A new sultan?

[Corwin]

No.

[Anastasia]

The Dark Dancer (Supreme Init) > The Chasms (60) > Seira (51) > Ranbar (48) > Dwarf > Great Wall of Shadows (44) > The Tower (38)

Ranbar is battered, empty eyed, while the dwarf stays with you, as...

A wave of wind, a feeling of pressure.

The Tower has fallen. Withdraw. Do you need aid in escaping, Seira?

[Corwin]

Now, Ranbar. Take us away!

[Anastasia]

How often do you rail at others fleeing, yet you run like a coward?

Shar's laughter echos in your ears as Ranbar begins to cast, praying to you, invoking divine magic. There is a thrill of something as Ranbar gasps, struggling, trying. "I..."

> roll 1d20+51
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 55 > [d20=4]

Dimensions distort and shadows howl as suddenly...

A shudder.

The moonlight. You stand amid the Gates of the Moon, amid fields of ethereal white flowers. Ranbar promptly collapses, while your dwarven companion stumbles over to her. "Here," he says, "Damn, did I even introduce myself in all that?"

[Corwin]

"We never got the chance," Seira admits. "Crazy times."

Shar's right, in a sense. It's always extremely annoying. However, putting Shar through that somehow feels right.

"I... guess we can call it a draw, this time?"

She decides to try curing Ranbar anew, hoping that the home advantage of the Gates of the Moon would give her an edge.

22:36 <Seira> roll 1d20+49+3+17
22:36 <Penuche> Seira invokes Penuche's magic: < 71 > [d20=2]

[Anastasia]

"Brockel," The dwarf answers, "Of House Thunderstrike."

Nothing. The wound refuses to heal. Ranbar just grasps for your claw, holding onto one oversized claw like a lifeline. "Please, make it stop," Ranbar begs.

The +17 bonus from Selune is gone now that you're back.

[Corwin]

"Well met," Seira says, reverting to her usual self and picking Ranbar up in a princess carry with a sigh. "I'd love to stay and get to know you better, but any moment Ranbar suffers is a moment Shar wins a little."

Selune, could I gain your personal aid? she addresses their hostess.

[Anastasia]

Shortly. Rest a time until then.

[Corwin]

"Sleep for now," Seira tells Ranbar, retrieving some of her black rose incense and lighting it up while her magic puts the priestess to sleep.

"Did you get a chance to see how the others were doing?" she asks Brockel. "Were there more avatars of Shar popping up here and there?"

I'd like to emulate the opposite to Nightmare, for dreamless sleep.

[Anastasia]

Sure.

"I saw a few," he admits, "I saw Empress Sulia fighting some manner of shadow knight, and her chosen standing with her. I saw Selunites battling a small cadre of Sharran priests who emerged from the shadows." Staying standing even now, "Little enough time to see with all we battled."

[Corwin]

"I'm glad I got that dubious honor, then," Seira mutters. "Ah, geez. You know how you do almost everything right and intellectually realize you gave a good showing but feel terrible? Shar's a genius at making you feel that way."

[Anastasia]

"Aye." A single nod at that, "She spoke to you?"

[Corwin]

"She always does. I'd say it's personal, but she's like that a lot. I wish I got to stab her more...."

[Anastasia]

Clutching at his holy symbol, "Earth's bones," Brockel says. "I hear those she talks to go mad or become unresponsive until they slay themselves."

[Corwin]

"It happens a lot, true, but hardly to everyone. I've had good friends and comrades in arms who weathered her taunts and invitations without gaining an obsession for her. How about you? She kept it short and to the point? Loss, failure, tears?"