Registered Member #1556
Joined: 5:54:38 am GMT 03/18/10
Posts: 289
Tea for Two
Idunna left the people at the Trade Fire to continue their chattering about clothes and sundry other topics she had little interest in. She had a meeting to attend and although it was with a great deal of trepidation, Idunna walked to Raven's Watch and to the Ebon Trade. Upon entering, she approached a woman clad in black robes.
Idunna Nistaüre: Good evening, Lady Nasmat. I am Idunna. I sent the request for this meeting.
Nasmat: *glances over, and just figures her reputation precedes her* Hmm, I do recollect something about that. I had figured you were like the rest of the imbeciles on this island and sent letters but never followed through with them.
Idunna Nistaüre: I apologize that it has taken me so long to make good on my request. Many people have tried to dissuade me from meeting with you.
Nasmat: Not doubt *dryly* Do you drink tea?
Idunna Nistaüre: Yes... I do. Green tea, actually. A color we share in common.
Nasmat: Very well, come along.
Idunna Nistaüre: *follows*
Nasmat: And no annoyances, all the better.
Idunna Nistaüre: Yes... people on this island are very nosy.
Nasmat: Well there are no obvious idiots with you.
Idunna Nistaüre: No. I thought it best that I came alone. *looks around her as they enter the Bainite shop; a bit nervous*
Nasmat: *takes out her keys, unlocking the door* Do have a seat.
[ image disabled ]
Idunna Nistaüre: These are nice quarters
Nasmat: *puts together a tea tray*
Idunna Nistaüre: *folds her hands in her lap*
Nasmat: *sets down the of silver, set with very fine porcelain dishes.. laiden with cookies and tea, honey and cream*
Idunna Nistaüre: *is rather surprised by the delicate nature of the dishes and finery* That's a beautiful tea set. *isn't sure whether she should serve herself or wait to be served*
Nasmat: *gestures for her to serve herself*
Idunna Nistaüre: *takes of of the tiny cups and pours herself some tea...adding only honey.. before placing the cup on a plate and taking a cookie* Thank you for the tea. I hadn't expected such hospitality.
Nasmat: I'm sure the rumors abound.
Idunna Nistaüre: Yes. They do.
Nasmat: Last I recall I was also supposed to be seven feet tall and breathe fire. *smirks* Or so one brave soul told me
Idunna Nistaüre: And render destruction on halfling villages, Thayan Enclaves, and the city of Steinkreis.
Nasmat: Well..
Idunna Nistaüre: I have no idea what is truth and what is normal human babble.
Nasmat: One of those is true.
Idunna Nistaüre: *sips the tea* I was hoping... *puts down the cup and plate* That you could tell me what happened in Davenshire and at the Enclave.
Nasmat: Of the three, I have only wrought destruction upon Kreis.
Idunna Nistaüre: Indeed? So you were not responsible for the destruction at the enclave and in Davenshire?
Nasmat: No.
Idunna Nistaüre: Do you know who was?
Nasmat: *pours herself a cup of tea* I do.
Idunna Nistaüre: *picks her cup back up* I know you have no reason to trust me.
Nasmat: What do you know of the events that transpired?
Idunna Nistaüre: Very little.
Nasmat: The Tiroth?
Idunna Nistaüre: No. I do not know who that is.
Nasmat: This island cares nothing for history.
Idunna Nistaüre: And there is nothing written that I could find... which is why I sought you out. Gharos isn't exactly forthcoming in explaining things.
Nasmat: Gharos doesn't know. He left the Thayans long before these events transpired, turning traitor on his people and nation. He may have been born 'of Thay' but he is no longer one of them.
Idunna Nistaüre: That would explain a great deal then. I have no intention of making our conversation public. This information is for me alone. *sips her tea* He said he left the Red Wizards. I'm not very familiar with their social or political structures.
Nasmat: *thinks where to start* It began with the Tiroth invasion.
Idunna Nistaüre: *sips her tea and listens*
Nasmat: Davenshire, at the time, was a thriving landscape, and if one had the manpower, ideal for taking control over. It was at this time I met the tiroth forces.
Idunna Nistaüre: The Tiroth invaded of their own accord?
Nasmat: They did.
Idunna Nistaüre: Interesting *sips her tea*
Nasmat: I was sought out by them in the matter, to aid in providing a distraction so they could take over with a minimal resistance. They took the town in one night. Capturing city officials and locking them away to ensure the townspeople followed for fear of harming their own.
Idunna Nistaüre: *sips her tea and tries not to react too much*
Nasmat: Yet the Tiroth issued an ultimatum, despite the lack of violence used. For every man of ours that is harmed, two of your own will be put to death.
Idunna Nistaüre: *she lets her cup slip a bit but recovers quickly* The Halflings must have been terrified.
