Okay Alicia and Seira, go ahead and express your plans, who is there and all of that for the Zariel situation.
Okay, we'll go with Alicia, Seira, Antenora, and Sulia? We'll all gate ourselves over to Ilmater's realm and see from there. Alicia can provide the divine spark, Antenora and Seira can do the soul fusion part, and Sulia can keep an eye over everything to make sure it's all working properly, with Ilmater's help if he's around and wants to contribute.
Okay. Seira?
Agreed! Let's see if someone who also served Torm fairly high up but remained on the right side is interested?
Had you lined up anyone like that before or will you just try now?
If someone suitable has been around Zariel, let's keep them. Otherwise, let's move on.
When the four of you appear in the House of the Triad, Ilmater awaits you. His body is broken and bleeding but yet he stands, waiting with infinite patience. "You have it," he says, voice a croak, a grunt as his back audibly snaps, before resetting itself into place.
"Yes," Alicia confirms, nodding to Ilmater. "I take it there's been no change... have any come seeking her since we left last time?"
"No," Ilmater shakes his head, "None have." Wounds slowly ooze down his arms, sealing back up as you both feel it. A flash of something - a crowd jeering, a bound man being whipped before them. A crackle as his leg bends, another image. A poor, dirty peasant in a smock, lying there and praying, as his broken leg slowly resets, restores itself.
"Then we will heal her, as all deserve," Empress Sulia says, voice soft, a hint of wetness in her eyes.
Alicia does her best not to wince. She remembers bringing Saul here when he was unwell... they perhaps didn't realise truly what they were asking when they did. "Yes," she agrees with Sulia. "We have everything we need. So lets heal her, and find out if she can be more than a failed Lord of Hell."
"Let's do it," Seira agrees, suggesting to Antenora, "We'll draw on our experiences while Alicia infuses the spark into the process?"
"Yes," Antenora agrees as well.
Steps. A few steps and you are in the forest again. What is left of Zariel lies here, at rest. In that moment, the light of Chronias shines brighter, and in that flash you see a figure. An angel of light and radiance, a solar with many wings. It kneels before Zariel, cleaning her wounds with a wet cloth.
It is gone in a moment, gone with that flash of light. Zariel awaits you.
"It is good," Ilmater says, shuddering as he burns, as flesh flays and yet he stands, healing. The image of a young woman on the rack, being torn apart, and yet enduring with no injury, before holy light immolates the tormentors around her. "Chronias does not wish to see this one suffer any more."
[20:26] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+63 planes, divine insight
[20:26] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+63 planes, divine insight --> [ 1d20=19 ]{82}
Do I recognise that solar who was just here?
Same!
They're not alone! Others share in their goals, which only serves to firm Seira's resolve further.
K:P as well, Seira.
22:35 <Lucille> roll 1d20+48+4+15
22:35 <Kobot> Lucille rolled 1d20+48+4+15 --> [ 1d20=6 ]{73}
It's not quite like any solar you've heard about. Something about it was different, for a lack of a better word.
"Good," Alicia echoes. "Do you know who that solar was?"
"A servant of Zaphkiel's," Ilmater says, blisters and pain endured, stabs and crushings healed. "I know not his or her name, only that it serves his will when he wishes for a more obvious hand in affairs. It is a sign that all the Hebdomad approves of our efforts, a rarity and supremely good omen."
Alicia smiles at that. "Good. In the stories we heard of the war against the God King, Zariel's fall always touched Seira and I with how unjust it was. Let us try and make right what went wrong then."
"Then we will triumph," Antenora vows, "Let us begin."
Are the two of you up on the ritual and all this will require?
Quote"It is beyond magic," Ilmater concurs, "Your idea has merit Seira, but with the state her soul is in, she could not handle being a proxy of anything but an evil power. Unless she repented sincerely before it and began to atone." Looking down at Zariel as she rests, still as a statue, "Additionally, the proxy spark used will be consumed to restore Zariel. No, you would need the proxy spark of an evil deity. Additionally, you would need to be able to restore her soul at the same time."
"Then I will explain it." Ilmater begins, "It is a three part system: The man, the woman, and life itself. On conception, part of the man and woman's spirit is drawn in as a tiny amount of positive energy is generated by the act. A tiny sliver of soul, a harmless loss, combined with this to form a soul. This soul sleeps and grows within the child who sleeps within his mother. To repair the soul you need the same three part act, but different. You need a portal to the Positive Energy Plane, modified carefully to provide exactly the right amount of energy to the ritual workings. Too little and it will fail, too much and it will consume the heavily damaged soul."
