This is lovely. You feel as if you could dance like this for hours. You only wish you had a partner. At first, your mind conjures an image of Embryx, but when this nearly startles you out of your trance and reminds you of your obligations back at the temple, a faerie of indeterminate sex steps forward, taking your hand with a disarming smile. Simply looking into their eyes causes your mind to slip, and before you know it, time and space are escaping you, enthralled as you are. It's only when the faerie reaches into your pocket and draws out the Pandemonium Door that you're shaken back to lucidity.

You make a startling, panicked noise as you seize onto the Door, the illusion breaking and most of the dancers disappearing into thin air before your mind, snarling at the movement of the stars overhead at a speed you can't fathom, sets itself on returning to the temple. Without a conscious thought, you arrive there.

You don't cross through the trees, and you don't backtrack your way to the old stone building. You simply appear.

Breathing heavily, you look back at the woods and see only the stray whisps of smoky shadow behind you. You laugh a bit, and then some more. This is new magic... You set your thoughts on the altar within the temple and clutch the Pandemonium Door closely. With sheer determination, you will it into truth - and without a wasted moment, you arrive within the temple walls in a puff of black smoke, grinning like an absolute madwoman.

The others are here, sleeping peacefully. You walk over to where Embryx is lying and set yourself down beside her. This time, you keep the Door a bit more secure against your body so that it can't be taken from you without at least waking you up, and you close your eyes. There's so much more you want to test, but you're exhausted from a long day and, probably, hours of dancing, during which you weren't permitted to stop for food or drink. You begin thinking about the best meals you've ever eaten in your life, and for a moment, your memory lingers on the tavern in Tashlaan, and those early days before everything got out of control.

Then, slowly, you fall asleep with the taste of Iona's pot roast on your tongue, at least in your fondest recollection.

---
​

"Agranne, wake up..." Embryx says, gently nudging you awake from a peaceful sleep. Your eyes open to find her smiling at you, fully healed from the prior day's misadventure. "We thought we'd let you sleep since you stayed up to keep watch. We're all healed up and ready to go. We should go cook some food, something good."

You nod and return the smile. "Yeah. There's a long road ahead of us, we should eat something hearty if we can get it."

Suddenly, you remember the strange events of the night before and wonder if it really happened. "Hey, um..." you say, "I... I might have wondered off for a little bit last night. Did anyone notice I was gone?"

Embryx shrugs as she lifts you up to your feet. "I remember you stepped outside, but I fell back asleep before you came in. Why do you ask? ...Did something happen?"

You can tell from her accusatory tone that she's beginning to think you did something risky.

1. Truth - "I met with Sox, the faun who brought us the cleric yesterday. I had a drink with him and then danced with the faeries," you explain. "At least, I think that's what happened. It might have been a dream. Ha ha... hoo."

2. Omission - "I was out checking the woods nearby for any signs of trouble, and I think I might have figured out something useful," you say, wondering if you can demonstrate the teleportation you performed last night.

3. Lie - "Not really," you answer. "Sox stopped by again last night - he's a faun who brought us that cleric. I talked with him last night and drank a little wine. I'm not sure what time I came back in."

 

[hardcore.munchkin]

1

 

[Infab]

1

 

[Damian0358]

1

 

[joshuadim]

1

 

[turtwigwins]

2

 

[bat_hacker]

1

 

[dikdik]

1

 

[K0mori]

Option 1: 6 Votes (86% - Range: 1-86)
Option 2: 1 Vote (14% - Range: 87-100)
Fae Roll: 57

1. Truth - "I met with Sox, the faun who brought us the cleric yesterday. I had a drink with him and then danced with the faeries," you explain. "At least, I think that's what happened. It might have been a dream. Ha ha... hoo."

Embryx' concern for you instantly grows. The temple has a supply of small ale, as well as wine for specific ceremonies, but she seems to have already deduced that Sox wasn't the guest being served, but rather the host doing the serving. "Drank... what?" she asks.

"Sox brought it out in a pitcher," you explain with a shrug. "It was wine... I don't know what kind, but it was wonderful, and surprisingly strong stuff."

"Wait, you actually drank the wine!?" Corrinth suddenly blurts out, leaping over the back of her pew to join the two of you as Embryx' discomfort grows - something the changeling seems to savor. "Oh... Oh noooOOOooo," she teases, but is cut off by the swiftness of the drow grabbing her by her collar. Instantly, she finds herself suspended by her cloak, feet barely touching the ground as Embryx holds her aloft.

