Henry Group RP Forum

Hendrick was relieved. No more horrendous pain, no more broken look in her face. He appreciated the childish joy she seemed to feel. Something, she probably had not been allowed to feel since she got send out onto her assignments. “I have enjoyed that game ever since I was a child. Whilst, by no means a great player, I have learned some tricks from various people.” A genuine grin formed. Smugness rushed him, pushing away all decorum. “I wouldn’t mind playing a bit more again.” Maybe he needed some form of relaxation, now that his pipe was gone for good. Stella’s cryptic explanation had something to do with what happened in the tower. The emerald gem linked to that woman’s spirit must have painted her a terrifying picture. His smile vanished near instantly, his demeanour turned polite but cold. Sadly, playtime was over again. It must be much worse than he had ever anticipated. All the defences she had built around the kings were magnificent. Still, she seemed to think them vastly insufficient. Without saying anything, Hendrick took out one basilisk of her immaculate defensive position and rearranged some pieces, such that it seemingly made no difference to the overall fortification. Three basilisks still formed a strong defensive position. He placed it off the board before her. The light did not hit it as well as it was facing her silently. It looked lost, vulnerable. Next, he removed a cleric, not before rearranging a few pieces. The cleric was placed right in front of the much mightier basilisk, watching out, standing guard, defending it with his potential sacrifice. He continued playing this game, adding piece after piece, covering flanks, opening attack options and supporting all available pieces until a powerful formation was born. “The defence of the kings doesn’t not care for these few pieces. Whatever gets thrown their way, can be at least slowed, but they will probably fall. These pieces here, they are the chance to hit the enemy. Maybe the only chance. But one chance is a world full of hope.” He carefully picked up one of the separate pieces. The powerful formation might have lost a piece of many, but the defensive and offensive capabilities were slashed in half. “One piece is half your army.” He placed the warrior in her palms. “Know your pieces, know what they are capable off. Know what they want, what they feel, but also know what they fear. Look after them, there is little hope of reinforcement.” He let her look at the warrior for a bit, before carefully taking it back and placing it in its position. He picked up the basilisk and handed it to her, speaking his next words very carefully. “Most importantly, know yourself.”

The Smallest of spiders in the darkest of corners of the low ceiling watched the pair as they talked. Watched as they realized someone was watching them. Watched as they talked in low voices, oblivious to the fact that the smallest spider had the biggest ears. Crawling into a tiny hole and then another and another, Azur transformed into his normal self back in his room, and thought about what he had learned about these new people. After a few minutes had passed, he sets off to find Nala and see if she would be interested in company. 

LOCATION: On the ship DATE:  22nd Aryth, Night CHARACTERS: Azur , Nala , Puff Nala had spent the past few...minutes? Hours?...thinking. She thought about Hendrick , and how he seemed to be on edge ever since the fight with the ex-priest. She thought about Rune , who must have decided not to join the party for some strange reason...perhaps he was on his way to a closer city to collect his money for helping them escape Taer Valestas . She shrugged at the thought. Oh well, at least he won't be around to distract Stella . She then thought about Stella , who seemed like a lot of fun at first but - now that Nala really thought about it - has since become a little too dramatic for Nala's liking. She chuckled at that thought, reminding herself of Invidia , who would certainly get a kick out of berating her new companions. She frowned, missing Invidia intensely, despite the fact that they were always arguing with each other. At least Invidia talked to her. Her new friends hardly had anything to say to her. Her eyes drifted down until they rested on the sleeping figure of Puff , proving yet again to be the only being who truly cares for her. A deep frown settled on her face as she contemplated why she was even here. She stared at a letter to Ex , remaining half unwritten as she still hadn't received a response from her best friend. Under it was a letter to Diego , with nothing written but his name, as Nala desperately wanted to know if he's okay but didn't want to appear like she hadn't gotten over him. She hadn't, but Diego certainly didn't need to know that. And even under that one was a finished letter to Invidia , fully written and addressed. She released a breath, thick with anxiety.  If they don't need me, I don't need to waste my time with them. I have better things to do than stay with this group of people wholly unconcerned with my presence.  In the midst of writing a different letter to Invidia , inquiring about the prospect of joining up with his new group, a small knock on the wood startled Nala from her thoughts. She looked over her shoulder to see Azur , and a bright smile crossed her face. " Azur ! What a pleasant surprise! What can I do for you?"

LOCATION: On the ship DATE: 22nd Aryth, Night CHARACTERS: Azur , Nala , Puff Azur continued to contemplate the conversations between Hendrick and he half elf. “That Hendrick doesn’t miss a thing. Best to not try watching him again for sometime.”  Rune arrived outside Nala’s room and knocked gently on the door frame.  “Nothing really, other then to provide some company. Your one of the few people on the ship so far that I would consider friendly.” Noticing all the letters but not reading them. “I hope I’m not interrupting you. I was hoping you could regale me with some of that experience we talked about earlier.” Azur steps in and leans against the doorway, unsure where to sit. 

LOCATION: On the ship DATE: 22nd Aryth, Night CHARACTERS: Azur , Nala , Puff "Don't worry, you aren't interrupting." Nala gathered the letters and placed them to the side. She crouched down, the large figure dwarfing Puff , and she gently nudged him. One lazy eye opened before the next, and Puff huffed in annoyance at the disturbance. "We have company, why don't you sleep somewhere else so Azur can sit?" Puff looked at Azur lazily, and rolled onto his back before stretching out even further in the tight quarters. Nala sighed at him, but a small smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth. She looked back at Azur and shrugged. "Why don't we go watch the waves, hm?" She took his arm in hers and walked along beside him towards the bow of the ship.  "First thing I should mention is that the ship wasn't ordinary, as you must have guessed. It was an airship; a primitive one at that, as it was powered by a fire elemental and a balloon. It was called The Intrepid , appropriately enough. I was with my best friend, Ex . I mentioned him to you earlier. He was...well, he was quite a handful. A Triton with very little understanding of danger, and friendly, but rather socially inept. He was always getting us into trouble, which might explain why he took such a liking to Lander , the most obtuse being on the planet." Nala rolled her eyes, spitting out the name as if it belonged to a swine. " Lander had told us that he had resurrection magic that, in a crisis situation, could revive a dead fire elemental. So naturally, when the one powering our ship began to sputter and the flames died down, my first thought was to kill it quickly so we could revive it quickly. Crisis averted. Well, the ship is slowly sinking tot he ground and we're on a time limit, so we quickly kill the thing, and of course, the ship plummets towards the ground with no more power source. Lander is standing right there, looking awfully confused. ' Lander , what the hell are you doing? Revive the damned thing!' I yell at him, and he looks at me with this blank stare. 'I can't.' He says. Oh Azur ," He grip on his arm tightens. "I'm positive I looked stark raving mad, I was about to blast him off the ship myself. The fool lied to us! But naturally, by the time I could even attempt to formulate a response, there was a crack like thunder and the distant chime of a bell struck the wrong way. We were all thrown about, and after I regained some sense of what happened, I realized we had crashed our ship into the ancient clock tower. Even worse, when I escaped the boat on my magic carpet, I was immediately seized by Paladins of Silence ! We were in a no-magic territory!" Nala laughs, though a hint of something like bitter regret creeps through in her demeanor.  "Anyway, long story short, I probably should avoid Vulyar at all costs and that damned arrogant bastard Lander made off without a scratch and with my magic carpet!" She quiets for a moment, listening as the waves lap against the side of the ship. "You certainly owe me a story now, sir." She says, grinning at Azur .

LOCATION: On the ship DATE: 22nd Aryth, Night CHARACTERS: Azur , Nala , Puff “The ocean breeze sounds awesome about now.” With a grin and a bit of surprise, Azur allows himself to be led, arm and arm with Nala. He listens intently to his story, trying to imagine a ship that sailed through the air. His dream of owning a ship grew larger, as he envisioned himself sailing the high skies, protecting creatures on high mountains and below the sea. Nala had further fanned the flames of Azurs desire to have a ship of his own.  “Truly a terrifying story, and I must say, I’d love this hear how you escaped. As for a story? Well let me see.”  Azur pauses for a few moments and considers what might prove of interest. He recalls that Nala had a deep interest in Tritons. “I already mentioned how I helped defend a village of Tritons, but perhaps you’d like to hear the whole story.” Azur clears his throat and looks down into the dark lapping waves as this caress the boat. “This happened a few years ago, though the sahuagin still stalk these waters. During my travels I often would shepherd animals and during this particular tale, I was escorting a group of dolphins across Krakens Bay. Along the way I stopped at an amazing Coral Reef village. The architecture was astounding and I discovered it belonged to a small number of Tritons. While they were rather stuck up at first, their children emjoyed playing with the dolphins and so I was allowed to stay for a time.  It was during this time, around a week, that a Sahuagin Raiding party assaulted the village, hoping to steal a Holy Relic that the Tritons guarded. The Sahuagin had brought a Giant Shark, along with several other lesser sharks, a force far stronger then what the village could muster. Fortunately the dolphins I guarded were brave and through some clever spell casting, I was able to bury the invaders in a nearby ship wreck, collapsing it as I escaped.  I did recieve a terrible wound however” Azur releases Nala’s hand for a moment to lift his shirt where a large bite scar has mostly healed, maring his green skin with white lines. He lowers his shirt and resumes holding Nala’s hand and stares back out at the water.  “After that, the village made me a member, and I’ve visited them often since. They are a noble and proud people, if a little stubborn. Perhaps we will pass by it on this journey.” Azur smiles and closes his eyes, breathing in the salty ocean breeze and the warmth of the sun on his face. 

