Deep into the Infinite Stair

[Ebiris]

Well naturally they go to the building first, Alicia walking up and opening its door.

[Anastasia]

The door is opened. Within is a large, empty space. Packed dirt, no grass. An arena? Down to seats all around, rising up as you step in.

"Come."

The voice of the Guardian invites you ahead.

On the back wall dozens of faces of the Queen are there, chained. They stare at you from afar, silent all the while. Above and beyond the Queen is a stone pillar that rises high into the air, a rough and crude thing. Yet sitting atop it is a divine seed, the glow and radiance of it familiar to Alicia.

"You dreamed of a time of judgment you were denied," The Guardian's voice is heard. "A soul greedy for justice and power's dream. You hold much of Creation as wrong, for you believe you have your own Answer." Even now the Guardian's voice is disinterested, distant. "Step forward and be tested if you are worthy of the prize."

"No." The Queen's voice as a shape emerges from the stone. A wooden lillend, beautiful and of the same wood tone all over her bare body, as armor of wood covers it. "Not yet." She turns to Alicia, "Promise me some of that miracle's power and I will aid you in these trials."

[Ebiris]

Alicia stops and holds up a hand towards the arena, turning herself to face the manifested lillend doll. "If we're to fight together I would know your name rather than your title. Do you remember it?"

[Anastasia]

The Guardian is silent, at least for the moment.

"My name is...

> roll 1d20+12
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 17 > [d20=5]

"...Queen? I don't," The Queen finally says, a note of longing in her voice. "It's been so long."

[Ebiris]

And that's with the fantastic willpower she showed pushing against Alicia's scrying earlier. "Jessica knows what it's like to forget your name," she says, prodding her sister to contribute.

[Anastasia]

"I built anew," Jessica agrees, "I created anew. I lost everything and I stand before you as I am now."

"Then...I will be Queen," The lillend decides, "Will you agree to my offer?"

[Ebiris]

"You've rather sprung it on us," Alicia admits. "But in truth I was thinking it may be the best solution in the end regardless. Answer me one more thing, if you can? Do you remember why you first came to this place?"

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+12
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 24 > [d20=12]

"It was...an accident," she says at last. "I remember...fire and magic and pain."

[Ebiris]

Not much to go on there. "And when you arrived? Did you simply happen on the guardian by coincidence?"

[Anastasia]

Now a laugh. A sour one, a long one, "No! I spend eons...wandering, learning. Eons, eons, eons. So many eons," she says, voice speeding up, "Until I found the Guardian. What's time? Time runs on and on and it never gets tired. Time is like tomorrow always being today, but without any hope because you know tomorrow will be the same."

[Ebiris]

"And there's no change here to even measure time," Alicia agrees. It does sound nightmarish.

But offer or not, help or not... she'd been mulling over whether to give the seed to Queen regardless. It's certainly a gamble to bestow divinity on someone unknown - she'd said as much when Latha relayed Tryll's complaints about not getting Io's godseed.

But it feels right. Like the natural conclusion to how this should go, to give this place a proper deity of its own, someone who clearly cares for it. Someone who could be a goddess to the lillend in a broader sense.

What had Valnala asked back when she started this? To treat any sisters of hers with love and compassion?

She really should have a chat with Bredanalundalum about the purpose his spell drives its questions towards...

"I'm willing to accept your help, Queen. Jessica?" she asks to make sure her sister is on board.

[Anastasia]

"I'll accept it," Jessica says, "It's the right thing to do. This, all of this? This was Hell. You didn't deserve that." Jessica then turns ahead, blade readied.

Queen's eyes widen. She shakes several moments, "Thank you," she says, turning to gaze at the seed. "Finally..."

"Then all three of you will perish," The Guardian declares, as it manifests before you. A withered old man leaning heavily on his staff. Ancient, broken, reed thin. His hair is stringy clumps of white, his gaze milky white as well. His staff is an old, broken hunk of wood, undecorated.

Above and behind the old man is a beautiful angel, a celestial woman of magnificence and glory. A solar, wings fanned out white. She forever whispers gentle words into the ear of the old man, Words of Creation that tingle your ears to hear. Her arms wrap around his front, in an embrace.

At the feet of the old man it clings, a whispering thing. A faceless daemon, an ultroloth. Both hands hold sharp daggers at the ready even as it clings, avoiding the old man's flesh through space itself yielding to them. It is a blot and a shadow, one that whispers to him as well. Words of the Dark Speech, vile and painful to even ear indirectly.

They are 40ft away and stand there, as the Guardian intones, "Begin!"

Initiative.

[Ebiris]

Alicia has supreme init.

[17:31] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+37 CL on arcane sight
[17:31] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 49 > [d20=12]

What magic do they all have on them?

Spoiler: ShowHide

Alicia HP: 772+20/772
Active spells:  Many moments of prescience (CL 34), extended mind blank (CL 35), extended nondetection (CL 35), greater heroism (CL 34), sensual blessing (CL 34), recitation (CL 34), righteous wrath of the faithful (CL 34), foresight (CL 34), extended spell turning (CL 35), extended freedom of movement (CL 35), keen edge (CL 34), repelling shield (CL 34), extended ray deflection (CL 35), greater visage of the deity (CL 34)
Defences: AC 86, CMD 103, spell resistance 49, energy immunity (fire and cold), status immunity (polymorph, petrification, disease, poison, stunning, sleep, paralysis, death effects, disintegration, energy drain, ability damage, ability drain, mind-affecting, and fear), nondetection (DC 49)
Stat buffs/penalties: +4 morale attack/saves/skills, +25 competence perception, +3 luck AC/attack/saves, +3 morale damage, +2 insight AC/reflex, +9 shield AC, +4 str, +2 dex, +4 con, +2 int, +4 wis, +4 cha
Perceptions: Arcane sight, perception +82
Sorcerer spell slots: 6/16/16/11/8/9/13/9/8/6/8/7/5/6/4
Duskblade spell slots: 6/23/23/20/11/7/9

[Anastasia]

The three are utterly nonmagical, even as they utter the Words of Creation and Dark Speech.

Obviously it's the same trick as with the orb earlier. You're dead certain now they aren't using the Weave.

[Ebiris]

Okay. Carry on with initiative then.