Yggdrasil (Afina, Moore, Jaela)

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d100 when in slaadland, roll dice
<Serith> Kotono roll for Serith < 21 > [d100=21]

You play a lively tune, a portal appearing before you.

Crystal gives Jaela a sharp look, "You're still growing?" she declares.

[Ebiris]

"Four," Afina answers. "Then I just took it off her and did it myself... and of course Crystal, look at how big her mother is!" she says before heading through the portal.

[Nephrite]

"Anything we should expect?" Moore asks, rubbing his arms to keep himself warm.

[Ebiris]

"This place was hidden from me when I came last, I couldn't say," Afina answers before she's gone.

[Nephrite]

Moore looks to Ilsenine. "I'll be right behind you, Your Majesty, unless you wish for me to go first."

[Anastasia]

Ilsenine nods and follows Afina through. Another portal down, another layer passed.

You stand not outside, but inside. A warm, firelit study. A single window lets in absolute torrents of moonlight, bookshelves aplenty here. Besides the fireplace are several chairs, each sized for each of you. Sitting in one of them is an older man. His face has a close-cropped white beard and his matching hair is cut short. His deep blue eyes sparkle with life and mirth, utterly ageless. He appears to be old, yet his eyes betray him. You feel absolute love from him, like a warm blanket of happiness and acceptance. From his back are six wings, each one of pure white. From the tip of each one an hourglass hangs, not sagging the wing at all. He otherwise wears cloth of white. "So it's time you returned?" he says.

Aging penalties are gone. You're middle aged now.

[Ebiris]

By now Afina looks pretty much the same as usual, middle age not getting her down at all. "Grandfather Time," she nods in greeting, giving the helpful angel a smile. "Last time I allowed you to protect my sensibilities, but now I know the truth and this is where we must be."

[Anastasia]

Queen Ilsenine has a touch of gray in her hair, taking a seat. She's otherwise unchanged. Crystal's upright once more, aged but only lightly so. "Thank you," she murmurs to him.

"Sit a time," Grandfather Time invites, "Sit down and let me tell you a story."

[Ebiris]

They have... time, for that. And so Afina claims a seat for herself, happy to listen attentively to whatever wisdom Grandfather Time sees fit to dispense.

[Corwin]

"Hello," Jaela greets him politely, almost back to herself.

[Nephrite]

Moore shifts, ah... his back feels so much better! He straightens his outfit a bit.

He bows his head and will go and take a seat. "Yes, thank you for the invitation." 

[Anastasia]

"Many have come here. The great, the wise and the powerful have unraveled the secrets of Arborea and sought the Yggdrasil," He gestures ahead, out at the moonlight night. "To pass, you must overcome my trial and find the way out of this manor. You must then travel the moonlit night and pass the trial of Sehanine Moonbow, who watches over the realm from far above. Finally, you will find yourselves before King Oberon or Queen Titania, and you must successfully petition for access."

Grandfather Time smiles. A sense of peace passes through each of you, "I cannot say if you will succeed or fail, but the time to try is on us."

[Ebiris]

That wasn't much of a story, but okay. Always try the simplest approach first, and so Afina asks, "Can you tell us the way out of this manor, please?" Maybe the trial is being polite? It surely can't all be legendary prowess and scintillating deeds, right?

[Nephrite]

Moore frowns. "...I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but is this something that even the one we're chasing had to go through?"

[Anastasia]

"Why is the Yggdrasil here?" Queen Ilsenine asks a mere moment later. "Why does it lie in Arborea and not the material world?"

"Through the front door," Grandfather Time says, "Force will not avail you. It is a trial of the senses and the mind. Once I sat here and lo! A great, raging balor appeared and demanded the Yggdrasil. I merely pointed him ahead and to this day, he has still not found it. He wanders endlessly, raging futilely. He hates and rages, but that is not the path to victory."

"No," Grandfather Time continues, "That poison is something else. Something more insidious."

Finally he pauses a moment, "Ilsenine, you already know the answer. Wisdom comes from understanding the meaning behind it, not confirming what you've already discovered."