The moments in between

[Corwin]

"What do you know, those research notes really did lead somewhere," Seira says cheefully. "Turns out Sylvie and 21 are holed up in the barrier between Creation and the Beyond, which also serves as a filter of sorts between them. It's a nice place to practice means and tactics against creatures that don't belong in Creation, although Sylvie decided to challenge us before we get to see her."

She shrugs. "I think we've more than proved our mettle, but maybe she wants to treat us all equally?" To demonstrate, Seira creates a deep blue sword that would cut through the Horrors by denying their existence and a matching shield that would filter their essence instead to turn them into something compatible with Creation. "So that's us. How did you our expedition go?"

[Ebiris]

Alicia looks curiously at the blue armaments Seira created before she's prompted for her own tale. "We found a guardian left behind by the Incarnation of Balance, as well as one other seeker who'd found the place long before us. A lillend. She was in a bad state, the guardian had toyed with her to a degree and she'd become some kind of abomination, but still she helped us pass the guardian's trials. Our reward was a godseed with three charges, like the one Io had made. One went to that lillend, though she'll remain in hiding a time as she tends to the empty stairway she was confined to for so long - it's like a prototype for the Infinite Staircase that the Incarnations made and then discarded because they disliked the race they'd made to maintain it. We used the other two charges to ascend Latha and Marie. I'm worried about the attention we'll garner for having so many newly risen goddesses in Sylica, but we couldn't risk holding onto the seed in case it was stolen."

[Corwin]

"Wow! Go you!" Seira cheers. "Screw that attention, you've really advanced your cause!"

[Anastasia]

This gets Amaryl to gasp, "Another seed? Congratulations!" she declares. "The lillend, what's her name? She sounds like a fast ally, let alone one with a realm unknown."

[Ebiris]

She nods and smiles. "Yes, in the long term we'll be far stronger from it, it's just the short term that's dangerous. I'm hoping Queen - that's the lillend, she'd forgotten her name, will be a valuable ally in the future as well. She's a bit like Eblis in that she's remarkably stronger than her divine standing would suggest."

[Corwin]

"We can't be standing still, then," Seira decides. "Once we get Sylvie out and Sanzha ascends again, we'll need to look for clues of other seeds. If that was Balance, then Law might've left something around?" Blinking, she adds, "Ah, as for the Sanzha thing, it appears that Sylvie has further ideas about using the One ritual, but she's holding out until we've completed our challenges."

[Ebiris]

Alicia nods. "I was thinking of having Latha do the ritual in time, though the need is less pressing now. If she became One and then used a seed it would probably work well, but we just couldn't risk hanging onto it that long. I'm sure others must exist though, Jessica searched high and low for clues but when we found a good lead to a place no one had ever been, it worked out. Feels a bit like when we were adventurers on the prime going to places no one had been for thousands of years and uncovering ancient mysteries..." she smiles a bit wider now. "There's still things like that in the planes if you're bold enough to go looking."

[Corwin]

Seira nods eagerly. "And speaking of boldly going where people have only traveled twice before, do you mind if we tagged along on your challenge?"

[Ebiris]

"That's fine, I'll need your help getting there anyway," Alicia nods. "I'm a little bit drained from battling the guardian so tomorrow? We can sit on Marie and Latha's big announcements until after we've made our trip out, since I don't want to be away from Sylica when the responses start coming in."

[Corwin]

"Sure thing, I'm just waiting right now as it is. Apparently Zaphkiel has that Tryll guy doing something in secret, and Alyssa was concerned she couldn't do it when I relayed the news, so I asked Moore to see about that since they have a decent enough rapport."

[Ebiris]

"Hmm. It is interesting then that Sylvie's set up a set of challenges specifically for the same groups sponsored by Zaphkiel and Io. Are they collaborating?" Alicia wonders, brought up a bit short as she considers that angle.

[Corwin]

"Zaphkiel is aware of her actions, at the very least."

[Anastasia]

"I'm not sure there's anything he isn't aware of now," Amaryl admits, "He seems to see everything, does he not, even when we hide it." A shake of her head, "I suspect more that Seira's favorite theory about him is true after all. He was able to see there and he knew of it. Who else knows of that place?"

[Corwin]

"Consider this as well," Seira adds to Amaryl's words. "The way important speech has something extra which we perceive as color. Sylvie speaks in two colors, this same deep blue and white. Moore suggested that they represent Creation and the Beyond, and while I don't know about it there's a definite link right there. I haven't really noticed anyone else speaking in the same way Zaphkiel is."

[Ebiris]

"He responded to Jessica when we returned to Sylica with the seed," Alicia says. "But we perhaps invite his presence by accepting his blessings, and greater powers see far indeed. Mystra told me recently of how someone was able to goad her into a specific course of action only by enacting all the planning with no recourse to any magic so that she wasn't able to see what he was putting in motion."