Deep into the Infinite Stair

[Anastasia]

Legends. Legends of the stone kingdom, where a single Queen rules over millions of subjects made by her own hand. A kingdom of rock and those who never lived, a kingdom that the Queen rules over well. It is said this Queen promises them, whispers to them that one day they will pay her homage. That one day she will overcome the last obstacle.

[Ebiris]

"Hmm," Alicia hums. "So there is a lillend here but she may have gone quite mad. Or is just very optimistic," she says. "These statues are far from the only ones, she's made millions. The fact that we've only seen these... well, this is probably as infinite as the other stair. Don't have a name, but I might be able to scry on her..."

Alter Reality scrying on her.

DC 32 base, +5 bonus to her will save because I've only got second-hand knowledge, -10 penalty because I have a body part, so -5 to her will save in total.

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+77
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 95 > [d20=18]

You recoil back in sheer shock. The will you slam into is unlike any other.

You!

'YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU!'

'COME AND PAY HOMAGE TO ME, YOUR ALMIGHTY QUEEN AND GOD! COME TO ME MY CHILD, COME TO YOU AND I SHALL MAKE YOU A PRINCESS AMID YOUR KIND, YOU SHALL KNOW ME AND SERVE ME IN THE GREAT WORKS TO COME!'

[Ebiris]

Alicia recoils back at the failure of her scrying, but some kind of connection has been formed. Exerting her divine will she attempts to talk back.

My name is Alicia Reynes. Where might I find your majesty?

[Anastasia]

"Sister?!" Jessica is there, holding you as you recoil, stopping anything more.

Who are you? Alicia Reynes, my first subject can already speak the proper way! Your words are beautiful!

"You are lovely." Aaaaah!

The stone below shifts, into a too large, stretched feminine face. It's a face far too large, larger than 3 or so faces would be otherwise. "Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow, follow my voices, follow my song! You will be tested, my first children...children! OH! You, your name, my second child?"

Jessica exhales, "I am Jessica Reynes."

"Jessica Reynes. Follow my song as well. It will test and teach you as it did me, but such is the way to be exalted above all others of your kind! You will rule as...as..." A stop. "Where are they? The royal antennae? No, you're too tall! Too tall!"

[Ebiris]

"Ah, we're not from here," Alicia speaks normally, floating up to look down at the face in the stone. "We came from the other stairway, the one with doors that connect to other places. Do you remember what humans are?"

[Anastasia]

> roll 1d20+10
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 15 > [d20=5]

> roll 1d100
<Penuche> Kotono invokes Penuche's magic: < 98 > [d100=98]

The face twists as if in pain, "Hu...mans....humans....humans....humans....humans...HUMANS!" A cry of pain. Faces. More faces rise from the platform, fully three dimensional ones, double your height at width. "HUMANS! NO! NOT HUMANS! NOT HUMANS!"

They all cry that as they suddenly gaze at you, "Immortals. You are like me but different. You speak the proper way. Kneel to me. Kneel to me, humans, become my first disciples. Become the first disciple of the Queen."

[Ebiris]

"We were humans, now we are gods," Alicia says, shifting a bit to better face the... faces. "We come not as disciples but as emissaries. Will you treat with us? We have many questions, and would try and answer any of yours."

This needs a bit of a delicate touch, and honestly just playing along would probably be more productive but she can't really mislead the Queen. It just wouldn't be right.

[Anastasia]

You said something right. Give me a Diplomacy check.

[Ebiris]

[18:37] <@Ebiris> roll 1d20+59 diplo
[18:37] <Penuche> Ebiris invokes Penuche's magic: < 72 > [d20=13]

[Anastasia]

"Then...where are they? Where is the rest of your bodies?" The voice is shaky, "Where is it all? I don't see them anywhere." In the air veins are seen, throbbing blue. Tendons and muscles, bones. Feathers, scales. Faces. Hands. Eyes. Tails. The voice comes from all around you, "Where is the rest of you? You're so tiny."

Jessica is still a moment, "Oh Mystra..." she breathes out.

[Ebiris]

"This is it," Alicia spreads her arms (that statue still held in one hand) but she grows, as much as she can without hitting a stairway or platform or tendon above. "We have a divine realm that we're intimately tied to but it isn't a part of our body. We are sufficient like this."

[Anastasia]

"...you can project from it." The voice says, "I see! I get it! Can I? Can you show me how? I'd love to see your real bodies in your realm. They must be beautiful lands with so many worshipers living on and within you."

[Ebiris]

Alicia shrinks back down to normal size. "That's not quite it either. Rather than these," she gestures at her body, "Being a projection of the realm, it's closer to say that the realm is an extension of this," her hand pats her own chest. "It's called Sylica and it's very beautiful, with many people living there. Do you know where Ysgard is?"

I've met some weird stuff back in B1, like there was what seemed to be an avatar of Ysgard once shortly after Sylica was founded, and there was like weird monsters that appeared like an abyssal immune system during the Androlynne business, so is there some sort of precedent I can see for what's going on here?

[Anastasia]

Sure.

Near as you can tell, she hasn't projected a divine realm or made a divine realm her own. She's somehow merged with this realm. It's also glaringly wrong as far as you can tell. This shouldn't happen, this should not be.

"It showed me," The Queen goes on, "It showed me how to do this. Isn't it wonderful?" A girlish giggle before muscles tense and tendons snap, faces laughing and body parts moving and waving. "But I don't understand how to make my servants wake up. It says I might learn one day. Is it like that, your projection, where you're your realm but you aren't?"

"It's my realm as well," Jessica says, "What...what is the it you mention?"