Ilmater's form shudders grandly, as if a great spasm of pain was wracking him. Nonetheless he does not stop nor does his voice shake.
"You must combine that with two donors, who will give a tiny fragment of their soul. It must be done willingly and it must be done by creatures who have a deep similarity to the damaged soul. It need not be any one thing, but it must be a strong resonation. An artist to repair an artist, a celestial to repair a celestial, a young man to repair a young man. It need not be a man and woman, unlike typical mortal conception. With the proper donation, the portal and the ritual, the proxy spark must be pushed into Zariel at the same time. The ritual to repair the soul must be modified to account for this, so that such a thing does not destroy it - impossible but to one of us, no mortal would have the understanding of the divine to do so."
Relevent exposition from Ilmater there.
So Alicia just provides the spark. Seira and Antenora are going to do the soul-donor part. And Sulia/Ilmater will handle the positive energy portal.
That sound right to you, Cor?
Yep. Since I'm assuming that Seira and Amaryl have used a similar process off-screen for their kids it shouldn't be particularly hard to work with here.
That's a very good point, Cor. Okay.
Seira, give me an K:P check with a +20 circumstance bonus.
As expected!
19:21 <Lucille> roll 1d20+53+4+15+20+13+20
19:21 <Kobot> Lucille rolled 1d20+53+4+15+20+13+20 --> [ 1d20=1 ]{126}
With that Antenora's roll is irrelevant, Alicia doesn't need one since she has the spark and Ilmater can't fail his and that's enough.
Before you, the destroyed figure of Zariel begins to regrow. Legs and flesh regenerate, the spark absorbed into her. Positive energy flows into the fallen angel, rebuilding her from the ground up. What is left is a bald, black skinned angel sans any wings, Zariel lying there, unclad and slumbering.
"It is done," Ilmater declares, "She is whole once more and should awaken soon." For once his body is unbroken and unpained, "Awaken, Zariel. Awaken once more."
"It would be nice to meet you properly outside mortal danger, Zariel," Seira admits.
Alicia is silent for the moment, watching Zariel for motion and awareness to see how she responds before they settle in for a friendly chat.
Antenora waits, spear in hand but not advancing.
Empress Sulia watches, standing next to Ilmater, "Return to us, Zariel. There is still hope."
Slowly, ever so slowly, Zariel's eyes open. She looks up and blinks once, twice. "I am whole," she intones, voice rough hewn, perhaps once beautiful and now ragged stone. A look at Alicia, Seira, Sulia, Antenora. But is when she sees Ilmater that she freezes, a long moment before she whispers, "Why?"
"The see hope in you and they believe in mercy," Ilmater says, his body blistering, burning (the flames do not touch her, the inquisitors scream as rays of purifying light erase all the wicked). "They seek to undo the tragedy of Daa-vid, one step at a time."
"We think it's the right thing to do, cliche as that might sound," Seira agrees with Ilmater. "I'm Seira Aryn, and it is nice to meet you properly, Zariel."
"My name is Alicia," she speaks now. "Seira and I are from Daa-vid's world. We were originally tasked with his judgement, before we ascended to divinity. That task must now go to other hands, but we heard of your tale. Of being enchanted by Daa-vid into striking Torm, and being banished to Hell for it. It never seemed just."
"It was a travesty," Zariel intones, staying where she is, lying back against the tree. "It is a mockery, and not once will I accept it." Sitting up against her tree now, "Cast Torm down, let him burn in whatever inferno claims him. Let all who stood with him suffer and burn. If the Heavens have such a one, then cast them all down!"
"No." Antenora says that single word, "I am Antenora, servant of Alicia and ascended. I was once Della the Bloodflier and you are a fool, Zariel." Her gaze meets Zariel's, "Forgiveness is what separates us," a gestures at everyone, "From being no better than you. Is that your flaw, fallen? Can you not find it in you to forgive thanks to what that gnome did to you? Can you not forgive yourself and forgive the Heavens for his wickedness?"
"Would you return to suffering? I am Empress Sulia and I know much of suffering, of martyrdom, of pain and misery. Would you doom yourself to an eternity of self destruction?" Empress Sulia asks.
"I feel Torm was in the wrong," Alicia says. "You were not in control of your actions, there is no need for punishment when one is turned into the mindless weapon of another's will. But does that justify bending knee to Asmodeus in turn? There is much we still don't know Zariel, but that Daa-vid and Hell had pacts, and he could have offered you up as a servant to Hell while still under his control is a theory I had. Why did you become the Lord of Avernus?" she asks it directly.