LOCATION: On the ship DATE: 22nd Aryth, Night CHARACTERS: Azur , Nala Nala realized suddenly that she knew very little about Tritons despite her friendship with one, and as Azur described the people and their culture, she tried to imagine Ex among them, but could not. She idly wondered how much of his personality contributed to his exile. Still, Azur told a riveting tale, and as he revealed the scar on his torso, Nala let out a small gasp. She listened as he finished his story and then gave him a bright smile.  "You know, I know many adept fighters and talented sailors, but I don't know very many who would willingly put their lives on the line for strangers. I think this world needs more people like that." Nala's eyes drifted out to the sea, a faraway look on her face. "Thank you for the company. Sometimes it's difficult for me to approach the others - they are facing their own battles and I feel like a voyeur around them. Plus their anxieties are infectious, and I really do have enough worry to last a lifetime." She gives him a pitiful smile. She takes a deep breath and shakes her head slightly. "Anyway, not to worry you with trivial things. You said that you shepherd dolphins? Is that an occupation? I've never met someone who does anything like that!" 

LOCATION: On the ship DATE: 22nd Aryth, Night CHARACTERS: Azur , Nala , Puff Azur gives a small smile at the praise and his back straightens a little. At the mention of the others, the thoughts of what Hendrick and the other half elf talked about, and how they became so suspicious of any watchers. He definitely could agree with what Nala said. Azur wonders the age of this Dragonborn, to be so jaded. She didn’t look old? “Well I’m always an open ear. As for my shepherding? You could say it’s an occupation of sorts, but I’m not payed in most cases. I do it for the animals, to help protect those in nature against unfair treatment. I have done some payed work for different captains, working as a navigator. I can remember my favorite captain, a Jack Sparrow, who took great interest in helping me. Many great adventures were had, usually in the pursuit of treasure.”  Azur let’s out a chuckle and wonders what to make of this Nala. “I do think I’d like to hear some about you! Perhaps your previous occupation? Besides crashing airships? A wink and joking voice. 

LOCATION: On the ship DATE: 22nd Aryth, Night CHARACTERS: Azur , Nala "A treasure hunter? That suits you, I think." Nala nodded, more to herself than to Azur . At his joke, she chuckled. "Well, before I joined up with these guys I was mostly traveling the continent, scouring old libraries. I'm a bit of a bibliophile, you see. But I was able to do that because I used to be the governess to a wealthy family. It's nothing too exciting." She gives Azur a small smile; one that almost suggests that there was more to the story than she was letting on.  "Anyway, perhaps I should head back." Her eyes traveled upward to the sky, speckled generously with stars. "I could use a day at the hot springs, but I suppose sleeping in an old hammock will have to do instead." She sighed contentedly, as if the thought of the hammock didn't bother her much. "Good night, Azur ." She nodded politely and slipped out of his grasp to make her way back down to her designated sleeping area.

LOCATION: On the ship DATE: 23rd Aryth, Afternoon CHARACTERS: N ala , Puff, Hendrick After having fought off some ocean raiders and their monstrous shark pet, Hendrick was glad he had managed to get out of the water. He had never been on a boat this size and the prospect of traveling for weeks across the ocean did not sit well with him. Nala and Zeth were nowhere to be seen in the last battle. A quick sweep of the lower deck showed them both healthy and well, focused on a big tome and some meditation respectively. Hendrick , still soaking wet from being knocked over board, approached Nala  and her pet dragon. "Good day Lady Nala . I am glad to find you here below deck. We had some minor disturbances on our journey, but we could deal with it in no time." The mild rocking of the boat really did not help his attempt at looking at least somewhat dignified, his face was rather pale. "Mind if I join you for a little bit?" Puff's big questioning eyes slightly confused him. Animals had a way of not liking him. He tried to cram his belongings for anything he could feed him, but he was all out. "Sorry Puff , I have nothing for you." "Anyway Lady Nala . We haven't had the chance to speak much privately recently. How are you getting on? It was all a big rush since  Lupin and Jeezargo had left us." A big wave hit the ship, Hendrick was not equipped to deal with the sea. "Also, if you know of anyway of getting through this ocean journey easier, feel free to enlighten me. The waves really seem to have it in for me." he said with a brief distorted smile.

Afternoon/Evening, 23rd Aryth Aboard the Ship, Kraken Bay Dish Duty Approach your target on an unconventional axis… “Hey, Wolf,” Stella chirped from the doorway of the tiny galley kitchen. “Need a hand with the dishes?” Feeding two dozen hungry people multiple times a day was a full-scale operation. Wolf ran it with impressive efficiency from this narrow kitchen, directing a pair of assistants to help clear up after dinner and prepare for breakfast tomorrow morning. The porthole had been cracked open to allow steam to escape and cold air to enter. Cooking and serving that giant shark had left a huge stack of dishes teetering by the sink, and Stella had been doing all her own hard work for so long she barely remembered what it was like to have servants. She rolled up her shirt sleeves to her elbows and stepped up to the sink without waiting for permission. His assistants gave her sidelong glances as she washed dishes, since they had undoubtedly seen that confrontation on the foredeck earlier, but Stella teased them until they relaxed. One girl started to blush when Stella smiled at her, which intrigued Stella greatly. No doubt she was annoying the hell out of Wolf by getting under his feet and flirting with his soldiers, so within a few minutes she cleared them out, flicking hot soapy water at them. “Scram. I can do this faster with my new cantrip, and I need the practice.” Once they had cleared out, she began methodically prestidigitating everything in sight, from dishes to counters and floors, leaving everything clean and shining. But as practical as this was, it wasn’t what she was here for. As soon as she stopped casting, bubbles popped in the froth in the sink, emphasising the silence. Stella finally turned around to face Wolf. She had been holding this apology in for hours, and now she wasn’t sure where to start. Her voice softened into affection. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. You were only trying to help. I know that. And bringing up Avi was a low blow.” Even though she still didn’t entirely believe it wasn’t on Wolf’s mind. It was all she could think about sometimes - the long trail of bodies she’d left behind, all heartbreakingly avoidable. It would have taken seconds to tell Avi to disengage and reposition. Pull him out of that intense close combat to a range where he could be more effective. And spare him from getting put down harder than her healing spells could ever repair. Stop. What was done was done. It shouldn’t even bother her. She had barely known Avi. Stella cleared her throat. “I’m a Whispers bard. I’m sure you figured that out.” Most bards despised the College of Whispers, which taught its students to exploit and abuse the warm welcome bards generally received. Stella had finished many assignments without her victims ever realising she was more than a songbird with a sweet voice and a warm smile. “My bardic inspiration comes in the form of secrets. Tactical advice, usually. Your combat inspiration comes from the heart, mine from the mind. And trying to give inspiration Valor-style…” She caught herself staring blankly at the gleaming porthole on the far wall. She had stopped talking without even realising. Fuck. That had been a telling pause. For the first time in many years, Stella actually considered talking about what had happened to her when she was seventeen years old. How she had catastrophically lost her courage, her faith, and her confidence - everything that was so important to lifting other people’s spirits. But she would have a panic attack, that wasn’t even in question. Especially since Wolf had beaten the shit out of her in practice today and she was now alone with him in what felt like a very tight space. Her adrenaline spiked and her heart rate started to rise before Stella got a hard grip on herself. Wolf was her friend. He liked to protect people. Feed them. He didn’t need to know why she performed that badly with an angry barbarian in her face. It would probably upset him. “You know what, it’s nothing. I just had an off day. I can kick your ass any time.” Stella gave him a playful push. “Any more dishes for me?”

LOCATION: On the ship DATE: 23rd Aryth, Afternoon CHARACTERS: N ala , Puff, Hendrick As Hendrick approached, Nala greeted him with a smile, though her expression quickly transformed into curiosity as she took in his appearance. " Hendrick ! Of course you may join me, uh, hold on- " She cleared away a small pile of books and made a place for him to sit, and then took a small blanket off of a nearby bunk and handed it to him. "Here, you look like you're freezing." Puff sniffed at Hendrick curiously, lured in by the strong smell of brine. His nose scrunched up in distaste and he retreated to Nala's lap, his long tongue snaking out and into her small pouch of sugar cubes. Nala  was too busy watching Hendrick with concern written across her face to notice, though she did not ask him about his current state. As he mentioned Jeezargo and Lupin , though, Nala's eyes drifted downward, resting on Puff's form. A look of pain crossed her facial features only briefly before she composed herself. Abandoned. Always abandoned. However, the thought seemed to pass through her and then vanish.  "I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with ships, Hendrick ." Nala chuckled, knowing he wouldn't quite understand. "It helps me to concentrate on solid ground. Maybe not physically, but mentally. Something about feeling grounded in my mind helps me adjust to the chaotic motion of reality. I learned how to do that when I was very young." Nala's thoughts were dangerously close to the dark place, so she pivoted. "But I suppose I'm doing well. Better than others, for sure. Stella seems to have really lost her resolve in the past couple of days. I'm worried about her. As I'm sure you are aware, physical injury is temporary. Mental injury is permanent." As she said that, her eyes briefly flicked to something to Hendrick's left. It was a small gesture, and Hendrick might not have even caught it. But her eyes rested for half a moment on a burlap sack in a rectangular shape, much like that of a large book. Suddenly, Nala chuckled. It was a strange sound, like it had been a sound she had not willingly produced. Though this, too, passed as if it had not happened. "And how are you doing? I know things did not go as you had planned at the Star Haunt."