Nasmat: Perhaps, but resistance formed in secret to act.
Idunna Nistaüre: *just nods*
Nasmat: I was at this time, invited by members of this resistance to join their cause. *looks amused*
Idunna Nistaüre: *looks surprised*
Nasmat: Instead I informed the Tiroth's Captain of the matter and watched him hang the instigator.
Idunna Nistaüre: *frowns*
Nasmat: But all that did was create a martyr for the halflings to rally behind, and eventually the Tiroth fleet was destroyed in some secret act of rebellion
Idunna Nistaüre: Halflings are amazingly resourceful for ones so small.... *takes a sip of her tea*
Nasmat: There was a good deal of rejoicing, but I waited for the Tiroth to make good on their promise. For each one of theirs, two would fall.
Idunna Nistaüre: *almost drops her cup* But I thought the Tiroth fleet was destroyed and their forces pushed out?
Nasmat: One fleet yes, but their homeland?
Idunna Nistaüre: Oh.
Nasmat: If you destroy the elves on patrol, you do not wipe out their entire forces.. merely those prsent at the time.
Idunna Nistaüre: Yes... *looks embarrassed* You are correct of course.
Nasmat: It was in this time I began to spend time conversing with a Red Wizard, named Paydon.
Idunna Nistaüre: *sits up..suddenly more interested*
Nasmat: *traces a fingertip over the rim of her teacup in thought a moment*
Idunna Nistaüre: Paydon was an apprentice of Gharos... I believe. He only mentioned him briefly
Nasmat: of Sar'rel, actually.
Idunna Nistaüre: Who?
Nasmat: Another Red wizard.
Idunna Nistaüre: Ah. *makes a mental note of that name*
Nasmat: Paydon and I were considering alliances, and he had invited me to tour the Enclave
Idunna Nistaüre: Alliances for? I am unsure which nation you represent, my lady.
Nasmat: Zhentarim and the Red Wizards
Idunna Nistaüre: Ah yes. The Zhentarim.
Nasmat: During this tour of the Enclave, we were greeted by an unexpected visitor; one I knew by his attire, a Tirothian General Who had a single question for Paydon.
Idunna Nistaüre: *looks up from her tea* Which was?
Nasmat: How would you like to end a thousand souls and send them screaming to their deaths?
Idunna Nistaüre: *face pales.. if that is possible for an elf* That..... that is ... horrible.
Nasmat: *glances off in memory* Paydon was giddy at the idea. And the two gentlemen went off to discuss the matter in private.
Idunna Nistaüre: *swallows hard.. suddenly not very interested in the tea*
Nasmat: I do not know the details of their talk, I was not privy to such. But I knew it could only pertain to one place
Idunna Nistaüre: Davenshire
Nasmat: *nods* For weeks I waited and heard nothing, and Paydon kept his secret from me about what was going to happen. And then one day I was walking South.. and I heard it.
Idunna Nistaüre: Heard what?
Nasmat: The word 'boom' is inadequate to describe the sound.
Idunna Nistaüre: ...What did he do?
Nasmat: The massive explosion of arcane force unleashed..
Idunna Nistaüre: *realizes that was a stupid question* Do you know how it was done? What forces he unleashed?
Nasmat: Mostly, yes.
Idunna Nistaüre: I would like to hear it, if you don't mind.
Nasmat: The Tiroth required a pure necromancer to cast the spell, because only they had to necessary skill and focus to release the curse. To quote them precisely.. "A necromancer of irredeemable black heart"
Idunna Nistaüre: Who was this person?
Nasmat: Paydon.
Idunna Nistaüre: I... I see...
Nasmat: They gave him a scroll, an ancient relic. The first stage of the curse unleashed, was pure destruction.
Idunna Nistaüre: Do you know what the scroll was.. what the ancient relic was?
Nasmat: No. But only death followed in that spell.
Idunna Nistaüre: *swallows hard wondering how such horrible things can exist in the world*
Nasmat: All life was snuffed out in Davenshire.. in single, moment.
Idunna Nistaüre: *gasps which is more like a small cry of anguish*
Nasmat: *actually has a little grin* I can only imagine what he saw before his eyes, was purely glorious. So much power.But the lives of two 'adventuring' sorts were also snuffed out.. and they returned by means of the stones. Rallying the people to arms against the Red Wizards, with their account
Idunna Nistaüre: Do you know the identity of those two people?
Nasmat: No, I don't remember unimportant names
Idunna Nistaüre: That's ok.
Nasmat: *gestures* They rallied the masses to attack the Enclave. It was sieged for weeks by the would be heroes of the isle.
Idunna Nistaüre: So the same explosion that trapped the souls in Davenshire to walk as undead did not effect the Enclave at that time?
