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- Holmes: Agnes, having slipped a tendril of her thought into the ash lair through the opening that Egani created realizes that the place is an extension of the node network of the earth that links all essential things.
- Holmes: But it's almost as if it's in miniature, allowing things to be magnified, distances lessened.
- Holmes: Using this to leverage she might be able to reach far, far places, she realizes.
- Holmes: To do so, however, might require extensive attunement to this alien environment. Worse, there are... minds? ... here that are quite alien and hard to even detect.
- Agnes eases her way in to make a feasability study.
- Holmes: The group rounds a corner in the cave. The saving grace that makes the place at all nagvigable is the hellish light that seems to emanate from nowhere and everywhere all at once. By this light, Chimrea sees that there is a strange silvery pool ahead.
- Chimrea steps toward the pool, curiously.
- Holmes: As the others get closer, all can see that strange shapes seem to almost bubble up from the silvery stuff.
- Holmes: But it's more than that
- Holmes: The shapes defy gravity
- Holmes: They eventually collapse back into the pool, but all to slowly
- Holmes: And the shapes are quite disturbing
- Holmes: As Chimrea gets close, one of them starts forming into a humanoid form . It seems to beckon her closer.
- Egani attempts to study the phenomenon and prepares a jar for containing some of the silvery material.
- Chimrea stops a bit away from the pool and holds her empty hand out, palm up, in greeting.
- Holmes: The silvery being does the same. As she watches, it forms more clearly defined features. After a moment, Chimrea can see that they are those of her Father.
- Holmes: Egani, too, sees Okhfels arising from the pool.
- Holmes: The similarity is complete, except for the slick silvery sheen that covers him.
- Holmes: Chimrea notes that the spirit inside of the thing is... not really exactly that of Okhfels. And she also notes that there's some sort of spiritual connection that's being formed between whatever it is, and her own spirit. Almost like a spiritual tentacle reaching out and grabbing her.
- Holmes: "Chimrea," it speaks. "It's been so long. Have you been watching your siblings?"
- Chimrea holds up her hand between them, her face calm though she bites the inside of her lip. "Wear your own face," she says softly but firmly.
- Holmes: "Don't talk like that to your father, Chimrea," it says. "Your mother didn't teach you like that."
- Egani peers into the aparition's essence.
- Holmes: Egani sees a strange essence in the stuff of the pool, but it is quite weak. Instead he mostly sees that there is a spirit dominating the material, forcing it to be as it needs it to be.
- Chimrea: Chimrea's voice sharpens as she steps forward, challenging the spirit's claim. "You would steal the voice of the dead to speak to ME?"
- Holmes: The silvery stuff seems to suffer almost a blow, and in slow motion, it becomes an amorphous blob quavering in the air.
- Holmes: It stands motionless for a moment, but then suddenly lurches forward reaching for Chimrea.
- Egani swings his sample jar forward, attempting to capture some of the physicallity of the thing.
- Holmes: The thing grabs Chimrea, and drags her into the pool before Tez can grab her from behind to stop this from happening.
- Holmes: As it retreats into the pool, it leaves behind a small part of itself in the jar in which Egani has captured his sample.
- Holmes: Tez looks at Egani in disbelief, and Alquas the Goblin sputters as well.
- Egani snaps the lid onto the jar and cinches the seal tight before attending to the swimming Chimrea.
- Holmes: As they all look on, they can see Chimrea being swept down a river of the silver stuff that leads out of the back of the pool.
- Holmes: Agnes is aware that she is being separated from the others, as well.
- Egani wades into the pool to retrieve Chimrea.
- Holmes: Despite a valiant effort to use his magic, Egani is unable to plow through the thick silvery stuff to get close enough. Soon Chimrea is out of sight.
- Holmes: The thing drags Chimrea, unable to resist it's hideous strength, to a vast cavern that seems to be dominated by miniature volcanoes. The river of silver wends its way between rivers of lava, and eventually Chimrea notes a bright light ahead.
- Chimrea fights to tread the not-water, letting herself be steered once she realizes it's too strong to fight the current. She peers at the light ahead, trying to tell if it's an improvement or a new threat.
- Holmes: As she approaches, the light reveals something inside of it. A great legged serpent that carries a monstrous trident. The light around it becomes heat as she comes near. Not having many points of reference, Chimrea estimates that the being is as large as their house in Green Lake.
- Holmes: Chimrea can hear their spirit-speech as they approach. The silver-thing can't get too near for fear of melting, but addresses this being with reverence.
