The duty to live

[Ebiris]

"The sword could have been custom made for the ruse, whoever did this clearly has resources to spare. But otherwise that ability on a magic sword of that shape is sufficiently rare, the only one I'm familiar with is in the hands of Imix. We came into conflict during the recent war on fire although I personally had few dealings with him, so it's possible I could be an incidental target of opportunistic spite depending on what your own relationship with him is like," Alicia speculates. A fire archomental and a winter fey queen aren't exactly going to be best of friends after all, and if the Queen of Air and Darkness has had recent conflict with him then it provides a motive.

And honestly, the bad acting job? Unless done deliberately to editorialise their own bad opinion of Alicia, she'd expect Malcanthet or Shar to be able to give better performances if they felt the need. Imix on the other hand has had next to no interactions with her to guide his acting.

[Anastasia]

"Imix," The name is spat out like a curse, "A fool who would dare to cross me," The Queen of Air and Darkness agrees.

A thin smile dances on Syala's face as...

It could even be a faction of the efreet behind this, too. We do have enemies on Fire, even if we're not Seira herself. It's not conclusive, but I hesitate to jump to a conclusion when this much guile and trickery is already on display.

[Ebiris]

"Are the two of you sufficiently at odds that the scheme feels likely as a means for him to distract you?" Alicia asks.

It's actually quite novel for her to be the one caught incidentally in this thing rather than the primary victim if this turns out to be the case, but she's warming to the theory.

[Anastasia]

"We do not like each other, but we did not have any great enmity until this day," The Queen of Air and Darkness concurs, her fist balled up now. "Perhaps he wishes to steal fey away from winter and to his court. He will freeze in winter's heart for his crime."

[Ebiris]

"The evidence remains only circumstantial, but that might be the best we get from this," Alicia admits. "The sword in question is called Ssilresizz. Seeing its effects first hand could serve as more conclusive proof."

[Anastasia]

"It is likely all we will get," The Queen agrees.

I still wonder, but we may not ever have a conclusive answer.

[Ebiris]

"Perhaps so. I shall be watching Imix more carefully now but it's not enough to justify an attack, or even an accusation," Alicia admits. Maybe getting an ally to try and trade something for Ssilresizz by proxy? Even then, even if the fire it produces matches what was in the memory, it's still only a circumstantial link through an easily copied magical effect.

"That takes us back to where we were at the outset of this confrontation. I can't well send Batu on the same quest after that display, and despite our differences it leaves an ill taste to compete after being on the same side of this ploy. Might you and Syala be able to reach some sort of compromise over Yun's grove?"

[Anastasia]

The cold gaze of the Queen of the Dark Fey is on Syala, who steps forward. She spreads her arms wide, "We could go to war over this, but that just gives our impostor what they want. Had Yun given offense before this, beyond the grove?"

With a voice of the winter winds, the answer is, "No." Short and simple there, no elaboration.

"Yun lets the grove go. In exchange, you offer three worthwhile locations in the same world to be peacefully handed over to my own without malice, quarrel and in perpetuity. None of yours or those motivated by yours will interfere with these locations or their expansion. None will be in places of eternal winter."

"Yours will not harm mine in that world, for 300 years," The Queen commands back. "In that world, the Unseelie shall have nothing to fear from Sylica."

[Ebiris]

It's give and take, and it's a similar sort of deal to the one she rejected from Malcanthet. The Unseelie aren't as big a threat to Alicia's entire dogma, but they're more objectionable to Syala who actually has an interest in wild places.

"I'm prepared to work with those restrictions and we can speak for the rest of Sylica here, but I don't keep such a tight grip on my worshippers and the fights they get into," Alicia says. "However I would like wording put in place to allow for duels to be used to settle conflict in the case of irreconcilable differences, or some other method to resolve emnities that crop up. If one of mine has a friend or subject slain by an unseelie then all me forbidding them from acting does is lose me a worshipper and send someone unaffiliated into the wild with blood on their mind."

[Anastasia]

There is a long pause, "Very well," The Queen agrees at last, and with a brittle, wintry smile, "We both have greater enemies."

[Ebiris]

"Indeed. Syala?" Alicia asks the nature goddess who's going to be far more affected by these restrictions. But she did ask for eternal ownership of three spots so she must be getting what she paid for.

[Anastasia]

With her own less than friendly smile, "Accepted," she says, "I refuse to dance for another's machinations."

[Ebiris]

"Then the terms are accepted. Should we learn anything more of Snowwind's killer we will be in touch," Alicia volunteers, opening a gate for her and Syala's avatars to return to Sylica.

[Anastasia]

Meanwhile, the true Syala slowly exhales. "Do you think it's Imix?" she asks, baldly.

[Ebiris]

"I started the conversation ninety percent sure it was Malcanthet. Now she's far down the list and Imix is my best guess at fifty percent," Alicia says. "There's enough incidental hostility to justify it, the poor rendition fits someone unfamiliar with me through contact or study, and the link with that sword is somewhat compelling. But it's not enough to openly declare."