LOCATION: On the ship DATE: 23rd Aryth, Afternoon CHARACTERS: N ala , Puff, Hendrick He gladly took the blanket and started  wiping down his face, before finally wrapping himself in it. "Thank you. Things here are not quite as steady on this ship as I would have liked." Hendrick's soaking wet clothes allowed for little warmth to actually reach him, but the blanket at least gave the illusion of comfort. He noticed Puff's craving and with a proud grin he announced: "Looks like our little friend here would like some treat! Even I could figure that out." Nala seemed very concerned about Stella : "She is strong, Lady Nala , stronger than you give her credit for, but I agree. She is not on a good path. I think it might be the only one she can walk for a while though. Few of us are blessed with solid ground these days. Maybe you should give her some of your attention. I have noticed ribbons and flowers are a good start. Who knows, looking out for her might be something you enjoy." Hendrick had to reign in his broad smile. With all the worry, Nala seemed distracted and put off by the bag next to him. It might contain some large book, maybe something magical. Who knows where this young dragonborn had acquired her immense power from. "Here, you seem nervous about it." He carefully lifted it by the bands keeping the sack closed and placed it down next to her. "The last few days have been rather draining. I would like to thank you again for standing up for me, when Thaldrin had tricked me into fighting him. I am just very glad no major harm has come to you from that." Her sadness regarding Lupin's and Jeezargo's departure was heart breaking, if confusing. He sighed. "By now I reckon you are aware that I am a Priest of the Silver Flame. I tried to keep it rather quiet, because in times of war people are often judged prematurely and innocents can meet unjust fates. I would like to apologize in advance, because I might have to leave rather abruptly one day, to re-unite with the everlasting flame as well and continue my work for them. It will have nothing to do with you, in fact I enjoy your company very much. But their are responsibilities and I do not know, how long I can push them back for." He was surprised how much easier it was talking about his own death in Nala's bizarre ways. "I will instruct Stella to deliver a message to you, if I have to leave like that." He had wanted to talk about her knowledge of these psychic abominations. She was clever. And book-smart. She might have picked something up somewhere. But in all honesty, he just enjoyed having a normal conversation with someone who didn't need convincing not to imprison him, kill him or spy on him. There is plenty of time for that on this journey. "When I was young, I used to have this really big, fat brown chicken. It ate so much, at least twice, if not three times the amount of any of the other ones. It had all sorts of weird brown feathers to it. Look." He removed some of the blanket and started showing of different layers of his robes, all having slightly different shades of brown to them. "I swear to you, all those colours. Even the slightly red ones. All of them on one fat hen. Hertha even once or twice a week laid two massive eggs. She was the best. Somehow the only animal that ever got on with me well." He gave Puff a carefully inquisitive look. "The way you and Puff are together seems to be very natural. How does one come to share ways with such a lovely tiny dragon?"

LOCATION: On the ship DATE: 23rd Aryth, Afternoon CHARACTERS: N ala , Puff , Hendrick Hendrick's presence alone was enough to calm Nala . In fact, Azur had been a calming presence as well. She suddenly wished that she had some tea to give him, as it would surely lessen the slight shiver that he still had from the dampness in his clothing. As he mentioned Puff , the small dragon's head raised towards him and sent a tiny thought his way: " Quiet. Want treat." The dragon flicked his tongue out and then returned to his prey, sneaking another cube. " Stella is formidable. Quite lovely, even. I just...I think back to the horrors I witnessed in my life; the grave injustices, the tortures, the endless pain. I worry that we've just begun this path and I fear it will get worse before it gets better. I will do my best to protect Stella , but..." Nala's thoughts trailed off as Hendrick brought the book to her. Her book. The book. She barely contained a shudder, and also the urge to open it and study the strange runes as they dance across the page. What new secrets await me? What new insights can I learn about this world? No, you're still looking at the book. Pay attention to Hendrick.  Nala waved away Hendrick's thanks as soon as he spoke them. "Nonsense, Hendrick , you know very well that I only did what I promised you I would." But her eyes gave her away - the thought made her uncomfortable. Whether it was due to a fundamental lack of understanding of her own mortality or just the fear of physical pain itself was unclear, but Nala was certainly unwilling to confront the emotions lingering behind her words. She seemed almost relieved to move onto a new topic. "I have guessed at your faith, I will admit. But honestly, my judgments are reserved for your actions, and I see you to be a just and kind man. I think I've mentioned before that you remind me of my father - he was devout. It was to his god that I prayed for the power to help me survive. I have since questioned the will of his god, because obviously, my powers are not divine. But I do the best with what I am given. It just so happens to be that I was given powers of manipulation and destruction." Nala's nostrils flared briefly, and sparks of electricity crackled in the breath she released. Her mouth curled back in disgust. "I have been blessed by malevolence, I fear. But I hope the path I am on is one of justice. I hope you can stay for a while, Hendrick , I would love very much to learn your philosophies, and perhaps adopt them for my own. I need a mentor...one who does not come in the form of old books, much as I love them. I need someone who can make sure that the guiding force in my life remains one that is pure." Nala smiled at him apologetically. "But, I am getting ahead of myself. I don't wish to burden you further. These are just a few of the thoughts I've had in the last several days. Why don't we speak of something more pleasant, hm?" As he shared his tale of Hertha , Nala's smile brightened significantly. Nala looked down at Puff as he went for his third or fourth sugar cube and gently scolded him, moving the bag of treats away from him.  "I guess, technically, Puff is a manifestation of my patron. Though I don't quite like to think of him that way as Puff is so sweet and innocent, and I suspect my patron is far from that." Nala looked into Hendrick's eyes as she spoke the last part of that sentence aloud, making sure he knew the importance of those words. Her mouth was in a thin, tight line as her eyes lingered on Hendrick and then back to the bag, which he had placed beside her. She took in a deep breath, and released a sigh thick with words unspoken. Her eyes returned to Puff and slowly, the smile came back. "For many years, I had no family and no friends; only those who protected me. While I was grateful for that, it was still a lonely childhood, and I was bred to be what they wanted, not what I needed. When it came time to choose my path, I struggled with it for a long time. But finally, I conjured Puff in a moment of desperation, and he was able to give me the companionship that I desperately needed as a child. I suppose the situation was perfect for forming an attachment. Anyway, here," Nala gently picked up Puff and sat him in Hendrick's lap. Puff's scales raised briefly and his head bolted towards Nala . They briefly looked at each other, Hendrick able to surmise that they were communicating something as Puff had done with him previously. Finally, Puff relaxed and shifted in Hendrick's lap to be more comfortable before resting his head on Hendrick's knee. Nala tossed the pitiful dragon a sugar cube, which he licked up with his tongue with hardly a movement. "Scratch him under the chin, slowly. He likes that." 

LOCATION: On the ship DATE: 23rd Aryth, Afternoon CHARACTERS: Nala , Puff , Hendrick The way Nala acted around the sack was rather telling. It must contain something of great importance, something she likely thought she had power over. Yet, it would appear all it did was have power over her. “Regardless their origin, your powers are truly remarkable, something many wielders of magic would aspire to.” She had made it perfectly clear to him, that her powers are of sources better left undisturbed. Manipulation and destruction. Back in the day, he would have freed her. Gave her the chance to redeem herself in the ever-lasting fire. She was of good nature, but her soul was in dire need of cleansing. These are not the ways anymore though. And Hendrick saw she had the fight in her to not drift away too far. Hopefully. “I cannot say I didn’t wish your powers were of a more reliable source, but so far you have managed to harness it from great evil and used it to protect all of us. Even divine power can be used for dark deeds, why should you not be able to ride the banner for good.” He saw her stare fixated on the bag. He used Thaumaturgy to cause some whispers to erupt from the book, change his eye colour to pitch black and made his voice boom loudly. “Be careful though with powers you cannot control. You could not only harm yourself, but everyone else around you could be forced to leave.” He relaxed the effects of his magic. “I will try to teach you all I know about control of oneself and the magic that comes from places far away. But, if you ever feel things are getting too hard. Come to me for help, or anyone else aboard for that matter. I deeply care and worry about you. And so do the others.” Or they should at least worry for themselves. Hendrick got a candle out of his bag. “Here. This is a gift. When you are in dire need of a guidance, use it. The light has a way of separating things from their shadows.” He paused for a moment, recounting the candles left. Five. “For now though, why don’t we enjoy the afternoon. Hendrick unwrapped the blanket and threw it over the sack, that had caused so much distraction. Puff’s unwillingness to rest in Hendrick’s lap was something he was used to. Most animals have instinctively disliked him. Maybe that is why he had loved Hertha so much. He tried to follow Nala’s instructions on how to please that little bugger of hers, rubbing him as calmly as his worked fingers could muster. “He is a beauty, isn’t he?” He leaned over, whispering into its tiny ears. “Look, I think you are great, but don’t let me take you hostage, just because your mother wants us to bond.” He continued scratching him as slowly as he could. “What do you still know of your family, milady? It must have been hard being alone for so long.”

Night, 23rd Aryth Aboard the Ship, Kraken Bay Stella/Hendrick Darkness had fallen by the time Stella stepped up into the salt air of the upper deck. And stopped dead. A vast expanse of stars arced above her head, dominated by the massive Ring of Siberys and the twelve moons in all their colours. The orange-red disc of Aryth burned especially bright tonight, as it always did in the month named after it. Some scholars associated it with the Mark of Passage - not a bad month to sail two thousand miles along a dangerous coastline. She had seen this view last night as well, but the scale of it still hit her hard. She rarely ventured far enough from civilisation to see the stars in all their glory. Maybe she had missed a lot by burying herself in work these last eight years. It didn’t take long to hunt down Hendrick, since he was out on the foredeck doing something with great concentration. Tiny flashes of radiant fire lit his intent face. A few minutes of watching told her he was attempting to dry his robes with his Sacred Flame cantrip. Dammit. Stella kicked herself for not thinking to dry him off after his unplanned swim. It was late enough in the year to get teeth-chatteringly chilled. “New cantrip. Hold still.” She prestidigitated him with a flourish, drying him out and then warming him up. She even gently heated his shoes, since she hated it when her toes were cold. “There you go. Come get me next time. It’s just a cantrip. It’s no bother.” She sat beside him, leaving a significant distance between them - this didn’t seem like the moment to push her luck. Stella kept practising her cantrip, forming a random series of tiny illusions that fit in her palm. A leaf. A butterfly. A flame. A cleric piece from their dragonchess game. A basilisk piece. A fortified tower on a deserted beach. A tiny globe of the world. This suddenly didn’t feel random any more. Part of her must still be thinking about the Dreaming Dark. Stella cupped the little globe in her hands, shielding it from the vast darkness of the night. It seemed so small like this, so fragile. Like some psionic fuckwit from the Plane of Dreams could crush it with a single thought. Right on cue, the globe winked out of existence. Stella stared at her empty palms and imagined hundreds of millions of dreaming souls. Maybe billions. Well, there was nothing she could do about that tonight. She had a different story to tell. “The night you and I first met, I was having a drink with Rune in the Black Orb Inn in Taer Valaestas. I discovered he knew how to forge documents, and we pulled out some nice inks and fancy paper right there at the table just for fun. I’m an excellent forger, but he was even better. I knew from that moment that he was like me - maybe a little too much like me for comfort.” She caught herself smiling, remembering comparing their forged writs of arrest, both works of art. “I didn’t even have to ask if he spoke thieves’ cant. I knew he must. And we chatted away in secret the whole time until he died.” Her smile turned bitter because there was just no way she could think about Rune without remembering the soulknife plunging into his chest. Holding his hand as he died. Burning his body on that desolate beach. What a stupid, tragic way to die. She should have saved him. Stella cleared her throat twice, making sure her voice would be level. “Thieves’ cant is a secret language. It buries hidden messages within ordinary conversation, so everyone thinks you’re talking about flowers when you’re actually discussing who to kill first. It’s written in secret symbols as well. You might spot one painted on the wall of a safe house, or chalked on the pavement where guards like to linger. Practically nobody even knows the language exists except criminals.” And dragonmarked families of professional counterspies. She finally looked down from the stars at Hendrick, because he deserved her honesty. “I used to speak it with Rune mainly so you wouldn’t understand me. I wanted to stay hidden from you in particular. But now… I think you and I need to understand each other more than anyone else on this ship. I think I need to be able to tell you secrets no matter who’s listening in. I’d like to teach you to speak the language and read the signs. Want to learn?”