Tell them. Let not the wound fester any more, Zariel.
The light of Chronias shines brighter, illuminating the forest. Zariel glares at Alicia at her words, "Better to serve and get revenge, to show them what they deserve. Everything Torm did, his anger and his madness...let it rot! Let it rot as his child rots in Dis! I deserved better!"
"So you did, my poor child," Ilmater's flesh cracks, blood seeping silently from a hundred bladed wounds (war sweeps forth, the regiment slicing the undying again and again, as their blades crumble away). "But it was not by that coin alone that you purchased your seat in Hell."
Setting aside the mention of a child in Dis alone until a better time, Seira notes, "It's not like your only choices were to bend knee to Asmodeus and do nothing. We've managed well enough striking out on our own, and I don't doubt you could have as well. So why choose it? And like Ilmater asked, what did you end up giving him? You can't possibly feel any lingering loyalty to him, not after the way you were treated in Hell."
"He told me I was wronged! He was the one who agreed with me, gave me so much! He valued me, unlike Torm," Zariel snaps, eyes ablaze. Literally so, flames dancing within. "He understood! He showed me an alternative to the House of the Triad and Celestia, one disciplined, one that means something. He cared!" Those final words are virtually spat out, "Unlike Torm, who rages meaninglessly in the Abyss now! He cared! He came to me, unlike you!" Her gaze is on Ilmater, spitting at him, burning his cheek as he does not react.
"Zariel," Ilmater says, "You chose to turn away from us. As we cast out Torm, we would be willing to restore you. Yet you chose Asmodeus and Hell. Our light and forgiveness cannot reach someone who chooses to embrace the darkness of Hell." His voice is heavy, sad. "One lost in pain and pride, unwilling to accept the betrayal that so clearly still wounds you."
"You don't care!" Zariel growls, "LIAR!"
"Enough of this petulance," Alicia says disgustedly. "Seira, Sulia, and I braved Hell, we fought past Asmodeus's children and sacked the Bronze Citadel to liberate you. Don't say that we don't care - we who have never even met you risked so much. I don't expect you to bow down in thanks, but don't say to our faces that we don't care. Even Ilmater worked to restore you to health just now. Respect that, even if you don't appreciate it."
"He understood, alright -- how to manipulate you, while you were at your most vulnerable! Even if you ignore your entire upbringing, did your time in Hell teach you nothing? Do you still think Asmodeus cared, even as he let you be taken by Bel? Nothing there happens without his say so, and all plots go back to him. Bel, too, was betrayed, same as you were, this time to make a suitable spot for his son, Lixer. So he cared for you? Asmodeus? Is he capable of caring, you think?"
Seira scoffs, shaking her head. "We cared! Enough to take on Avernus, enough to go there and bring you back. We came, and this time we actually got you out of a terrible situation without swapping it for another or for a set of chains. If that's the only way you listen to others anymore, haven't we earned the right for a proper talk of our own? If you're open to alternatives, how about listening to another, one that this time doesn't need you as a sacrifice?"
Let me get Diplo checks out of both of you, +7 bonuses. You both said the right things, just want to see how effective the words were.
[18:24] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+59
[18:24] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+59 --> [ 1d20=12 ]{71}
20:24 <Lucille> roll 1d20+52+4+7
20:24 <Kobot> Lucille rolled 1d20+52+4+7 --> [ 1d20=9 ]{72}
Zariel glares at both of you, anger coming off her in palpable waves. Yet she slowly calms, "...damn you," she whispers. "Damn your logic."
"Logic is our greatest strength to see beyond pain and see the truth of things," Antenora smiles, "Is that not a lesson you have learned well, Zariel? That when the heart screams, the soul is a placid to weather the storm?"
Slowly, the fallen exhales, "...thank you," she finally says. "For saving me. At least someone finally did."
"You're welcome," Seira responds, appearing unaffected by the fiery glare. "I'd like to believe that we've only started, though. And to get somewhere, we really do need to understand the circumstances of your pact with Asmodeus better. Just what did you offer to him to gain the position of Lord of the First?"
Alicia inclines her head at that thanks, her demeanour softening a little. "It was our pleasure, and I do mean that," she says, not asking anything further so Seira's question can be focused on.
"My service, my loyalty," Zariel says, "That was enough, that I forsook what I was and aligned with Baator."
"All he ever wants and the one thing you must never give him," Empress Sulia murmurs.
