Kascha's in her quarters, sitting at her desk. She turns as you enter, "Afina," she greets, and after the door closes for you alone to enter, "You visited Yggdrasil?" She pats her lap gently, smiling.
"I did, I..." Afina begins as she flutters in only to stall and trail off. "Do you want me to sit on your lap?" she asks, faintly confused. She heard all about it from Tepen how pixies foster the same sort of feelings as children do towards big folk, but still...
Kascha giggles, "If you want to. I thought you might like some support after everything that's happened."
"Well, alright." There's no real harm in it so she flies over to park her skinny behind on Kascha's lap. "I'm actually okay with everything. If I didn't know, about elves and eladrin, then I'd probably be devastated. But I do - I started out as an outsider that became one of the first fey for whatever reason it was, and now I'm an outsider again. There's a symmetry there I can appreciate.
"I suppose what niggles me most is just how much undeserved arrogance we fey carry. I was so sure I had all the answers, I could just sit back and complacently regard elves and eladrin as thin-blooded offshoots from the pure ideal fey represent. But it was all a lie." She leans back against Kascha's arm and tilts her head back to look up at the ghaele. "Where did the lie come from, I wonder? Was it instilled knowingly into the first fey to give us certitude in our path? Did we simply adopt it over time as the truth of our origin became obscured? I remember pieces from my previous lives, but not enough to have answers to these questions."
Kascha pats your shoulder as you settle on, holding you. She murmurs a few words, gentle currents of wind brushing your hair and straightening your clothes. "It's a long story. It's the story of Arborea and the one eladrin that managed to equal Arborea. Her story is the story of the eladrin and the fey, and somewhat distantly the elves as well. Would you like me to tell you about it?"
"Please," Afina asks, wriggling around as Kascha freshens up her appearance. It sounds like useful knowledge to have.
Kascha settles in and begins to talk.
"At first, Arborea had no sealed layers. The Womb was the deepest level, where life newborn was obtained. You rose to old age, and past that, into the eternal afterlife of the highest layers. Which are the ones that aren't hidden these days, incidentally. Anyway, eladrin traveled these layers, living grand existences and reincarnating when the time was right. This went on for eons unchecked, until Morwel."
A small smile, "Morwel did not reincarnate. Instead she chose to lie in Arborea and dream. A dream of infinite variety and change, a single life that equaled all Arborea could offer in infinite lifetimes. So great did her dreams grow that eladrin abandoned this cycle in favor of joining Morwel's dream. On and on it went, until the day came where Morwel captured a majority of the eladrin. On that day, Arborea itself stirred and confronted Morwel."
Kascha pauses a moment, "They did not do battle. They looked at one another and understood. Morwel's dream had become a perfect representation of Arborea, fulfilling the ultimate purpose of any outsider. She had achieved perfect unison with her source, yet as a perfect representation of liberty and freedom, was unique and independent. Morwel's dream had matched Arborea and Arborea changed to match her. Or did she change to match Arborea? It hardly matters now, for they are one in the same. Arborea is Morwel and Morwel is Arborea."
"Does it seem familiar, Afina? A cycle of eternal rebirth, overlooked by a wise queen?" Kascha looks down to her, magic brushing her hair slowly and soothingly.
"Not just that," Afina says, seeing what Kascha means. "The fey tell that once all life followed the same Cycle through Yggdrasil, until the accumulated dreams of mortalkind grew in depth and meaning enough to form the outer planes, the promise of which claimed all the mortal races until only the fey were left to carry on the Cycle. It's like the same story viewed through a distorted lens, its principle player hidden."
"Yes, most fey stories are like that," Kascha agrees, "Seelie and Unseelie both, for the Queen of Air and Darkness once served Morwel as an eladrin." A sadder smile shows on her face, a sigh. "Much of fey lore is meant to instill eladrin values, but subtly and with proper distance, so that fey can make their own choices. Over time, the Unseelie spread stories further and further warped. Some of this intermixed as well. Fey arrogance also comes from that."
"I was an unseelie a few times," Afina mentions, recalling a few memories that thrust to the forefront when she was at Yggdrasil. Really a lot more than 'a few' given how many times she's been around even if it's not a fifty-fifty split. "I never really hated them though, not like I hate devils. It was always just a job when I killed them."
That's all by the by anyway. "So, that's the truth then, which I can never tell anyone about?"
"Yes. The truth is hidden for reasons I told you before. Because one day....one wonderful day...the division will end," Kascha smiles, "The Queen of Air and Darkness will be defeated and all the children will be reunited. A world that is both Arborea and the natural world. A natural world that can't fall to Hell. A natural world where each life is wonderful beyond all measure. A world that has no place for fiends. No demons, no daemons, no devils. Especially no devils. Hell will be wiped out and destroyed for all time, Afina. That is the world the Queen strives to create for her children."
"Well, I'll be doing my bit to wipe hell out at least," Afina says. "Maybe once we have a quiet spell I'll re-visit the Court of Stars and see what my place in all this should be." Pushing off Kascha's lap to take flight and turn around to face her, she explains, "We learned about where Lief is being used. Plans are being made to end his torment and end the hold the devils are exercising on Lifasan fey, so I'd best get to work."
"Good," Kascha stands, "I'll be ready if you need me, Afina."
Now what, pixie?
Lets go hassle Yian!
I'll bring along Queenie in case he needs convincing. In fact we'll just skip straight to the convincing part.
By convincing do you mean words or magic?
He's totally getting mind probed or dominated or something, whichever her Maj feels up to.
Noted. Not going to roll this out since resources + he's helpless and held.
After a whole lot of effort, the pit fiend is under Ilsenine's control. "You will answer Afina's questions correctly and to the best of your knowledge. You will speculate when she asks, but otherwise you will stick to the truth."