You notice how Embryx is balling a fist, ready to pummel the daylights out of Corrinth until she stops seeing any humor in the situation, but she hesitates and looks to you for approval. "...Put her down," you ask gently. "I'm right here, and I'm fine, okay? I'm sure she's just playing a prank on us."

Corrinth answers you by giving her usual snicker, but her laugh trails on unpleasantly, until Embryx lets out a frustrated sigh and drops her back onto her heels.

"Can you stop that?" she demands, and something about her helplessness in the moment just tickles you in a way you're not ready for, and the next thing you know, you're trying to stifle a laugh right along side Corrinth. You're only really able to reel yourself in when you notice how close Embryx is coming to breaking down in tears.

"...Sorry," Corrinth says, grinning darkly, "but Agranne really is just a... a perfect fool sometimes. We fae have a little tradition for when someone naive enough wonders into our woods. We offer them a drink laced with pixie dust."

You cock your head to the side. "Pixie dust?"

"Yeah... it contains the essence of fae magic - light or dark. Having that stuff sloshing around in your gut makes you a lot more likely to soak in the revelry and walk away with a hint of the touch. How much did you drink?" she asks, eagerly.

This isn't funny anymore, you realize as you rub your head. "Just a cup... Sox drank the rest of it," you explain with growing anxiety. "Are you saying I'm going to lose my mind, like you?"

"Gods, no..." Corrinth replies, shaking her head. Not like me. Just... a little bit," she says, snickering again and backing away as Embryx begins to walk up on her. She pinches the air in front of her - "an eency weency little bit. Come on, it's just like you said - you're here, and you feel fine, right? What's to worry about?"

Embryx comes to a stop and looks around herself before picking up a chair placed near the edge of the room. With a forceful slam that breaks the wooden furniture apart against the stone floor, she brings both you and Corrinth to attention and silence. "Agranne," she says, "we should've killed her."

"Wait, wait!" you urge, getting between them. "Yeah, I know, Corrinth led us to the fae, but she didn't make me drink the wine, alright? I just didn't think it would cause that much trouble. And I swear... It's still me. I'm not losing it - I promise."

Embryx glares at not only Corrinth, but you as well. "I swear, if you start acting like her, I'll never trust you again."

1. Change Subject - There's not much more you can do but promise not to lose your way. You nod in response to Embryx's warning before realizing it's only you three inside the temple. "...Sorry, but I just realized: where's Jannava and the cleric? I've been so caught up with this that I forgot about why we're even here."

2. Tell Her to Lighten Up - You hate that Embryx is trying to set ultimatums like these. You just saved her life again, yesterday, and then carried her all the way to this safe haven in the middle of nowhere. Would she really despise you that much for making sacrifices in the name of building an alliance? "...I don't trust Corrinth, either, but that doesn't mean I have to start breaking furniture every time she cracks a joke!" you bark back at her. "Maybe you ought to have a cup of that fae wine, too, and learn to laugh a little bit!"

3. Kiss Her - You're not Corrinth, and you never will be - and you know exactly how to prove it. Actions speak much louder than words, and you want to get the message across that nothing is going to get between you and Embryx. You take a step forward and gently push her guard down so that you can look her in the eyes, and as she stops in confusion at first, and then surprise, you stand on your toes to reach up and give her a quick peck on the lips.

4. Crush Her - You never promised your life to Embryx. If she feels betrayed that you don't defer to her approval before each new step on your path, then perhaps she'd be better off running away. "I don't need your trust. I never needed it," you reply hotly.

 

[joshuadim]

1

 

[Infab]

1

 

[Damian0358]

1

 

[turtwigwins]

3

 

[bat_hacker]

3

 

[hardcore.munchkin]

3

 

[dikdik]

1

 

[K0mori]

Option 1: 4 Votes (57% - Range: 1-57)
Option 3: 3 Votes (43% - Range: 58-100)
Fae Roll: 76

3. Kiss Her - You're not Corrinth, and you never will be - and you know exactly how to prove it. Actions speak much louder than words, and you want to get the message across that nothing is going to get between you and Embryx. You take a step forward and gently push her guard down so that you can look her in the eyes, and as she stops in confusion at first, and then surprise, you stand on your toes to reach up and give her a quick peck on the lips.