Night, 23rd Aryth Aboard the Ship, Kraken Bay Stella/Hendrick Hendrick had managed to dry about half of his robing. It was a rather laborious process. So far he had spent at least one hour on it. He was clearly not made for the life atop large bodies of water. Back in the day he used to swim a bit, always in his robes. But he had never really liked the feeling of being submerged, the constant pressure of water around him, something one cannot grasp or hold onto. Drying of the water afterwards though, letting the flame warm him, slightly burn his clothes and skin, nothing was better for mediating than that. He had a lot to think about. He was a fugitive of the church after all, but the psychic threats crossing his path here again. That must have been a calling. Gautreme needed to know. Whilst discarded by those he worked and lived for, he still believed in their purpose. Very much like Thaldrin did. He might understand. Sending magic was powerful, but also limited. He had to choose his words carefully. Stella approached him and seemed to take pity in him. Within seconds he was dry and her big smile showed how much it had meant to her, helping him out with this. “Ahem, thank you. I would have taken another hour or so for me to finish this here.” He sighed: “Please, though, in the future, ask me before you cast your magic on me. I am sure you understand.” Looked at her display of magic and how she seemed to drift of, thinking about the recent events. “You seem bothered. While I understand there are a lot of things going on, you seem to have something on your mind. Just tell me, if or when you need anything, I might be able to help. I mean anything. No questions asked.” He could see the pain in her eyes when she was talking about Rune and his demise. Thieves’ Cant would explain some of the seemingly pointless conversations those two seemed to have. “For my part I think I do understand you very well. But I agree, we will need to communicate, maybe without others knowing right away. I would enjoy being taught by you.” He leaned back starring up to the stars Stella had paid so much attention to. “What do you see when you look up there?”

Stella’s adrenaline had rarely shot up so fast as when Hendrick told her not to cast spells on him. Not because it was an unreasonable request - in fact, it was on the mild side. But because that was how you warned your enemy that you were ready and waiting for them, and if they made one sudden move, you were going to set them on fire. She had never known that kind of warning to not be followed by violence. Usually within minutes. This suddenly did not feel like a friendly conversation. It felt like he was rebuking her for her presumption. It felt like she was out on that frozen lake again and the ice was starting to crack. Stop. Just stop. Hendrick had passed up many opportunities to harm her. Each time she was convinced she had finally pushed him too far, he chose to step back. He knew her name, her family, her quest, and still he tolerated her. Why would he threaten her now? That made no sense. She must have spent way too long in the game if even the most polite request felt fraught with the potential for violence. Her throat felt dry. Stella took a second to calm herself so that her tone wouldn’t reveal anything. “My apologies, Hendrick. I didn’t mean to… overstep.” She didn’t ask if she had offended him. She was pretty sure she already knew the answer. Hearing it would make her too sad. “Just tell me, if or when you need anything, I might be able to help. I mean anything. No questions asked.” What in all the hells did that mean? That wasn’t an offer you made to an enemy spy you were forced to work with for mutual survival. Especially not the one you had just warned off. Hendrick was confusing her even more than usual tonight. And one rebuke was enough for her, so Stella didn’t try to fool herself that this was personal. “It’s not urgent, not for tonight. I’ll brief you and Maev in the morning.” Then he would be at least a tenth as worried as she was right now. His acceptance of her offer got a little shadow of a smile from her. “Teaching you will take some time.” It would take months, she had no illusions about that. And to Stella, that was a symbol of hope and faith in the future. After all, there was no point starting such a big project if one or both of them was going to die in the next few days. Maybe it was a meaningless gesture. Or maybe this small act of defiance of their likely fate was about as meaningful as she could hope for. What was up there? Stella tipped her head back and looked again. A massive arc of glowing light. Twelve moons, associated with the twelve true dragonmarks. A missing thirteenth moon, it was said, for the thirteenth mark. And a billion stars scattered across an expanse of black velvet. Some said the Draconic Prophecy was written in the stars. Prophecy marks had been found in the bones of the earth long before they ever manifested on people - discovered in deep caverns, spotted on coral reefs in crystal waters, even calculated in the position of the stars. On such a vast scale that even the oldest of dragons spent their whole lives trying to understand even the smallest piece of it. Maybe all this was written up there too? The Quori invasion. The Dreaming Dark. And if Stella could only read it, she’d know if they were all going to be enslaved. “I see Zeth could probably make a really nice painting of this. That’s what I see.” Stella made a half-hearted joke. Nothing about this was funny.

Less than a week Stella would have just let him die, maybe even killed him, if she saw fit. Hendrick’s resolve allowed him to not react to her magic being laid upon him. That was a near miss. She did seem understanding of his request though, albeit with a slightly sour taste in her mouth. “That is quite alright. I get weary these days when magic is involved. Nothing personal.” His features softened a little. “I quite enjoy the process of drying myself with my magic. It was one of the first uses I found which weren’t taught. It takes a surprising amount of practice and control to not burn your clothes or yourself.” He turned around on the spot and urged her to come a bit closer. Hendrick leaned forward lifting his long ginger hair from his neck, revealing a dark patch of skin, slightly of centre, heavily scarred, about three by two inches. No hair grew there anymore. Without turning back around he started his story: “We used to spend some time at the lake back when we were acolytes. I remember I was quite late for something and tried to quickly dry myself of. The clothes I managed reasonably alright, the burn marks were pretty faint. But I did get cocky with the hair. Singed away about a third of them and gave me something to show for it.” He still remembered the pain, vividly. He slowly lowered his hair again and turned to face her. “Since then I always make sure I do not rush matters of a delicate nature. While your cantrip dries a man in seconds, mine burns a hole in him.” He hoped she wouldn’t take it personal, but he couldn’t find a better way of making sure she understands. The smile of friendship was there, when Hendrick agreed to her teaching him. “I am very much looking forward to your teaching skills.” Friendly nature did not come easy to Hendrick anymore. “Ahem, if teachers were as good looking when I was a boy, I might have enjoyed school more.” Damn, that sounded much better in his head. He tried to shift backwards, hoping to subtly avoid her shocked stare. It didn’t work. In the slightest. “Ahem, I am sorry. I have never been good with jokes. Or friends for that matter.” He looked up at the stars, making sure to not make any eye contact for the foreseeable future. “Yes, Zeth could probably draw a fantastic picture of the night sky.”

It wasn’t just her paranoid imagination. She really had tripped his threat alarm. And it absolutely was personal. Fuck. Stella rubbed her forehead, truly missing the days when the only agents she had worked with were fellow Medani operatives. Back then the rules had been known and the boundaries had been clear. This was way too complicated. Well, a traitor couldn’t complain when they were warned to keep their distance. It was the least she deserved. Good gods. Stella didn’t understand the urge to use a damage-dealing cantrip to dry your clothes, let alone your hair, but then she wasn’t a fire-worshipping pyromaniac. No doubt Hendrick had dozens of other burn scars. “That’s… something.” A teasing laugh might have escaped in her voice there. Medani daughters didn’t get up to mischief like that. Definitely not. Except with poisons. And daggers. And forged documents. And petty crime. And a million other things. “Ahem, if teachers were as good looking when I was a boy, I might have enjoyed school more.” “What?” Stella managed not to sputter, but it was a near miss. Was he flirting with her? That openly? Hendrick enjoyed puzzling her with cryptic subtext far too much to just tell her she was pretty. “That’s, uh… that’s…” Double fuck. If she blushed right now, she might just curl up and die of embarrassment. She would never live that down. It took a considerable effort to keep the heat off her face, and by then, the awkward moment had stretched out into torturous silence. Stella reached desperately for anything to say to rescue herself. “Um, my older sisters taught me. They’re way prettier than me. You’d never learn anything from them. You’d be too distracted.” That hadn’t helped. At all. Dammit. Clerics were the worst. Stella had imagined this conversation going differently. She would draw the sign for friend on his palm with her finger, the way her older sisters had taught her her first signs when she was just a little toddler. Sharing that warm moment that she remembered so vividly. She could have confessed a lot of secrets that way, secure in the knowledge that it would be a long time before he understood what the signs meant. But she had been warned off hard enough to keep her hands to herself and a considerable space between them, so she parried with another joke instead. “On the upside, once I’ve finished teaching you, you could pursue a lucrative second career as a thief.” 

