Mystran rest

[Ebiris]

Marie gives a cheerful wave in greeting while Alicia nods more sedately. "It's good to see you either way, Kascha. We're interested in the 666th layer of the Abyss. We think something was left there by the Incarnations, something that can turn truth into lies and lies into truth. Malcanthet demonstrated a fragment she'd acquired of it to us and while it couldn't do much more than parlour tricks, it still had a clear effect that didn't rely on magic. So the potential of the complete whole must be considered."

[Anastasia]

"I'll refresh all of you," Kascha offers, "The Man of the Winds spoke of what lay in the 666th layer when we sought information on Kina-ja."

Syala's lip curls up into a half scowl, but she smooths it out. "Who Sharess dealt with, permanently this time. She won't let her get out from under her paw again."

"To everyone's gain, for Kina-ja reached it and found what she desired. To quote the Man of the Winds: 6, 6, 6. Kina-ja cannot defeat her nemesis. Not without aid. She sought what lies there and found it. He is many and none. His appearance and history are the greatest lies of all. He is the terminus. He is where it will end. He is one of hers. Do not speak his name. It is a lie. It is a lie wrapped in a lie, given to a lie told by a liar. Do not speak his realm's name, for it is lies from the liar. The absolute light can dissolve it, but it will fail when you need it most, because it is not your story. Kina-ja is truth, but her lies will become lying truths if not stopped. It is a sign that all lies will become real, and all truths will become lies. The terminus will swallow both."

Antenora sighs, rather deeply. "Useful, even once we pare away the demonic madness. That says that whatever lies there is alive, a he. A person."

Going on, "When Muirfinn asked the Man of the Winds about him, this was his answer: Do not speak his name. It is a lie. It is a lie wrapped in a lie, given to a lie told by a liar. Do not ask of what it is, for only lies that become truth will be found. Ask me to tell you his name, my son."

"There are others like that. Names that cannot be spoken, for they bring disaster," Antenora reckons it slowly, "We know of one of those at the last, Alicia. One that brings hellfire. This man knew what lies on the 666th layer's name?"

"If he spoke the truth, but...I don't think he lied," Kascha admits, "He spoke in truths hidden, but not in lies. He has insight unmatched to others we have seen. He also stated that his price was for Muirfinn to kill Kina-ja, and that all void is Shar, but not all lies are Shar. He also said the absolute light was key to it all, and that to defeat Kina-ja, we had to give her a chance to make her dream come true."

A moment.

"It worked. We used Syala and Sharess's presence to lure her and ultimately defeat her." Kascha finisehs.

"In the end all the lies didn't matter," Syala speaks up here, "In the end, she was a sad, angry woman who went astray - and with all we did, she couldn't avoid that any more. Sharess still doesn't like her, but she's tolerating her and she's deep in a reformation program. She's not getting the slightest bit loose until that's taken for good."

"I suspect the Man of the Winds wanted her dead rather than being reformed by Sharess," Kascha says, "In retrospect, he is still a fiend and that would suit him more than a soul saved."

[Ebiris]

"So how did Kina-ja reach 666, and what specifically did she find there?" Alicia asks after all that exposition.

"And who's this nameless one? A guardian left by an Incarnation?" Marie asks. "Maybe he's connected to Pale Night, since we know she's originally from Beyond."

[Anastasia]

"We never found out," Kascha says, "But I can go fix that. Would you come with me, Syala? Sharess gets, uh...catty about Kina-ja."

"I know," Syala holds a hand up, "Do you want to come along, love?

"He could be," Jessica agrees, "He fits the pattern of something transcendent."

"Also," here Antenora speaks up, "Sylvie and I, as well as Seira, had a discussion about this. Sylvie mentions she believes the Man of the Winds is tied to the Ordial Plane and that's where his information comes from, in case we wish to investigate that as well."

[Ebiris]

"You mean the gate where one of the seeds was?" Alicia asks Antenora. "Either way I'd be happy to come along to see Sharess."

[Anastasia]

"Yes," Antenora agrees, "It makes a certain sense, because if he can see all of this, he must have access to something abnormal, and an unfinished transitive plane is abnormal."

[Ebiris]

"Why don't you and Jessica investigate it while Syala and I go with Kascha?" Alicia asks, leaving Marie and Latha to stay and guard the base. "There should be a route there from Queen's stairway that Alyssa used."

[Anastasia]

Okay then, any prep as you and Syala go out?

[Ebiris]

We'll just go as is, shouldn't be any fighting.

Oh also Latha can talk to NPCs in other nodes to tell them about this plane-merging business so they can bring it up as convenient for Moore/Alyssa without disturbing their threads.

[Anastasia]

Works.

You meet Sharess in a familiar place. Evergold. She soaks alone, up to her waist as semi visible hands of force massage her back. Her eyes are closed as incense that smells like raspberries and chocolate burns nearby, tickling your noses. An assortment of chocolate and raspberry treats float on a tray in front of her, not a speck of water touching them despite floating atop it.

"Hi Sharess," Syala calls, "Sorry to-"

"Kina-ja," she says, snatching a treat and popping it down. "I haven't even sharpened my claws yet today."

"Oh, this is Evergold?" Kascha takes it in, a hand to her mouth.

"Yes, and right now the others are off doing...whatever they do when I'm not looking," Sharess declares, "Get in or not as you want." Another treat goes down.

[Ebiris]

"It's not my first time," Alicia says casually, unclasping her armour and setting it down before she unceremoniously strips and walks nude into the water to sit opposite Sharess.

[Anastasia]

Syala joins you and gets comfortable next to you, while Kascha follows, "Thank you," she says as she gets in. "It's an honor."

Sharess responds by devastating those chocolate treats before her, before, "The point, Syala."

"We need to talk to Kina-ja about how she got to the 666th layer of the Abyss, and we need an answer, even if we have to use our full power to get it," Syala says, without hesitation.

[Ebiris]

"Shar's escalating things and bragging about how it's her final victory," Alicia says after Syala. "if the Incarnations left something behind on 666 that we can use... well, now's the time to go looking."

[Anastasia]

A few more tidbits are devoured before, "We're really going to have to insist," Kascha says delicately. "I'm sorry, but this is that important."

With the treats are gone, Sharess opens her eyes and snaps her fingers. Nearby a simple human woman appears, wearing a white toga and asleep. She stays asleep, her hair currently a soft red and very short. She's a natural beauty. "Return her in one piece," is what Sharess says, "She'll sleep for as long as we need."

A soft, cat like mrrr noise before, "Syala, rub my shoulders." she instructs.

Syala doesn't argue, going over and positioning to do just that. She works and Sharess lets out a low, animal like sound, "Mrrrr. At least you're good to me, Syala. So many ingrates across the planes! So many!"

[Ebiris]

"Is there anything you want to talk about, Sharess?" Alicia offers gently, looking over at presumably Kina-ja and trying to access her mind while she's asleep.

Limited wish for probe thoughts, DC is 33 if she's resisting. Want to ask how she reached the 666th layer.