Embryx stands there, speechless for the moment, as you step back again. "...I meant what I said, yesterday, and I mean what I say right now: I love you, and I'm not going to let myself become someone you don't trust. Please stay with me," you quietly plead.

As the moment stretches in silence, Embryx flushed and overwhelmed by the gesture, you feel a doubt creeping in to you: one that you fear and loathe in equal parts. What you just did... Was it really what you wanted to do? To share your first kiss at a time like this - fresh off of a shallow sleep on an uncomfortable wooden pew, with Embryx contemplating your worst tendencies, and Corrinth leering at you from the shadows?

You tamp those feelings away into the furthest corner of your mind. Lots of people share awkward moments in young love, it's nothing to be ashamed of! And besides, you don't even know how Embryx will respond; while you're busy worrying about the integrity of your mind, she might be thinking about how to best express her own feelings. Maybe, since she has to look in Corrinth's direction while you've had your back turned, Embryx is more concerned about saying something embarrassing than you are right now! That makes sense, right?

"I- I think I need to be alone for a little while," Embryx says, and your heart practically breaks at the apparent disappointment in her eyes. "I'm not leaving, but... There's a lot I want to say. I just can't. Not here."

You can't help but stammer. "O-oh... Just - just don't wait too long, okay?"

Embryx nods, emphatically before turning on her heels and leaving, dropping the broken shards of the wooden chair she was carrying with a clatter. Corrinth breaks you from your fixation on watching the results of your spontaneous gesture by clapping her hands together and giggling. "Nice!" she declares. "Now she knows you're cracking and that you've got no sense of timing!"

"Shut up, Corrinth," you reply, your blood boiling at the intrusion.

Corrinth can't help but snicker at you some more, holding her empty hands in the air in a sarcastic surrender. "...You know what would really knock her socks off? If you spin right around an just kill someone right after your little lovey-dovey routine. How would I get it, hm? Are you going to snatch my soul? Ooh - maybe use that telekinesis to break me, like that chair?"

You want to hurt her, but you know she's right about how Embryx would see it. In the past few days, she's seen every side of you - tender, wrathful, vulnerable, and enraged, laughing at others' misfortune, having no humor for your own... If you kill the changeling on top of all of this, and spoil the alliance you spared her to foster, you'd look worse than insane. You'd look like an idiot, if you don't already.

As you calm yourself, an intelligent thought squeezes through: has Corrinth ever fallen in love? You suddenly remember how badly Embryx got under her skin by reminding her, in the midst of your battle yesterday, that she would always be alone. "...I wouldn't rob you of the honors. Once we're finished installing Lythrefang control over this kingdom, I'll move on to my own concerns. Maybe if Embryx doesn't want me anymore, I'll find another chance at love, while you'll have nothing to do but trapse back into the woods and either lose yourself or end it all."

Your stark reply wipes the smile off her face immediately. "...Fuck," she says. "I was only kidding around, Agranne. Part of me is still human, you know." she argues, morosely.

"That part of you is also a bitch," you say with a cruel smile. "I'm not going to be sorry for you. Maybe I would, if you'd stop trying to get under our skin every chance you get... But so far, you just can't seem to help yourself."

You suddenly notice how you're the only two left in the temple, and having said your piece, you turn and head for the door. Jannava is probably on crow duty, and the cleric is probably already off somewhere in the woods, having a drink or dancing a dance, slowly embracing his doom at the hands of the fae. You push through the doors and are met with a cold, biting chill - the first of the fall season to really make you wish you were wearing a coat. Outside, Jannava is sitting alone next to a small, enchanted fire which produces no smoke.

"Hey," she says as you approach. "We've got a few sisters headed our way; they won't catch up with us until tomorrow at the soonest, though. Embryx is out hunting for some meat. I told her if she brings back anything good, I can cook it with some of the supplies in the temple."

1. Sit and Talk - "That sounds good. I wish we could get to a town with a proper tavern, but I'll take just about anything at this point," you reply, sitting down beside the fire. "...Can I ask you something?" you begin. "What'll you do when you make it back home to Estfang?"

2. Look for Embryx - "I don't really want her wandering around like that in the woods. It's dangerous... I went out there last night alone and really wish I hadn't."

3. Learn False Life - "Good. If not for you, I think Corrinth is the only one of us who knows how to cook," you point out. "While we wait here, could you teach me a little more about necromancy?"