Well, that went about as well as it could have. Even amongst the other priests no one really got on with Hendrick. No wonder they had sent him as far away as they could. Since he had joined the flame, nothing had been as easy as he had hoped for. They did sort his life out though. At the cost of all that he had held dearly up till then. He managed to fight through the embarrassment and looked at Stella again. At least he hadn’t lied into her face earlier, so that was something. “I will just refrain from joking in the future. I don’t seem to get the nuances right.” He looked disappointed, not because the joke backfired, but he knew these last two decades had taken something away from him, something he might never be able to get back. “I am sorry if I have crossed a line.” He wanted to make a comment about her lack of self-esteem when comparing herself to her sisters, but knew better. “On the upside, once I’ve finished teaching you, you could pursue a lucrative second career as a thief.” He remembered the days before the flame. Sara and Hendrick had to survive somehow. They had stolen everything they could get their hands on. She had been a competent pick-pocket and depending on their target, he was an alright look-out or a fantastic distraction. People got weirded out by that fiery hair somehow. Sara was good enough to work with that kind of partner. She even managed to teach him how to pick simple locks. It still pained him to think about her. Now, after all those years. She had been way too young. “While the idea is not bad, I don’t think I am cut out for the life of a thief. Things tend to turn bad very quickly, particularly when you feel safe.” He looked down at his legs and started fiddling with a wooden hair brooch in one of his hidden pockets. After a little while he looked up again, seeing his teacher waiting patiently. “If you teach me, you have to promise me to let me repay you somehow. I do not know whether I can teach you much, but I also have enough debt accrued with the Flame to last me a life time. I would prefer it very much if you had a way for me to compensate you for this difficult task. I warn you, I am not a fast learner or a good student.”

Hendrick was a profoundly strange person. Maybe the strangest Stella had ever met, and considering she was a Stefano Medani, that was saying something. Frankly, she would be more comfortable if he really was flirting with her - at least that would be familiar territory. “I don’t think I can deal with cleric humour. My ego hardly needs more feeding. I might puff up so much I explode.” Apparently this was her night for receiving polite putdowns. That was what this insistence on repaying her felt like. A friend could do something for you and you didn’t feel the need to keep score, but nobody liked to owe an enemy spy. After all, you might hesitate when the time came to kill them. Stella kept her sigh inside. “You don’t owe me anything, Hendrick. Quite the reverse. But if it makes you happy, you can repay me with favours. I’ll let you know when.” It was on the tip of her tongue to name some minor personal favour, since it hardly seemed fair to drag him into her work, but Hendrick had subtly warned her not to make this personal about half a dozen different ways in this conversation. So this was not the time to joke about making him to take her to dinner at a really nice restaurant in the next big city. Strictly professional, then. “I’ll try not to make it too sinister. Just think of all the tedious hours of surveillance you could run for me while I’m having a bubble bath. You’ll soon regret offering to repay me.” She meant it as a joke, but it didn’t come out light at all. Stupid Hendrick. She would’ve stuck to asking for wine and chocolate if he’d let her. “All right. Let’s see if I’m any better a teacher than you are a student. I’m going to use my cantrip to draw temporary symbols on the deck, so don’t get squirrelly on me.” Stella held up her hands with a little flourish, like a stage magician. “This is maybe the most important thief sign you can learn. It means safe .” She snapped her fingers and a glowing symbol inscribed itself on the deck at her feet, a complicated twining of curves that formed -- Holy fuck. It was the wrong fucking symbol. It didn’t mean safe at all. It was something much worse than that. She hadn’t even meant to draw that. It had just slipped out when she cast the cantrip. Six silent seconds later the sign sizzled out of existence. Stella cleared her throat, wondering if she was losing her mind. “Ah, not that one. Sorry. Let’s try that again.” This time she formed the right symbol, a stylised scribble that resembled a house if you looked at it the right way. “See the walls? The little roof? It means home as well as safe . This sign on a door means a place criminals can hide out. On a wall, it might mean you’re standing somewhere guards can’t see you. It can show you the right way out of a maze, or a lock that isn’t trapped, or anything like that. Useful symbol.”

Yep, none of Hendrick’s humour was wanted. He should have known. Best to never speak of this again. Stella’s puzzled look was all too familiar. Maybe focus on the task at hand he told himself. No one needs to be friends, if they are professionals. With stern eyes and a surprisingly bitter voice he replied. “Maybe I should leave the small talk to you. It is part of your training, right?” Stella seemed to have taken some dislike to him trying to repay her. Maybe she felt she needed to do something for him. Regardless, his existence is already in possession of the church and he might have to break even soon. He wanted to avoid accumulating anymore debt. “Lady Stella, I should be able to help with most reasonable requests. And I wouldn’t mind surveillance. I regret many things in life, milady. But I do not believe I will regret repaying you for your most likely excellent teaching.” That will have to do for now. When Stella tried to explain the symbol for safety, he did not expect to be presented with a dragonmark of some sort, with all its intricate lines and obscure symbolism. At least that is what he thought it was. Whilst it lingered Hendrick saw horror in her eyes. Six full seconds long she must have remembered something, before it finally dissipated. The actual symbol was rather pleasing in its simplicity. He took out his book from his secret pocket. “Would you mind if I borrowed a pen from you. I have lost mine back in Taer Valaestas and haven’t really had time to get a new one anywhere.” She showed him her enormous selection of pens and inks, most likely used to produce fantastic forgeries. “Oh, that is rather impressive. I will just take an ordinary one.” He turned his book around, which seemingly had some empty pages at the back and tried to replicate her magical symbol, which she patiently kept alight. “Here, do you think that is good enough?” He showed her the page with the somewhat reasonably drawn symbol. “If it is really bad, could you please draw a better version underneath mine?” After having received her verdict, he mustered his most soothing voice. “That symbol you have drawn earlier, was that your dragonmark or was it from a different house? They can be sinister. Both the marks and the houses, don’t you think?”

Ouch. Stella could have done without that little jab about her small talk. Perhaps passing judgement was an irresistible cleric impulse, like murdering unarmed prisoners and burning their bodies. But that skillset of hers Hendrick disliked so much included de-escalating confrontations, so Stella bit her tongue and let the moment fizzle. “I’m sure you’ll be excellent help.” That was all Stella said. Maybe she could just make Hendrick watch a target for a few days until he felt like he’d worked off this imaginary debt to her. Then the favour would be gone and she wouldn’t be tempted to call it in for more sinister purposes. Like secretly violating a binding settlement between two Dragonmarked Houses that she was very strictly ordered to obey. You know. Hypothetically. She laid out her forgery kit between them, setting out tiny pots of expensive inks in different colours, dozens of pens with delicate nibs, even sheafs of paper of various weights and qualities. Her hand stopped halfway to her open pack when Hendrick brought out his secret book, and without a word, Stella moved further away on the long wooden compartment they were both sitting on. One or both of them could have ended up dead over that book. Had there been more room, she would have moved even further. His rendition of the safe symbol didn’t entirely meet her expert standards. “Good work, but if you veer off on that downstroke, it starts to alter the meaning.” She started to accept the book to redraw it herself, but remembered at the last moment and picked up a sheet of paper instead. She dipped her favourite pen in a nice rich black ink and lowered it to the paper. “That symbol you have drawn earlier, was that your dragonmark or was it from a different house? They can be sinister. Both the marks and the houses, don’t you think?” Her pen froze just a fraction above the paper. Stayed frozen. Stayed frozen. Just shrug it off, Starling. Move on and forget. Stella snapped herself out of it before she spilled her good ink and ruined the paper. “Sinister?” Her sinister family would tear everything down to save her, while Hendrick’s heretic-burning theocracy clearly would not throw him a rope if he was drowning. “Interesting choice of words.” Especially since if Hendrick had used his new sending spell to ask about her, he would have found out that the three famous daughters of the Stefano Medani were known as the Sisters Sinister. Another warning, perhaps. “The signs are meant to be swift and flowing, so you can scribble them when there’s no time. Try this pen - it has a special tip for calligraphy. You’ll see each stroke clearer.” She drew safe in one smooth movement, resisting adding the little flourishes and embellishments that would deepen the meaning. Baby steps. The silence felt particularly pointed right now. Hendrick was way too insightful not to notice when she dodged his questions. Stella’s life would be a whole lot simpler if he would just stop noticing her. She sat back and held out the paper, suddenly not wanting to meet his eyes. “The other symbol was nothing important. Perhaps I should learn to meditate like Zeth does. I hear it clears the mind of distractions.”

Diplomacy. A skill he had grown to admire and hate. Stella had a way with words. Always knowing what to say was remarkable. He had questioned many individuals over the years under varyingly forcing conditions, but also at social events. Few had shown her talents in steering conversations and making people think a certain way. The way Stella calmed the conversation, making sure he felt his contribution will be great in the future. She tried to be nice. “I am sure your teaching will be of excellent help to both of us. I feel we have quite the journey ahead.” The sight of the book seemed to make Stella panic. Maybe that was for the best. Although it was not how trust was build. She seemed not quite satisfied with his drawing and upon closer inspection of her masterfully done simple symbol he could see some minute differences. This was going to be even harder than he expected. He developed a new appreciation for Stella and Rune. “Sinister? Interesting choice of words.” Stella had frozen over his comments. He clearly had hit some nerve. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to imply anything or offend you in any way.” He remembered the horror when she mistakenly prestigitated that dragonmark symbol. “I merely saw your worried expression and was somewhat concerned.” Today he seemed to talk past Stella a lot. Maybe his focus wasn’t fully where it should be. Tomorrow was Rampartide after all. He was to attone for his evil within. A fitting day to send to Gautreme. “The other symbol was nothing important. Perhaps I should learn to meditate like Zeth does. I hear it clears the mind of distractions.” Her averted gaze indicated her knowing fully well that she dodged the question. And she clearly was aware that Hendrick knew as much. Maybe this was a story for another time. “I think we could all learn a bit from Zeth. He seems to radiate a certain majestic calm.” Hendrick quickly moved on, gladly accepting the better pen Stella had offered for the symbol. He tried to draw it first on the sheet of paper, next to her drawing and managed to replicate it quite nicely. At least he thought so. He smiled at Stella. “Is that good enough that you would feel safe?” He picked up the book again and noticed Stella’s reaction. He calmly drew his better attempt, never letting go of his friendly smile. As he finished his careful last stroke he showed her again. “Better?” While she was looking he added: “I do not want you to be afraid of the book. There isn’t much to it. Look.” He opened a random page, showing a map of a part of Q’Barra with some places marked and annotated with a few words each. “Is there anything you want to know from it in particular?” He started to get somewhat upset. He couldn’t believe he was betrayed so badly for this. But that wasn’t enough, no. Its mere presence had a way of putting her on high alert. “I often use it to make notes on places I have visited, like many of my fellow priests before me.” He wanted to tell her how he had been helpful when her dragonmark showed and didn’t back away scared. He did understand her reservation though. Maybe it just wasn’t his day.