- Holmes: It asks for a reward for bringing the one that was asked for to the lizard king of this hellish place.
- Chimrea: Chimrea, a little unnerved that she was asked for, listens for the answer.
- Holmes: The lizard-beast asks for the thing to unhand Chimrea, and tells it that it will be rewarded.
- Holmes: It let's her go.
- Holmes: And departs.
- Holmes: The lizard steps a bit closer, and Chimrea has to hold up a hand due to the heat it gives off.
- Holmes: It seems to consider her.
- Chimrea holds one hand before her face, looking out between her fingers as best she can. She curtseys low in a puddle of skirts, but does not bow her head.
- Chimrea: From her shoulder, the spider watches.
- Holmes: The being speaks to her in it's way, and Chimrea manages to make sense of it. In part because it obviously wants to make a deal.
- Holmes: It begins a very long history of how it got to be in this deep place.
- Holmes: To make a long story short, the Salamander once lived in a volcano in Sarnak, and ruled that land and beyond. But he was betrayed by another god (he thinks of himself as a god), and forced to flee across water to this place.
- Holmes: He seeks to someday return to Sarnak in full power, and resume his domination of it.
- Holmes: And he can do so, with the right aid.
- Holmes: And he will...
- Holmes: If
- Holmes: Well, in return for helping the heat-lizard, it supposes that a servant of Old Man Spider wants something in return, and he's willing to bargain.
- Holmes: He asks what it is that Chimrea seeks.
- Chimrea conveys to the spirit that she has come to this place, below the halls of the High King, because he is encroaching on the territory of Green Lake. She feels that the High King is trying to take for his own that which is already claimed by other spirits, including Old Man Spider.
- Chimrea: She came to learn more, and now feels that the High King is unlikely to listen to appeal, so she needs aid.
- Holmes: The lizard-thing definitely is no friend of the High King, and his animosity at that being's name shows on it's somewhat human face.
- Holmes: I will aid you in this, certainly. It will work well with what I need.
- Holmes: To accomplish both your task and mine, you need but to return to Green Lake, and bring back here the spirit gem of the scorpion.
- Holmes: I will then bond with the scorpion spirit, and be able to be in two places at once.
- Holmes: I will help rule Green Lake, and protect it from the High King?
- Holmes: And I will also rule Sarnak from Mount Carablas.
- Holmes: Without the power of the scorpion, I cannot pierce the veil that surrounds this place and leave.
- Chimrea: And the scorpion? A heavy price has been paid, more than once, for the sake of the spirits of Green Lake. If their duality were broken, it would be a bad bargain.
- Holmes: Worse than the duality being broken, and Green Lake being ruled by the High King? Or, if you stand against him, being cut down by his armies?
- Chimrea: But she does not own the heart of the city, and so cannot fairly sell it, Chimrea says. Could the salamander instead touch the roads that the High King travels, and cloud them with smoke to blind his progress? What if Chimrea could find power that did not require the spirit gem?
- Holmes: The Salamander seems as if it's rousing to ire. But it asks what is in doing this for himself. Why should he use his powers so? Merely to annoy the High King?
- Chimrea: Chimrea meets anger with stillness, like a deep pool that remains after a momentary furor of steam. Surely the Salamander, wishing to escape its prison, can see that Chimrea does not want to place her city's spirits in similar captivity? Chimrea sees the prison and wishes to open it, but she cannot do so if it means taking from her own people.
- Chimrea: Her compassion is sincere, and evident to the Salamander if it has any concern for human emotions.
- Chimrea: And, she says, she knows someone who can open many locks. There are ways besides the gem to crack this prison.
- Holmes: The Salamander is willing to listen. But it has doubts about anyone being able to open the way for it.
- Chimrea: What would be lost by trying? The High King is preoccupied with his wars, and the rising power of the Blood Moon. He does not know what passes, down here among the dead and the deep veins of the earth.
- Holmes: What would be lost is the surety of escape that the scorpion spirit would provide.
- Holmes: Why should I let you go, if I'm not sure that you will return?
- Chimrea: It can be certain Chimrea will return, because she will leave with it something too precious to abandon. She kneels and upends her bag onto her skirt, her most treasured memories and the deep secrets of her heart scattering like stars across the dark fabric.
- Holmes: The spirit of flame can see her passion in these, and knows that they are, indeed, of value to Chimrea. It agrees to let her go.
- Chimrea bows her head in agreement. She will bring back the key.
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