"And what did you get from it?" Alicia asks. "Your tenure as Lord of Avernus was remarkable for its brevity. Did you achieve anything in that time worthy of you?"
"Looking back on it, do you miss any part of being in Hell?" Seira asks Zariel curiously. "From my understanding everything there is suffering, inflicting and inflicted. Was your experience abnormal in that regard?"
The light of Chronias seems even brighter now, as a whisper escapes Zariel as she looks down. "...no. Nothing worthy, nothing missed. Nothing."
"I don't really want to argue over whether Asmodeus lied to you or not, but the end result was that his path was terrible and you regret it," Seira decides to sum up that sad state of affairs. "How about revenge? I'm sure you managed to have some over Torm or his diehard loyalists. Did it have any lasting meaning either?"
"So in the end it was all for nothing," Alicia concludes. "A miserable, pointless tenure in charge of a benighted battleground, and a longer and more anguished period as a magical battery? These are the rewards of Hell," she sighs a little. "I wonder if Belial or Baalzebub could ever admit the same? That you can at least say so... it's important to be able to look at yourself honestly, Zariel."
"So long as the ego and pride survive, they cannot," Antenora says, voice sure. "Perhaps that is the ultimate failing of any fallen, the inability to admit they were wrong."
Zariel looks down at this, "I..." Her voice chokes, a single word out before she goes silent.
"I repented. I said I was sorry. I took the first step to rising out of the misery I put myself in." Antenora finishes for her. She offers a hand out, "We're all here for you, Zariel. We're offering you a second chance. A chance for a new life, a chance for a better way."
"Change must come from within, but the journey needn't be a lonely one," Alicia agrees, standing next to Antenora. "We would like to see you achieve the potential that was robbed from you by Daa-vid, that you chose to squander on Avernus. We'd like for your existence to be one that makes Creation a little bit brighter."
"I think you already know what doesn't work for you," Seira adds to their words. "We'd like to help you find what does. Before Creation is put in the mix, a better way is one that doesn't lead to a life of nothing worthy to you, upon reflection."
Zariel listens again to both of you, silent. Her breathing is slow, head bowed down.
"Come home," Empress Sulia says, "You may not know where home is yet, but we'll help you find it. Please, come home."
Ilmater watches silently, suffering all over as he stands back. You hear him in your minds, 'This is not my battle, not now. Your words shall triumph.'
Diplo all but Ilmater, +7 bonuses to all.
[19:12] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+59
[19:12] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+59 --> [ 1d20=16 ]{75}
Time to use the 1/week bonus of +1!
21:12 <Lucille> roll 1d20+52+4+7+1
21:12 <Kobot> Lucille rolled 1d20+52+4+7+1 --> [ 1d20=18 ]{82}
> roll 1d20+54 Antenora
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+54 Antenora --> [ 1d20=17 ]{71}
> roll 1d20+59 Sulia
<Kobot> Kotono rolled 1d20+59 Sulia --> [ 1d20=13 ]{72}
Your words hang in the air as Zariel is still.
The soft slap of flesh on flesh.
Zariel looks up and takes Antenora's hand, a moment of hope on her face as reality seems to freeze.
Within herself, Alicia feels her spirit growing, expanding. In that moment she knows she has become more, passing some unseen milestone into further greatness.
Within herself, Seira feels dragonfire burning in her soul, goldenfire growing hotter. In that moment she knows she has grown, taking the next step on her journey.
Empress Sulia glows before your eyes, ever-radiant now, far more than she was before.
Far away, Syala is engulfed in radiance from head to toe, glowing like the light of a star.
Alicia, Syala, Seira and Empress Sulia have all gained a divine rank.
Antenora is too new to gain anything from this, though it is progress towards DvR1 for her.
Amaryl wasn't involved in this quest much and is also brand new to DvR1, so see Antenora.
Go ahead and go do the mechanics of it now. This includes choosing a new SDA, so think about it and choose wisely.
Grinning ear to ear, Seira places her own hand over the clasped hands of Zariel and Antenora!
+1 divine rank is +1 to a whole heap of stuff. Notably strength/con/charisma go from odd to even numbered bonuses so lots of goodies there, especially with the doubled charisma to saves I've got going.
For the new SDA, I'll take Eldritch Knowledge, doubling the number of spells known for every level Alicia has. That may take a while to fill out but I'll plug at it tonight.
With a more steady smile of her own even as she becomes that much more, Alicia puts her hand on top of Seira's. "Be welcome, Zariel."