“No offence taken.” Stella smoothed it over with her best smile, even though Hendrick knew perfectly well he was talking about her family. But this wasn’t his field of expertise, so he wasn’t to know that a dragonmarked house was far more than just a profit-driven corporation. House Medani particularly relied on its intense family loyalty, since it was the smallest of the houses, with none of the military muscle of House Deneith or the financial chokehold of House Kundarak. Maybe not the moment for a lecture on dragonmarked politics. Her smile warmed and softened when Hendrick asked her if she would feel safe with his version of the symbol. “Looks good. I thought you told me you weren’t a fast learner.” Or maybe making things safe was one of those cleric skills. She put her hands up to stop Hendrick the second he began leafing through the pages of the book to show her what was in it. She needed to clear this up right now. “I’m not afraid of the book, Hendrick. And I don’t need to know what’s in it. Keeping my distance from it is to reassure you and avoid conflict. Nothing else. I don’t want you to wake up tomorrow morning wondering if I engineered this whole lesson to try to get another look at the book. If you’re not worried about it, I’m not worried.” She took the book with only a slight wince, blew on the sketches to make sure the ink was dry, wrote SAFE at the top with a calligraphic flourish, then leafed to a fresh page. This one she titled DANGER . For this one she opened the scarlet ink. The stylised symbol that bled onto the page might once have represented a snarling face before the passage of generations had smoothed it out, but the suggestion of threat still remained. She could have embellished danger into deadly with a flick of red ink, or quieted it down into simply warning , but again, she kept it simple. “Another useful one. There are specific forms of this symbol to tell you about pressure plates, or magical traps, or rotten floors, or anything you can think of. But once you know the basic symbol for danger , even if you don’t recognise what’s been added, you’ll always know to stop and think.” This was where she should give the book back, but instead she just stared at the page where the end of her pen tapped of its own accord. For some reason the words physically caught in her throat and she could barely get them out. “That… mark…” Tap. Tap. “It’s the mark of… another house. And… I don’t… like them.” Taptaptap. It felt like her collar was tightening with every word, forcing her to swallow. “And it’s just… complicated. I don’t know why I even drew that symbol.” That was a complete lie. “I mean I know why. Because the whole concept of safety is an illusion. A convenient fiction we tell ourselves so we can keep functioning. And when you think you’re most safe, that’s when you’re most defenceless. Most easily hurt.” Good gods. “I’m not much fun to talk to when I’m not pretending to be charming.” Stella sighed, and handed him the book. “Draw. Let’s see how closely you were paying attention.”

Hendrick was pleased Stella liked his attempt at the symbol. He was pretty sure she was being lenient with him and the judgement was on the friendly side. But nonetheless he did feel happy about how this seemed to be going. “Thank you for the compliment. Must be the expert teaching.” He wondered whether he would ever be able to pick up on that kind of symbol in a dark alley though, hidden underneath some grime and deformed by the weather. We all had to start somewhere, he thought, probably even Stella. He was certain though, she had been much more talented for that type of skill. Her explanations seemed to suggest, she wanted to badly avoid any more unnecessary conflict. “I am glad you told me. And in hindsight, I appreciate the way you dealt with the situation, making sure to respect my privacy.” He did remember the story of her trying to steal the book from his belongings while he was asleep to at least get a long hard look at it. “I feel we have come a long way.” He smiled at her, genuinely happy by Stella living up to the trust he had given her. The symbol for danger she drew in his book did not really seem to make much sense. But looking at it for a while he clearly saw something unpleasant in it, a distorted face of some sort. He had more trouble remembering the more fluid lines. She seemed somewhat shaken writing in the silver flame book, but she calmed fast enough. “Ok, let me try that now. I would like to start on a piece of paper first if possible.” He took the paper he used earlier for the other sign and turned it around. He tried a few times, most of the symbols did not even come close. He tried to focus on the aggression in the shaded remnants of a face. He remembered Jeezargo’s dead eyes, after the entity had taken hold of him. Stella’s look she gave him at the Star Haunt after he had survived his encounter with Thaldrin. Maev’s look when she found him and the dead prisoner. The psionics face when Zeth ended his magical darkness. The lines got better, the symbol clearer. Drawing it brought him discomfort, but he wanted it to be good, before he put it into his book. After seven attempts, he seemed confident and transcribed it below Stella’s beautiful if eerie rendition of this peculiar sign. “I hope this meets your standards as well.” The way she talked about the other dragon mark she drew by accident. This was one of the few times, Stella had spoken to him, like most people would. There was no major intent, no perfectly worded questions, no attempt at any concealment. It was just the flow of her conscience. Poor girl. Flame knows what they have done to her. They surely have left a lasting impression. Hendrick put one arm on her closest shoulder and started gently rubbing it. “Safety might be an illusion. But being with people you trust and that are worthy thereof, you can give this illusion substance, Sofia. You can’t defend yourself against the world all on your own.” “I’m not much fun to talk to when I’m not pretending to be charming.” “Life is not all about fun. I for one am glad to talk to Sofia. There is only so much of Stella’s charm a cleric like me can deal with.” A broad grin covered his whole face, his eyes lively with joy.

Even though Wolf had shaken her up pretty badly today, badly enough that she was accidentally prestidigitating the Mark of Shadow, when Hendrick put his hand on her shoulder, it felt nothing but reassuring. Nothing but gentle. Like the tightness in her lungs could open up and she could breathe deep. Not for the first time with Hendrick - it must be another of those mysterious cleric powers. He was absolutely right, they had come a long way in less than a week. And not just geographically. It surprised Stella that Hendrick knew exactly what she meant about safety being an illusion. Usually he insisted she pretend everything was fine, even when it clearly wasn’t. But maybe that was necessary for him? Maybe he needed her to pretend with him. Maybe he was the one who really needed reassurance. “I know,” Stella told him in that soft voice. “I know I can’t do it by myself. That’s why I told you my name.” That might have been the worst risk she had ever taken, and she had had to take many bad risks. “When I was little…” She almost stopped herself, but this was a quiet moment in a quiet conversation, so why not tell this story? “When I was little, my father taught me to play a game about building very simple fortifications. But it’s really not about playing with coloured blocks. The point is to teach you that a single tower always falls. The higher you build it, the harder it falls. And you can’t build a castle by yourself, because the other player has half the pieces. So you have to work together to build the citadel that weathers the storm.” Everything was a metaphor in House Medani. It was nice to get a real grin from Hendrick for once, bringing out the rarely seen crinkles around his eyes. It brought out her own smile too. Being known by her true name was strange, even terrifying at times, but it also felt like relief. Felt like home. Nobody had called her Sofia in a very long time. And maybe it was because they’d been talking about trust all evening, but Stella finally got out some other words that had been choking her. “That… prisoner. The one you killed.” Murdered and then set on fire, in fact. “He was only young. He was hurt. Scared. Chained. Defenceless. He was…” It felt like the words were physically too big to speak. She caught herself touching her throat where Hendrick had brutally slashed her with his dagger. Him. Fuck. Him! The Blademark. Not her. What the hell was wrong with her tonight? Had it really upset her so much that she was picturing herself as the victim? Fuck. This was ridiculous. Stella should never have watched the Blademark being interrogated. Never have brought him wine, never have treated his injuries. She should have known it would dig up everything that ought to stay buried. And there was absolutely no way she could tell Hendrick about that - not because she was worried about his reaction, but because it was physically impossible to talk about. That would bring on a panic attack for sure. “I didn’t… didn’t like that.” That was as far as she could get before finally shutting herself up.

The importance of cooperation seemed to have been taught very well in the house Stefano Medani. “Your father must be a very wise man. Something he clearly passed on to you. Amongst many other things.” He stared at the arm, where her dragonmark had manifested. There seemed to be no glowing of any kind, no magical energy harnessed right now. He remained silent for a while, carefully thinking if and how to approach the topic. Without his gaze moving away from her arm, he softly asked: “Do you want to talk about it? Is it any danger to you? Or us?” His lips retracted somewhat bizarrely, a thoughtful worry Stella had not witnessed on him before. Hendrick was better with threats that he could lastingly remove, if need be. But that was no option for her mark and none anymore for Stella. Hendrick knew they were on a difficult path, with Stella having some answers. But the few they possessed had to satisfy the needs of way too many questions. He knew how to work under those conditions, the church rarely provided full explanations for their orders. If any. Stella must have a plan, but the way she acted suggested they had to step up and deal with problems much larger than heretics hiding in holy bastions. He hoped he would be able to keep up. Maybe he had started caring too much. It was difficult to work under this kind of pressure now. It used to be just him, a tiny flame whose fading would barely register. But he felt responsible for these people know. And not just professionally. He had made friends of sort. A terrible decision. The way Stella talked about the prisoner, she must have formed some form of connection with him. The way she touched her throat, she transposed herself into that boy. She must have been that boy once. “I didn’t… didn’t like that.” He looked at her for a while, slowly removing his hand from her shoulder. I did not feel right any longer. He saw outlined tow paths to take this conversation forward. He did not like either of them in the slightest. After some silence, he took two sheets of paper from the stack she had laid down before them and started drawing the symbols she had taught him so far. They weren’t good, but the house and the distorted face both showed up somewhat. “I had two options.” He pushed the sheets up to her. “If it was just me, I would have kept my conscience clean.” He picked up the face, looking at it made him uncomfortable. “But that is no longer the case anymore.” He drew five more houses on the sheet already prominently featuring one, picked it up and showed it to her. “I did what had to be done. And I hated every moment of it.” He put the sheet down and started pacing, his eyes being dams against a flood of barely held back emotions. “Tomorrow I will atone for my sins, as is custom on the day of Rampartide. I have amassed many this year, but few are as horrific as the one you condone.” He wanted to inquire about her personal experience as a prisoner, but she looked too devastated. At her own pace, he thought. Instead he leaned against the railing a few yards away from Stella, leaving enough space for her if she wanted to join. “I am going to send to Gautreme tomorrow, maybe even Thaldrin. They need to know about the tower, and Gautreme needs to know about my failings at the Star Haunt. I am not planning on talking about you.” He turned around, facing her. “Is he in danger, is the flame in danger? Do I need to warn them they have been compromised?”

