A New Beginning

[Anastasia]

"Where ever you think is best," Miranda says, brush working away. "Think a moment while I tell you a story. Once I visited the Deep Ethereal, a place of dreams and forgotten memories. There I came on a memory of something I thought forever lost - my mortal life. A woman, my mother I believe, telling me that my hair is beautiful and should be kept well. A trivial thing, a meaningless thing with how we wage war forever here, and yet I cling to it and smile at the memory, even shorn of all other context."

[Yuthirin]

'I was a clerk. About two million years ago when I still had a body.'

[Anastasia]

"That's a long time," Miranda says blandly enough, brushing away. The soft sound of her brush through her hair is steady, and you note it keeps going even as she lets it go, working independent of her hands. "Then tell me about how you ended up in all of this and the Aurora."

[Yuthirin]

'Oh, that's easy. You've been to Brightwater, yes? Best place in the planes to be homeless. Calleigh and I lived in Brightwater for a few hundred years, making exceptional art and trying, rather unsuccessfully, to sell it in galleries. I suppose there's no respect for a starving artist. Not that we were starving. Neither of us needed to eat, but you get the point. Anyway, whenever we needed money, we'd take an odd job through a contracting company. Often it was through the Silver Consortium, a group of gem dragons I quite get along with. Eventually, they referred us to the folks at Aurora and we headed on over. Hanna attempted to smite me with her axe when she saw that I resemble an aboleth, and now we're all friends.'

[Anastasia]

"There's so much there and yet..." Miranda shakes her head, "How did the Aurora lead you here?"

[Yuthirin]

'Aurora's ultimate goal was the liberation of the prime Lifasa from occupying forces of Baator. While doing so, we were required to slay the Duke of Destiny. Also known as Taelfagn. During the battle, he raced about the Prophecy of Primus and the coming doom of Shar, who might eventually destroy all of Creation. While efforts of diplomacy failed, I decided to look into the matter myself. It seems that Taelfagn may have been right, though as usual Hell's heavy-handedness prevented planar forces from working together to end the greater threat. I'm of the opinion that she needs to be eliminated, as she is a threat to all forms of life. So we're gonna kill Shar.'

[Anastasia]

"You make it sound so easy, like any other fiery crusader who races to glory or an early grave." Miranda closes her eyes and smiles, as you feel something. A connection between you and her, "But...it seems this is my path now, too. I'll have to live up to it...ah!"

You feel it, Miranda's mind awakening, quickening. You feel this connection, stronger than before, before fading away.

Node objective cleared.

Miranda gains Wild Talent as a bonus feat.

Post here that you've seen the updated note in your next reply.

[Yuthirin]

'...what the hell was that!?' Tryll asks.

[Anastasia]

"I don't know," Miranda says, "I thought it was something you did!" Prepare.

[Yuthirin]

'Relax and open your mind. I need to see what happened.'

Mind Probe

[Anastasia]

Go ahead and pose your question, she's not resisting under the circumstances.

[Yuthirin]

I'm not looking for a specific answer, just whether she's undergone mental changes or become psionic.

[Anastasia]

You can tell she has psionic power and a small power point pool, but no manifesting.

[Yuthirin]

'Were you psionic before today?'

[Anastasia]

"No, no I was not," Miranda says, ever so slowly. "You felt that, right? A connection?"