Nasmat: It spread, across the land.. slowly. But the enclave was destroyed by the 'do gooders' The Red Wizards escaped through some.. aid.
Idunna Nistaüre: So the halflings that died in the explosion, part of the curse of that ancient relic was to raise them as undead?
Nasmat: Yes.
Idunna Nistaüre: And that same curse then spread to the Enclave?
Nasmat: Perhaps. It is the most likely reason, unless the Thayans cursed themsleves. Paydon would have that answer.
Idunna Nistaüre: How would I contact Paydon?
Nasmat: It is hard to draw him out of his laboratory of late.
Idunna Nistaüre: I see...What do you know of this Morting Presence? Was that part of the curse or the ancient relic?
Nasmat: Neither.
Idunna Nistaüre: *confused* How did it come to be a part of the problem, then?
Nasmat: An evolution of the magic. The magic was ancient, even the Tiroth did not understand it.
Idunna Nistaüre: *clears her throat before she says something not nice* Evolution of magic
Nasmat: I have spoken to their generals. *light gesture* I get my slaves from their stock. It was not supposed to happen.
Idunna Nistaüre: *raises a brow*
Nasmat: But we, the general and I, are rather certain that the Presence... isn't their doing. Or my doing. But rather the result of Harpers.
Idunna Nistaüre: Harpers?
Nasmat: You know them, yes?
Idunna Nistaüre: *rolls her eyes slightly* They tend to go into things half informed.
Nasmat: Well the Harper began meddling with the 'Shire landscape long ago.
Idunna Nistaüre: *surprised look* For what purpose?
Nasmat: To try and 'fix' things, naturally of course without having any idea what they were dealing with
Idunna Nistaüre: *sighs with understanding* Do these Harpers still operate on Thain?
Nasmat: When the General and I were last present to survey the land for a new dock, this .. "Presence" spoke to me. Asking me to aid it, to be free of their corruptions.
Idunna Nistaüre: Their corruptions?
Nasmat: Yes.
Idunna Nistaüre: Whose corruptions?
Nasmat: The Harpers.
Idunna Nistaüre: *puzzled face* Do you know what this corruption is?
Nasmat: This "Morting Kryst" Presence spoke with me. It showed me what the harpers had been doing to it, and asked me to free it.
Idunna Nistaüre: *tilts head* What were they doing?
Nasmat: But now some idiot has gone and shattered it to bits.. so who knows what to expect anymore.
Idunna Nistaüre: *looks down in her lap knowing who did that* So.. back to the Harpers... do you know what they were doing to this Morting Kryst?
Nasmat: Putting things into it. Various stones.
Idunna Nistaüre: I see....
Nasmat: And of course the Harpers are still here. *gestures South* The old blind man near the goblins is one.
Idunna Nistaüre: Really? Did that area of deep shadow exist prior to the explosion Paydon unleashed? How is it connected to all of this.
Nasmat: .. It's not.
Idunna Nistaüre: *very puzzled expression*
Nasmat: That is some, Shadow Walker.. thing
Idunna Nistaüre: Ohhh...
Nasmat: Those are entirely unrelated.
Idunna Nistaüre: So it isn't an entrance to the plane where the Morting Presence resides.
Nasmat: Not according to my Spymaster, no.
Idunna Nistaüre: That is good... good. Very good to know. So you've had your people enter the shadow? I've found several places like the one in Davenshire all over the island.
Nasmat: I have my people.. everywhere.
Idunna Nistaüre: Do you have an address where I can send Paydon a message?
Nasmat: You can leave it here.
Idunna Nistaüre: Very well. I will leave it with your man at the shop, if that is agreeable with you.
Nasmat: Or with Khalador I do suppose.Either place will reach him.
Idunna Nistaüre: *nods* Thank you for your time. And your patience.
Nasmat: I have no interest in healing the land. I am perfectly content with it how it stands.
Idunna Nistaüre: I understand. The land is recovering on its own.
Nasmat: If the Tirothian General is correct, not for a thousand years
Idunna Nistaüre: They are willing to wait that long to have use of a land they conquered?
Nasmat: They no longer want it
Idunna Nistaüre: *huffs at that remark and scowls slightly*
Nasmat: But the lesson had to be taught.
Idunna Nistaüre: And what lesson was that?
Nasmat: *flat look* That the halflings could not get away without being punished.
Idunna Nistaüre: Carylduil is correct. Perspective is everything. I must go... but thank you so much for speaking with me.
Nasmat: But fear not. *smirks* I have plenty of plans for the landscape just how it is.
Idunna Nistaüre: Yes. Many people always have plans for things. Thank you for the tea.... It was quite fine
[ The Island of Thain ]
Unravellings