Even the mention of her father brought out a soft smile from Stella, maybe the softest Hendrick had ever seen from her. “My father passed on a great deal to me, but not my dragonmark. My father joined the house and took the surname when he married my mother. I have her to thank for this.” She tugged open the collar of her shirt enough to slip her hand inside and touch the dragonmark that still felt fresh and tender. Alien. Powerful. “It’s not dangerous, not in the way you’re thinking. Aberrant marks manifest with fires and plagues. A true mark has no direct offensive use and it always has the same power. So that… earlier incident… was my own fault.” For waking it up and then fighting it. For fearing everything it stood for, even as part of her badly wanted to use it. “The Lesser True Mark of Detection investigates. That’s what it does. It searches for magic, it reads thoughts. And I see the obvious potential for abuse there, so let me tell you that if and when I master its power, I will not use it on you. I’d like to know your mind, but not like that.” Stella didn’t bother with her usual guardedness. Let him read her with his ridiculous cleric insight. She had learned all about the Medani dragonmark at her mother’s knee, but it still felt theoretical to her. That inheritance had never been meant for her. And she didn’t want to poke around too much in case it started glowing and burning again. She had only even looked directly at it once, that first night when she had undressed for bed. The size of it had dismayed her. It wasn’t a tiny least mark the size of her palm - it was a lesser mark, minimum. Maybe a greater mark in time. Which meant a whole cascade of complications she didn’t even want to think about. “It’s mainly internal family business. Nothing that endangers the party, except that our friend from the tower was very interested in it. As he was very interested in Nala. Interested enough that he held off on the worst of his psionic bullshit in an attempt to take us alive.” That was alarming, to say the very least. Kashtai didn’t seem to know why any more than Stella did. I did what had to be done . Those words never failed to send a prickle through her. She had said them enough times herself to know nothing good ever came of doing what had to be done. Stella heaved a deep sigh as Hendrick paced. Once you started murdering helpless prisoners just to stop them talking, you started down a dark road. Where did that end? Everyone on the ship could link them to the Blademark ambush and the collapse of Dul Zhakaar. Did Hendrick plan to take out Maev and her whole crew? But it was done, and nothing short of true resurrection would bring those scattered ashes back to life. Hendrick would have to atone to his own satisfaction. And Stella would have to deal with the ir’Soras family, just as she would have to deal with Rune’s daughter. She owed both dead men that much. Stella spoke gently. “I don’t want you to make that decision by yourself in future. Not because I distrust your judgement, but because I don’t want you to think you’re doing me a favour by handling business behind my back. I don’t need to be protected from heavy decisions. The weight should be shared.” “I am going to send to Gautreme tomorrow, maybe even Thaldrin. They need to know about the tower, and Gautreme needs to know about my failings at the Star Haunt. I am not planning on talking about you.” He turned around, facing her. “Is he in danger, is the flame in danger? Do I need to warn them they have been compromised?” Ah. Awkward. She couldn’t imagine what Hendrick could possibly say to Thaldrin after trying to kill him in front of his family, but that was between the two of them. Gautreme was another matter, not least because if he found out his cover had been blown, he was likely to ask himself who had betrayed him. And he seemed like the type to just murder everyone he thought might possibly have talked. Stella wasn’t too worried for her own safety - even if he somehow figured out it had been her, her aliases were always disposable - but a lot of people could get caught in the crossfire here. But there was no point lying to Hendrick even if she wanted to. Hendrick always knew. “Gautreme is known to us, but we have no interest in harming him. Or Thaldrin, for that matter. We’re not a house of psychopaths and we’re not in the business of killing everyone we come across. My assignment…” Stella had to think hard about what she could tell him without betraying too many confidences. “My assignment relates to whether Breland is likely to wake up one morning with Thrane’s siege engines parked on its lawns. Again.” That last part came out a little dry. “So far, I have no reason to believe that your work pertains to that. If it does, we need to talk.”

There seemed to be great admiration for her father. “What about the rest of your family? Do you adore them as much as your father? That is of course all confidential.” He smiled at Stella whilst fidgeting in his coat pocket. Hendrick grumbled something about pipes. This would have been one of those moments. Old habits. He had to briefly think about the dead prisoner. “You seem confident in your ability to use that mysterious power gifted to you. So, I will be too.” Detecting thoughts was of enormous power, particularly with the challenges ahead. “I trust you to wield such power wisely. And if you ever feel you need to know something of me, just ask.” It felt like he had said this a lot to her in these last days. “I don’t want you to make that decision by yourself in future. Not because I distrust your judgement, but because I don’t want you to think you’re doing me a favour by handling business behind my back. I don’t need to be protected from heavy decisions. The weight should be shared.” Hendrick knew Stella was right, it was not his place to make these decisions. Maev had made that perfectly clear. And so did Stella. He was relieved however, that she believed he wanted to carry the burden alone. Stella was in the wrong line of work, if she couldn’t shoulder the weight of a silenced witness. Hendrick had no problem sharing that burden. “I am sorry, it was not for me to decide on my own.” He apologised sincerely. He was glad she didn’t understand that he went on his own, because he knew she could have talked him out of it. He stared out at the black ocean, riddled with silver mirrors of the sky. “Thank you for your honesty. You and your people shall not be incriminated in any way, you have my word.” He thought back at the times in Thrane. The war had been going on for too long now. Nothing good will come of it. “Many people have suffered in the horrors of this war. Neither me nor my purpose have anything to do with any of that. It has been made significantly harder to fulfil it though.” He paused, thought about the war related events and directives he knew of. “Whilst you might think my faith is at war, I do not believe it is the case. I won’t deny politics being at play, even within our holy halls. But I know of nothing that could help you win or prevent a war.” He thought at the dark developments of recent times. “I hope we can re-unite on some front to not lose it all.” Zeal and purpose flickered in his eyes.

“The rest of my family?” Stella couldn’t hide her laugh. Where to begin? With her mother, the Viper? Her older siblings, the Sisters Sinister? Her upstart cousins making names for themselves in the Warning Guild and her wily aunts and uncles hunting war criminals for the Basilisk’s Gaze? All those counterspies and interrogators and inquisitives and schemers? “They’re spectacular. They’re smart, they’re ruthless, and they’re loyal. They’re just not very… relaxing. If my sisters take me out for a drink, there’s a surprise client involved. You have to be on your toes. Just something to bear in mind when we reach my home city.” Stella sneaked that comment in there because she knew for a fact she had never once mentioned that she had grown up in the Medani enclave in Sharn. And the odds of her party encountering her family had rocketed the moment they set sail. She had honestly expected him to be a lot more disturbed that she would be able to detect thoughts. Especially since if she kept to reading surface thoughts, the target wouldn’t even know. She could be doing it right now for all Hendrick knew. Surprising that he didn’t like her casting a simple cantrip on him, but he trusted her not to get inside his head. Not one to borrow trouble, Stella joined him at the railing. She clasped her hands and stared out. The vast canopy of the stars glittered on the dark water, slashed by the reflected blaze of the Ring of Siberys. “I’d be very happy not to be mentioned to Gautreme, to be quite honest. He seems like the type to bear a grudge. Unfortunately, as you are the subject of my assignment, not mentioning you to my family is not an option. But I’m extremely relieved to hear your work has nothing to do with the war. That would have been… awkward.” Awkward enough to require a long conversation and some hard strategising. “With your agreement, I think I can significantly decrease my family’s interest in you by simply telling them the truth. They already know you work covertly in foreign countries. What they don’t know is that you are, if I understand correctly, strictly on church business. Hunting heretics and fiends.” She indicated his book of the same name with one finger. “That makes you not a threat to my client and thus not of interest to my family. So that would make everything simple.”

The Medanis seemed to be as he would have imagined, maybe even worse. Nevertheless, you had to respect the results. They were feared all over Khorvaire. And now he was to move into the belly of the beast. Stella seemed to be on his side, but who knew whether they came up with any more missions for her. She probably would not have had much say in it. “I have actually never been to Sharn. The tales seemed rather scary. Things were probably hugely exaggerated, but still. Even Flamekeep felt nearly too big for me.” We all had our assignments in this line of work, and not completing one is quite often a major problem. He did seem to have come to terms with his failure at the Star Haunt much more, the longer he had to meditate over it. “Tell your family what you deem appropriate. As far as I am concerned I have no dealings with any war nor does my purpose relate to it in any way. And my only dealings with your family is trying to keep you alive and support you as well as I can.” She knew what we needed to do. Flame guide us. She was going to guide us. “I am here to do the will of the flame. Make thyself a bastion, a rampart against wickedness. This is what tomorrows Rampartide is about. We need to atone ourselves, before we can be the defences against the ever-hungry Evil. Both Without and within.” He gazed into the distance. Heretics and Fiends. That was one reason, I suppose. But there were others. “I am not just here to hunt, as you call it.” He gave her a somewhat disapproving look. “Regardless of what you think, harnessing good within, carrying it out to the world is the largest part of a Silver Flame Priests Duty. And this is what I am, foremost. Maybe ‘hunting’ is all you Medani seem to know. As if deceiving strangers and selling their lives to the highest bidder is any better than pushing a dagger through their heart.”