The pit fiend lies in his cell, unmoving and dominated.
"What areas of Lifasa does Willah control?" Afina asks right off. It'll be out of date but even if she's been put in charge of Yian's territory she'll surely keep Lief in her core.
"She rules the Soulsworn," Yian replies flatly, voice mechanical.
Is that a known geographical area of Lifasa or just some dumb devil words?
Survey says...dumb devil word.
"What is the Soulsworn? Confine your references to existing borders and geography of Lifasa as they were before you ruined everything," Afina asks curtly.
"An area far to the east known as Wilds, a largely untamed land of fey and nature. The souls of the land serve her now." Yian replies.
To the East of what? Honestly she can't picture where he means at all. Wilds, really... did Yian never set foot out of his cave back when he was a dragon?
"List all of Willah's cities, fortresses, and secret lairs that you know of, by their original Lifasan name and their current diabolic name where both are known," she instructs to try and get some better context.
It helps when he mentions the Gloaming Forest, though it's called Nymphburn now. It looks like to be a lot of your old stomping grounds, actually. Ilsenine's face tightens at this, though she stays quiet otherwise, glaring a hole in the devil.
Well, Willah's arrogance is to their benefit. Afina's killed nymphs and worse all up and down those woods, and knows every meadow and bough intimately... of course the trees and plants will be gone now but the landscape will remain the same.
"Where does Willah most often hold court, and which is her most well defended location?" They may be the same or not, but it's good to cover all possibilities.
"Nymphburn," Yian replies without emotion.
"Where specifically in Nymphburn?"
If she were a betting pixie she'd wager Willah's parked herself right on Ilsenine's old throne, considering the nymph's stated obsession for her Queen.
Ilsenine glares death at the fiend, who simply proves Afina right. "Where Queen Ilsenine's old throne resided."
"Afina," Ilsenine's voice is cold, "You will remedy this problem when you go there. I will see Willah in the cell next to his when this is done."
"Of course, your Majesty," Afina agrees. Just destroying Lief's body and leaving would be the most expedient course, and killing Willah would be easier than capturing her, but it's an understandable order.
Besides, Yian's knowledge is getting pretty stale, having a more up to date source on the traitors would aid them in future endeavours.
"What bodyguards and other defences does Willah keep close to her?" Case in point this will probably be obsolete knowledge, but perhaps not. If Taelfagn gave her some Nessians as bodyguards she probably hasn't gotten rid of them.
"She prefers brachina and erinyes. She does not care for men in any sense of the word." Yian reports. "Though she hides it and also employs malebranche."
Well good, those are a lot easier to kill than Nessians. Of course she may have grown more fearful and paranoid since then.
"If pressed and forced to flee, where would Willah flee to?"
"Brokenbush or Spirit Gorge," Yian replies once more.
"What defences and resources does she have there?"
"Brokenbrush is a small fortress guarded by a detachment of barbazu and hamatula, commanded by brachina. Spirit Gorge is where Willah torments fey she captures or has delivered to her." Is the answer.
"Afina, you will see to that place as well, operations permitting." Ilsenine adds, "As if it needs to be said."
"Spirit Gorge might actually be where Willah has Lief right now," Afina says, thinking it over. "I believe we have enough information to work with, unless you believe I've overlooked something your Majesty?"
"That's all. Sit here and reflect on your mistakes," Ilsenine instructs, walking away. As the two of you leave, "...Afina, with me. A word about something else first."
"Of course, your Majesty," Afina says, ever dutiful and attentive!
Back to the throne room. Lady Skye is there, and after a curt gesture from Ilsenine, departs without comment. It's empty here and she regards you for a short time. "Why, Afina? Why is Yggdrasil hidden in Arborea?"
"I cannot say," Afina shakes her head. "I am sworn to secrecy and none may command me otherwise in this matter." Still, she hasn't seen anything more than Ilsenine has seen, she should be able to figure it out. Moore certainly seemed to have it from his muttered speculations. And Crystal, well she's already devoted to the Court of Stars so she's probably pleased.
Ilsenine takes your measure for a moment, then sits back heavily on her throne. "That says it all, does it not?"
She's probably figured it out but Afina still won't address the topic directly. "Queen Titania herself desires it to be so," she says to explain the secrecy so that if Ilsenine has worked it out she'll know not to spread the knowledge. Titania or Morwel, they're surely one and the same.
She wonders if Oberon and Faerinaal are the same individual as well or he's yet another consort.
"That..." A pause and Ilsenine sighs ever so slightly. She sounds so much older in that moment, drained. "I am relieved, Afina. I laid down to rest after we returned and I dreamed of the Court of Stars." She looks aside, "I remember living there, as surely as I remember fragments of my fey lives now."
"Our Cycle had a beginning, just as mine has found its end, your Majesty," Afina confirms as Ilsenine cuts to the heart of it. "You know what I know. If you wish for greater understanding I'd suggest speaking with Kascha, she will know what can and cannot be safely shared."
Ilsenine looks away, lost in thought. The silence stretches on long until she at last says, "Leave me."
Unbothered by the curt dismissal, Afina bows and sees herself out. She has work to do!
As you go out, you find Lady Skye waiting for you. "Ah, Afina," she says, "When you have free time, stop by. There is a new product from Grenalous's shop that I desire to sample. I believe you would enjoy it as well."
She doesn't have the heart to tell Skye that those things don't exactly work on her anymore. "We have an impending operation I need to see to, but I'll visit you when I have more liberty," she assures her fellow pixie.
Okay, what's your next move, Afina?
I need to work out a battleplan and stuff, nothing IC for now.
Very good. Go work out a battle plan and post it in nagging when done. I'll lock this thread for now.