Slowly Zariel stands up, "What alternate path do you have?"
We did it, Alicia. Syala's voice sounds in Alicia's mind.
We did, Alicia sends back.
"Seira and I have new divine realms that you would be welcome in as you find yourself, if Sulia's home in Brightwater is not to taste," Alicia begins, before she glances at Antenora. "Ah, I misspoke. Antenora and I share a divine realm," she gives the newly risen goddess a smile as she confirms her equal status there. "In any case, the path you take must be a personal one, that rekindles your spark of goodness. We can't do that for you. So... think back, Zariel," she bids. "Think back to your old life, before betrayals and disappointments. Perhaps even before you had such an exalted rank and were but one celestial among many? What did you enjoy doing? What things gave you satisfaction and pride in yourself?"
"Rediscovering old joys is as valid as seeking out new horizons," Seira agrees. "Rather than choosing for you, Alicia's proposal has the most merit. Spend time with us while thinking about what suits you now, and if you get stuck or want a second opinion, we'll be there."
"...long ago, before the ways of war, I was a druid," Zariel says, "Not a true druid, but I studied much of the magic and ways. I studied the natural world, I studied the earth and ground, fire and lava, air and wind." Her gaze is far away, "I enjoyed forests most of all."
"How about visiting the Beastlands?" Seira offers with a shrug. "It's been ages for me, so that could be nice if you don't mind the company."
And Syala might be interested in coming along, so that could be neat!
"Ilmater mentioned a fondness for trees," Alicia looks up at the one Zariel is reposed under. Then she adds, "My wife Syala is a nature goddess. Perhaps you would enjoy talking with her and visiting some places where nature reigns, far from battlefields."
"It has been a long time," Zariel murmurs, "The Beastlands. Yes, let's go to the Beastlands."
"Go," Ilmater says, "Go with my hopes and prayers that you become better than you were before, Zariel. Be well."
Empress Sulia smiles to her, "Mine as well. May you have a better future than the tragedies you suffered before."
"Let's make a trip of it?" Seira muses. "I'll invite Amaryl, and you could see whether Syala is busy?" she offers to Alicia, creating a comfortable robe that she offers to Zariel now that they are going places.
"I'll have Syala meet us there," Alicia agrees, preparing to open a gate elsewhere...
Where in the Beastlands are y'all aiming, anywhere in particular?
Somewhere on the top/daylight layer that's far from anyone's divine realms or the claimed territory of powerful beings. Wild/neutral territory basically. Syala can play tour guide once we're there but that'll do to start with!
Forest.
It is eternal wilderness, trees and sunshine dueling together in a realm of green. It is summer warm without being hot or humid, the air fresh and natural. Far away the four of you hear the baying of wolves, a distant sound as you take it all in.
Oh, what's this, ladies? The voice and presence of Chauntea is felt and heard by Alicia and Seira in their minds. Why have you brought a Fallen to the Beastlands?
Ahh, this takes her back to having to explain Antenora everywhere she went.
No harm is meant. Zariel can not visit the wild places of the prime, so this was the next best option for helping her reconnect with nature.
She's renounced Hell, so we're hoping the innocence and purity found here could help show her the way back properly.
As Zariel looks around, taking it all in silently?
Zariel lives and you have brought her here? What is the greater purpose of this?
We've rescued her from Hell, and we don't leave a job half-done. Rescuing Zariel doesn't stop at Avernus's door. All we ask is a bit of leeway.
The purpose is to see Zariel redeemed, to see her once more become a force for what is right. In times past before her fall she enjoyed tending to wild places, so we are trying to rekindle those positive feelings in her heart.
Alicia is almost motionless as they are interrogated by Chauntea, standing still and poised.
Antenora is the same, simply waiting as Zariel takes it all in.
Then so be it.
"So what do you nature types do when confronted with wild nature?" Seira asks Zariel, Syala and Amaryl before the silence has a chance to grow uncomfortable.
"Syala might have some ideas as well, she should be along in a moment," Alicia says, having told Syala where they are and to come over. She relaxes fractionally at Chauntea's acquiescence, looking around to take it in herself now.
Antenora drifts towards Alicia while Amaryl smiles. "Appreciate it, of course!"
'Seira,' Amaryl sends, 'Emily just contacted us and wants to come by and talk. Not right now since we're busy, but I said soon.'
Zariel looks on at it all, "It has been...such a long time," she says, starting to walk ahead, amid the untamed forest.
