Destiny now lies in the hands of...

[Anastasia]

"So much," Antenora echos, as she goes to Marie and offers her hand to her. "I'll be glad to work hard as long as you're with me, Marie."

Syala smiles at that display before, "We're going to be dreadfully busy with that. We'll have time to rest one day, but not anytime soon."

Jessica merely nods back, her expression serious. "I claimed shadows as part of my domain. Shar will not take that lightly, she will see it as the challenge it is, sister."

[Ebiris]

Marie smiles and squeezes Antenora's hand.

"You'll be expected to Compete with her then," Alicia warns Jessica. "See that you don't lose."

"Lets go make our avatars first?" Marie speaks up. "After that I'd really like to go see Mystra. She deserves to hear about this from me."

[Anastasia]

"I'll go with you," Antenora says, "I'd like to see this myself."

Meanwhile Jessica returns that look as Latha adds, "We'll have time to celebrate later. Duty weighs ever heavier on us."

[Ebiris]

"We will celebrate. Soon all of Sylica and then all of Creation will know about this, and it'll help boost the beginning of your faiths," Alicia says. "But avatars first."

A moment later and they're all teleported to a hidden refuge under Sylica where the golden crystal Zaphkiel gave them is guarded by two Alicias, one Syala, and one Antenora. They've at least made things pretty homely, looking like a nice sitting room with illusory windows offering views over Sylica. It's not that they strictly need the intellectual stimulation because they're simple offshoots of the core divine consciousness rather than identities with needs and wants of their own, but a dreary cave was too dull.

After taking a moment to begin forming her avatar, a waxy and translucent sculpture missing any form of fine details, Marie uses the crystal under Alicia's direction and a moment later her avatar takes form as a perfect copy of her. The two begin playing something like patty-cake while Latha and Jessica take their turns.

[Anastasia]

Jessica's avatar rises from shadows while Latha's is born of sunshine, both created as the other avatars watch on. "Do we...do much while we wait?" Latha's avatar asks. "What do all of you do here while you wait?"

[Ebiris]

"It's just waiting," one of Alicia's avatars says. "We tell each other what's happening when the real versions are apart, or play games or spar as a distraction. There's no difference between us and the active avatar, but there's no point swapping to 'give a different one a turn' because we're all the same up here, and perceive everything the others do," she taps the side of her head. "We don't get bored."

"Well anyway," Marie says as her avatar goes to hug Antenora's avatar, "I'm going to go to Dweomerheart. I'll be back in time for any celebrations here."

[Nephrite]

Hi Alicia, this is Moore. I hope I'm not disturbing you. I wanted to let you know I've been tasked with something from Elysium for what sits there - to defeat or otherwise do something about the Hecatoncheires. If that is something you or yours are interested in participating in, please let me know.

[Anastasia]

"There's one thing we need to speak of," Latha says, her expression growing more serious. "It chastises us that we still live in great danger. I received a message from Emily. Alyssa and Ianvasah hunted a Sharran on Ash - an Eye of Shar. They did not triumph. Alyssa perished, but through Ianvasah's sacrifice her soul flew free to Shaundakul and has been incarnated as Ebony was incarnated. Ianvasah..." A pause here, a bow of her head. "She is gone. Shar consumed her into oblivion, mind, body and soul.""

[Ebiris]

Marie gasps at Latha's news while Alicia's expression turns grave.

"Poor Ianvasah. What an awful price to pay..." she bows her own head. "Here we are celebrating our triumph and to hear of this? It's an awful portent."

Moore's message comes at a rather bad time when she's digesting all of that, but still she manages to reply.

Mystra once told me of her folly in helping to create such an awful being. Why have you been tasked with doing something about it?

She wonders if it might not have been a better job to give him before apotheosis, given the Hecatoncheires' grudge with the divine.

[Nephrite]

It was the decision of one of the Arch Angels that guards the Empyrean Gate. Grandfather Time apparently also got involved in the matter. I cannot say for certain the reasons behind it other than what's on the surface, despite there being other motives somewhere.

[Anastasia]

Antenora bows her head, and says simply, "Thank you, Ianvasah."

Syala matches that as Jessica closes her eyes, a tear threatening. "That's my nightmare, that it happens to one of us. Ianvasah was not weak, to see it happen to her reminds me too well it may be our fates in the future if we are not strong, true and wise."

"Another crime to lay at Shar's feet," Latha declares, "We will make this right one day. There will be justice for this."

[Ebiris]

I believe I understand. If the angels know what you seek there, then they wish for you to understand the burdens of divinity, and the great harm it causes to Creation when they blunder. The Gods could not bring themselves to enact their grim duty when a world of the prime strays too close to the Beyond and must be purged for the good of Creation. They crafted a living weapon to do this duty in their stead, and in that dereliction was sown the seeds of tragedy.

Many have tried to slay the Hecatoncheires. All have failed. If you seek some way of reaching its heart, I do not believe it will listen to the voices of the divine. If you seek its death, Mask knows of its sole weakness... though who knows, perhaps that weakness will also offer a way to its heart? My advice to you is to find a way for Mask to reveal that secret. None have managed this before, but it is an old secret and we walk into a new age. You may have the means to pry it from him.

[Nephrite]

I will see what I can manage, then. I agree with the idea that it shouldn't simply be killed because of what it represents - there is hope enough for any creature. I will let you know as further developments arise.

[Ebiris]

Good luck, and stay safe. I just learned what befell Ianvasah. If your group needs any resources, we have many items of power in Sylica acquired over the years that have gone unused.

"I just heard from Moore," she says aloud. "He tried for the seed in Elysium and the archangels tasked him with dealing with the Hecatoncheires. I've offered him advice and support, and we should do the same for Alyssa. I offered her some of our store of artifacts and magic items when we last spoke at Zaaman Rul's victory feast but she seemed uninterested. Given she must have just lost her panoply to Shar she'll be in far greater need now."

[Anastasia]

"She is in Ysgard now," Latha speaks up, "Undergoing a trial under Strength of Light's guidance with Dolmaya. She will return here when it is done - I have taken the time to forge many things for her cheaply, and her allies aided her as well. Still, more aid is suitable."

"Encouragement as well," Antenora points out, "A warrior fallen is a warrior shaken."

"Her heart must be pained," Latha concurs, "She did not show it over much, but a time or two I saw the hints of hidden sorrows within her. I do not believe her the sort to openly wear her pain on her sleeve, but that does not mean she is free of it.""