"Very nice," Syala adds as she appears from nothing, at Alicia's side and coming to her. "Hello, Zariel," she begins, a small smile on her face.
Alicia smiles at Syala. "While she didn't take part on the attack on Avernus, Syala did help obtain the divine spark we used to put you back together," she tells Zariel so she knows this is someone else who cared and put the legwork in to show it.
'We'll call for her when we have the time,' Seira agrees, saying out loud for Zariel's benefit, "And this is my wife Amaryl. Amaryl, please meet Zariel."
"It's a pleasure," Amaryl adds, Zariel glancing at all of you now, tearing her gaze from the forest. "Five of you," Zariel declares, "What has caused such a thing to happen, so many to rise so fast from the same world?"
"Actually it's six of us, since Sanzha is home," Seira responds. "And only three of us are actually from the same world, but you already know why it's so exceptional, having fought upon it."
"Daa-vid, of course," Alicia says. "Seira and I were originally tasked to see to his judgement, after seeing our world through a period of great growth. But outside forces intervened and brought us to the planar stage early, where we ended up ascending. In my case it was when Syala and I mastered Triel's Furnace. Antenora only recently ascended through other means," she explains, letting Seira speak for herself and Amaryl.
"We stand together," Antenora says, "We support each other, grow stronger."
"And yet you find favorable judgment from Ao," Zariel marvels, "All of you. Never have I heard of so many together ascending. The few efforts I have heard of for groups to ascend have all failed to the last."
Grinning, Seira adds to that, "I decided I was probably a deity at some point after the Androlynne campaign and decided to make a realm for myself like Alicia had. That lead me to Sanzha and the Cauldron, which I claimed... and the rest is history. She came along, and since I shared the Cauldron's rule with Amaryl, she too has recently ascended properly with the aid of the Seldarine."
"There are ways around Ao's judgement, but on the whole he has been accepting of us. This isn't the time to speak of such things," Alicia says, not wanting to get into Antenora's situation right now. "The Arbiter has also expressed his favour towards us and our efforts. I think our role in Daa-vid's judgement, thwarted as it ended up being, helped."
Before Zariel can comment on those words, Syala adds, "Let's. Come with me, Zariel," she comes forward and offers her a hand, which Zariel takes. "Let's go wandering, see the forest."
"Lets," Alicia agrees, content to follow the more nature-focused Syala's lead.
It is a walk, a wander. A trip through verdant nature, taking it all in. Zariel is mostly silent as she walks with Syala's hand holding hers. A silence that stretches and stretches, thinner and thinner, until it is broken.
"Well?" Zariel snaps, "Aren't you going to say something?!"
"I don't need to," Syala replies calmly, "You know everything I could say here. I am far from an ancient spirit, you have had eons more life than I have. I was waiting for you to say what you liked, what you wanted here."
Something in Zariel's expression softens at those words, "A peaceful grove. There should be the sound of a brook nearby and few deer should be there."
A step forward, a ripple of reality around Syala. Before all of you is a grove that is exactly that. Zariel goes forward, letting go of Syala's hand. "There was never anything like this in Hell," she remarks, "Only scorched battlefields and gaping canyons." The sound of a babbling stream is audible to all of you, just out of mundane sight, winding through the forest. "I hate it." A sudden snap, a rustle as flames erupt everywhere, an inferno forming around all of you. "I HATE IT!"
Syala doesn't even blink at this, "Torm poisoned this memory somehow?" she asks, coming up to her.
"If Syala's right, then making this scenery fit for Hell is a Pyrrhic victory at best," Seira notes. "If he really did poison the memory, just make a new one with the full knowledge that he's forever barred from here, unlike you?"
"I HATE IT! I HATE HIM!" Zariel screams, shoulders shaking as she looks down. "He even ruined this! How can I make something new with that looming over me?"
"Lets talk then?" Alicia asks, stepping closer to Zariel. "About what he did to you. Let it out, Zariel. We want to understand all that happened there."
It's like a shove into all of your minds, sharp and violent.
An image, hazy and faraway, from the perspective of a woman. She sits in a grove much like this, gaze on the dashing, powerful knight before her. He is so much more, a beacon of purity and forthrightness. His helmet is off, long and graying hair unhidden, a sharp and severe face lightened by a warm smile.
"I want your help, Zariel," Torm replies, "Creation is deeply ill, addled by a choice that demands a medicine that none yet can provide, an answer that eludes us all. Will you stand with me? There is a place for you in my armies. Help me, Zariel. Help me cure Creation and end the sickness that consumes it. In you is a spark of potential that can set all the Hells ablaze with pure, cleansing fire that shall not spare a single wicked soul."
"...My master..." Zariel murmurs, voice thick, emotional.
"Torm," Torm smiles ever so gently, one rough, calloused hand taking yours (Zariel's) in hers. "I believe that one day you will rise with me. It will be a long time, a dreadfully long time until we can be certain it will be safe, but you can be so much more. In you is the potential to shine like the sun."
"He got right into the Answer business from the start, didn't he?" Alicia murmurs, closing her eyes. "A memory that should give resolve, turned into a source of anguish. So how did it come to that? What happened that day Daa-vid spurred you to strike at Torm, and he lost his mind at the insult? We saw a vision of it in the trials of the God King's resorts, but even then it never made sense why Torm would react so disproportionately."
"Did you love him?" Amaryl murmurs, looking down.
The memory is pressed into you rminds like an arrow through the throat.
"Torm, I would be honored," Zariel says, looking to his eyes - pools of brown that seem to draw all of you in. A look at his smile, strong, inspiring.
A flash.
A sundered world. A whimper, being picked up by your throat by an armored hand. That same face, full of unreasoning fury, full of hatred. A nightmare visage, something broken, something warped. His eyes burn with madness as he snarls, "Mercy? I loathe you, you pathetic failure. Not once! Not once have you lived up to what I wanted! Worthless! At least Yemimah would have been a good replacement for you, but you couldn't even protect her for a handful of years! Mercy? How could I forgive someone like you! You failed me, you failed Yemimah, you failed everyone!"
"That's an obvious lie," Seira states, placing her hand on Zariel's shoulder. "He couldn't be that sort of plotter and conman and keep the company he did for millennia. All the time up till he simply broke, he never loathed you. And I bet he thought you lived up to plenty, although he wouldn't have tried to impose his wishes on you. But it had just enough half-truths to make you wonder, didn't it? Because we all fail at some point, since perfection is an ideal and not a state of being. We are the hardest on ourselves, wondering and worrying over what we got wrong. So maybe if you thought he was right there, then the rest-- but again, it's a lie. Whether Da-avid just got to him, or was the final straw that broke his back, Torm there just said what he was sure would hurt you the most, specifically for that purpose. So why let it cloud the good memories of him before his Fall? The ones he truly meant, like that meeting you showed us before? It was a different person, for all purposes."
This memory is like a dagger, a needle into your minds.
"Peace."
The voice is calm, serene, your vision tinted red in contrast. You stand amid carnage, horrid carnage all over. Broken bodies and blood are everywhere, save the figure before you. The haze of fury fades as you see him. A human-like creature, no larger than one. He wears robes of impossible refinement woven with countless jewels, a red scepter in his hand to go with it. He has a neatly trimmed goatee. His expression is serene, eyes like coal calmly surveying you.
"Zariel," The figure says, "You did not deserve that from Torm. He has fallen to chaos." There is soft compassion in his voice, a serenity that all of you feel, calming your emotions and making you focus on him.
"Why?" Zariel's voice croaks out, a broken and miserable sound.
"In the end, Torm was not strong enough. Daa-vid still stands. Worry not, for I am stronger than Torm. I can help you realize your potential he spoke of long ago."
"How?" Zariel rasps out, lost in those eyes, eyes that leave you feeling placid, calm. His words are authority, power and control.
"In my power, all is possible should I will it," The man states, offering a hand out. "There shall be a new Lord of the First soon. It should be you, Zariel. Let you show Creation what a mighty warrior you are and what Torm foolishly threw away. Let me show you how you are not a failure. Kneel and all of Creation will be unable to deny your worth, even Torm."
"Isn't it your potential?!" Seira exclaims. "Why do you need other people to tell you how to reach it? Why do you need to follow their footsteps exactly or kneel in subservience? I believe in your potential, too, and that's exactly why I think you're the one who should decide how to seek it out."
"And for all that strength, what did Asmodeus do against Daa-vid? Worse than nothing. It fell to mortal hands to wound him, as mortal minds shall judge him," Alicia says grimly. "Seira speaks true. You've been led along every step you took since you left that grove, Zariel. We would like to see you reach your potential, but we are neophyte deities not much stronger than you are. We're not here to lead or command you. Of course if you struck out at the innocent we'd have to stop you, but otherwise? We're happy to share in your attempts to find greater meaning in existence."
Zariel stands amid the inferno, head down and breathing heavily.
"More than that, we believe in who you can be, Zariel. Asmodeus offered you a poisoned chalice, but let it be known it was a true chalice. You are capable of living up to your potential no matter what Torm says. But you don't need him and his poisonous offerings. You need yourself, free of pain and self doubt, becoming more." Antenora says, a gentle tone to her voice. "Remember what you once were, what you were regardless of Torm."
Zariel is silent, just breathing heavily as the forest burns all around you, hotter and hotter.
"When it all comes down to this," Seira asks Zariel amidst the inferno, "what scenery did you like better? The of the forest grove with all its bittersweet associations, or the fire? For me, Fire can have plenty of meanings, both good and bad. But from what I heard from you, it's different for you given your experiences. And if you say neither, why not reform it as a different grove?"
Alicia exercises a bit of divine will to keeping the flames to a radius of only a few hundred feet. Forest fires may serve a role in ecology but such things are usually managed to a degree in the heavens. In any case she's quiet for now, Zariel having vented quite a bit and seeming rather high strung, so she'll wait for her to gather herself a bit.
A thrust of power, wild and ragged. The flames die in an instant, only leaving behind a burnt ruin.
Slowly Zariel sinks to her knees, "Because this is what I am surrounded by now."
"Not to mix metaphor with reality," Alicia squats down and drags gauntleted fingers through the ashen earth. "But burned soil like this makes for fertile new growth, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. You know, I'm a bit of an expert on fire," Seira muses, kneeling next to her and placing her hand to the ground. "I'm just speeding up the process a bit, but that's what comes next after forest fires...."
When she raises her hand, it is to show a seedling breaking past the surface.
Alicia looks over at Seira as they both touch the ground and smiles wryly.
"They're right," Syala comes to Zariel again, taking her hand. "Kneel. Let's start new life here. You can do it - let go of the past and take the chance for the present."
Zariel kneels with Syala and touches the ground. Before your eyes blossoms and saplings sprout, rising high and fast. All around you the forest regrows, consuming what was gone. "I don't want it to hurt anymore," Zariel breathes out. "I don't want to hurt when I see a forest."
"Did you have to ask her to kneel, Syala? That's a bad omen after what we just talked about," Alicia says, repositioning from her squat so her knees touch the rejuvenated soil as well. "Still... this is good. Good natural growth," she looks around. "It's how a forest should be, not the sort of flora you'd see in Hell."
"I kneeled with her for a reason," Syala replies lightly, just a faint hint of chastisement. "It is good, Zariel. Look."
"It's lovely," Amaryl follows, kneeling to inspect it as well. "A new beginning, free of the mistakes of the past."
"The things that hurt will keep on hurting," Seira muses, flopping back on the forested ground and arresting her fall on her arms. Realistic expectations are important when setting out future goals, or you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. "It'll hurt less with time, and you might remember the good times along with the bad, but there are no miracle cures here. Just a lot of progress, a step here and an inch there. Take things one day at a time, and some day when you look back on a forest you'll realize it doesn't hurt as much. You might even realize that the fresh memories of forests you've made starting from today helped with that."
Zariel looks about at the regrowing forest, and in a quiet voice, "I think...I'd like to see that forest, one day."
"Though I fear we may end up outstaying our welcome here," Alicia admits, rising to her feet. "My realm of Sylica has many forests. And Seira's Cauldron is a conflux of the four primal elements. Either of us would be glad to offer you succor for now."
"I've been talking with Amaryl about expanding the realm, and a forest could be a welcome change," Seira voices. "It doesn't even have to follow the concept of elemental harmony, since standing out from the norm is fine too."
Gimme a Diplo check each, you two. Up to you two how boosty you want to make it and if you want to get into that at all.
[20:44] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+54
[20:44] <Kobot> Ebiris rolled 1d20+54 --> [ 1d20=20 ]{74}
I have greater heroism up still.
Likewise, though it doesn't seem to be helping.
22:47 <Lucille> roll 1d20+53+4
22:47 <Kobot> Lucille rolled 1d20+53+4 --> [ 1d20=1 ]{58}
Not even greater heroism can help with natural 1 vs natural 20.
"I...would like to see both of them," Zariel says, "But the forests first."
"Time we have for both," Alicia agrees. "That and far more besides. Come, then," she opens a gate to the conventional entrance to Sylica, at the Felic Gate.
Seira waves at them as they leave, speaking in Syala's mind, Please stop by when you have the chance? There is something you might be interested in~
Then, it is time for she and Amaryl to return home as well.
I will, Seira.
New threads for both of you now.