By the time Hendrick finished telling her what he thought of her, Stella’s expression had become completely blank. She stayed leaning against the railing beside him, her hands still clasped, her whole posture relaxed. This was the fourth of their epically long, intense, soul-searching conversations during a week of escalating violence and horror. She had told him more truths and more secrets than she had told anybody in many years. He had dropped his insight bombs on her repeatedly. And he was still spectacularly wrong about everything that mattered most. For the first time, Stella contemplated the possibility that her faith in Hendrick’s insight was badly misplaced. “Well, it’s been pleasant chatting with you, Hendrick. Another time, perhaps.” Without a further word, Stella packed up her forgery kit - tapping the different papers against the wooden compartment to line them up, gathering her scattered pens, setting the tiny pots of ink back in their case - leaving Hendrick enough paper and ink to practise with. Then she tucked the kit back in her pack, shouldered it and walked away. This conversation was over.

Why did he have to go there? That was in no way what he thought of Stella. It wasn’t even what he thought of house Medani. As she started packing up her things, he started “Stel…” but stopped quickly. He wondered what made him sputter this poisonous cloud of false accusations. His heart dropped as she silently walked off. Maybe this was for the best. They had come far since they have met. Hendrick was having her back and he could trust her. They had managed to come to a professional agreement in the light of these recent revelations. But that was all now. He sat down in front of the pens and pieces of paper she left and started having his last meal before the fasting tomorrow. He was going to think about the decisions he had made, particularly the ones taking him away from the path of light. He was going to think about his message to Gautreme. But all he could think about were his choices with Stella. Maybe it was that she saw him for what he was, not what he aspired to be. The snarling face glared at him from below. 23 rd of Aryth really was not his day. He remembered a request he had for Stella, he still did not have time to prepare. He picked up a pen and a few pieces of the paper. “Dear Sofia, Should you read this my shell will have faded. …

LOCATION: On the ship, Nala's cabin DATE: 25th Aryth, Afternoon CHARACTERS: N ala ,  Puff, Hendrick Hendrick knocked at the door of Nala's cabin. "I am sorry for the disturbance, Lady Nala . Are you occupied at the moment or could I come in?" She looked sleepy when she opened the door, there were some bags formed below her eyes, a sight he had never seen on a dragonborn before. He entered with a look of concern painted all across his face. "I have the feeling your sleep should get better in the near future. But please keep me informed." He shifted around a bit, unsure how to open the can of worms that is Nala's mind. Maybe not yet. "How did you find the dolphin race yesterday?"

Nala was exhausted. There was no way around that fact. She looked like it, and she was trying to steal naps every chance she could find, but even if her dreams weren't being plagued by psychopaths, her brain certainly imagined it regardless. When she heard a knock at the door and opened it to find Hendrick, she hoped she looked happy to see him, but in reality she gave a weak smile. She gestured for his to come in and put her clawed hands on her forehead, hoping to pinch away the headache eating at her mind. "The dolphin race was fine. I must admit that I'm not in the best of spirits today, but hopefully that will be an unpleasant memory in the near future. What can I do for you, Hendrick?"

Hendrick looked around her cabin. He had not eaten all day yesterday, atoning for the evil within. And now he had not slept all night. His exhaustion showed in the way he had to put in way to much strength to stay upright. He found the small chair in a corner and sat down, looking up to the proud but tired dragonborn. "I am worried about the situation we are in. Worried about you and the psychic threat. Why do you think your brain looks so exciting compared to the rest of us? We have shared some time and I would like to have your take on it. Don't get me wrong, you are highly intelligent and magically very capable. But still, there is plenty magical potential around here. What is it about you?"

The exhaustion almost seemed lessened as Hendrick questioned Nala about her mind. Any time this conversation came up, it was as if her thoughts went on lockdown, and her instinct was to pivot. Nala looked at Hendrick, taking only a fraction of a moment to come up with the proper response.  "Well, I've been thinking about that as well," She placed her hands behind her back and paced slightly in the cramped room. "I think it is perhaps my Dragonborn ancestry. I am most certainly out of place in this world, and my brain has been strengthened and challenged as opposed to many of my kind, whose minds are left to rot under their slavemasters. I believe the Quori Spirits can easily find my brain because my brain is quite different from most simply because I live as a free Dragonborn." She stopped her semi-pacing and faced Hendrick, waiting for his input.

Her ancestry made her interesting indeed. And she was a free dragonborn. But Hendrick was very much aware that this was not the reason. He remembered her fixation on the book in the bag from a few days ago. She likely would not share much information willingly tonight, so maybe follow her down the rabbit hole. Her past might shine a light on her present. He also did pity her for what little he had heard of her childhood. "I cannot imagine a life in slavery. I do feel sorry for you. Do you remember much of that time? You have told me a little about your father already."

Nala laughed, though the gesture felt hollow, and the expression on her face was grim.  "I remember far too much, Hendrick." She sat down, crossing her legs and resting her head in her hands. "I came over in the ship when I was young. I can't remember how young, exactly. It's incredible, what you forget when your memories are surrounded by trauma. The ship was...well, it was the most horrific thing you can imagine and then some. I saw people brutally beaten, raped, eaten...things that a child can barely comprehend, let alone witness. I prayed every night to the gods whose names I could remember from the times my father taught me about religion. I prayed to whoever was willing to listen. I cried so many tears, I wondered if it was because of my tears that the ship stayed afloat. My sisters, often targets for the brutality and in some instances bringing it upon themselves to protect me...they soon became catatonic. Unresponsive. Though even in that state, I was able to hide underneath them. A horrible smell like decay surrounded me. Even now, I struggle to understand exactly what I saw." Something flashes through Nala's eyes; something that doesn't even seem to register to her.  "I had hope that my prayers would be answered and...they were. Just, not by who I had hoped. Though this image, I remember very clearly. In my dreams, a Dragonborn who looked so much like my father came to me and promised to protect me if I swore myself to him. I did, without hesitation. Bright light surrounded him, and he looked magnificent. White robes, the outstretched arms...he was the picture of grace. To a child, the picture was convincing. I promised him everything, soul included, I'm sure. I awoke, unsure if what I had dreamed was real. But I made the journey safely. No one attacked me. No one even accidentally bumped into me. And when we got to shore and the slavers lined up to make their purchases, I was chosen quickly. Others...I'm not sure what happened if they weren't chosen by someone, but I suspect it's not good.  "My slaver was cruel. He had a whip with tails that he often dipped in various poisons. They would lace through your blood, causing an unknowable torment. I think now about the sheer inefficiency of it. If he wanted us to work harder, why paralyze us? He was sadistic. And there were many slaves that worked for him, each one covered with the markings of his whip. Though even then, I was mostly shielded from his attacks. I think he had some kind of pity for me, a young girl who didn't speak, who had no family. But one day, his attack came. The whip hit my back and I felt scales crush on impact. Blood poured from my skin, and a pain I have feared ever since flooded through me. My vision turned black, my head fell forward, and pure rage was the only emotion I had left. My hands came forward instinctively as I turned to face him, and all I remember after that was blood. In a panic, I found his set of keys and ran to release all the other slaves on his property. I ran into the woods and would spend the next few...weeks? Months? Time feels different when you are totally isolated...but I spent that time living in the wild, until I finally found people to take me in." She stopped there, letting the silence hang for a moment. "What I know now is not much more, but obviously whatever visited my dreams was not a god. My powers are of a darker nature, I realize that. But...they saved my life. They continue to save my life. And I hope that I do good with them. But this new force entering my dreams...it feels too similar. It feels too much like that night on the ship. I am afraid, Hendrick, that my demon has come back with a vengeance." Nala shivered, and looked at Hendrick with genuine worry on her face. She sighed and her head returned to her hands, a lifetime of trauma and repressed memories in between the two.

Hendrick listened. As he always did. He did not have a great childhood. Some might even call it rough. But Nala’s was shocking beyond believe. Hearing all of this unfold he was surprised there was a somewhat functioning dragonborn in front of him. At some point, he even had to hold back a tear. And still, some darker power seemed to watch over her. She thought she might be using it, but how much of it was guiding her? And to what end? So far, she had been rather pleasant. But those were the worst to deal with. Tainted souls. Hard to be sure where the person ends and the patron begins. “I am sorry you had to go through such ordeals.” He hesitated a little. “When I had lost all hope as a boy, the Silver Flame helped me to live. Much like your source of magic. Whilst I believe strongly, I still often regret accepting this help. But I try to live to the best with what I got dealt. And I admire you for what good you can achieve with your questionable powers.” It was hard to ignore, what could transpire from her affiliation to flame knows what. “I am as worried as you, if not more, about recent events and your demons, milady. I fear Stella might have acted in poor judgement to protect you and who knows, at some point even I might.” He leaned in to her for a big hug, calmly whispering into her ear: “Child, we are your family now, you don’t need to run around looking any more. I will try protect my family to the bitter end.” Unlike last time. “I will help you keep your demons in check, if you help me fight mine.” After a little while he let go and opened the door to leave. “Get some rest. I feel once we reach land, things might not go as smooth as we are hoping for.”

Nala hugged back, wondering what he meant about Stella, feeling just a little bit better at hearing the word family, and promising herself not to let Hendrick or anyone else sacrifice anything for her. Hendrick let go of her and she made her way to the hammock to rest, but as she laid down, a thought crossed her mind. "Hendrick," she said, right as he was about to leave. He turned around to look at her. "Thank you for everything. You give too much."

Night of 27th Aryth Blue Lotus, Korranberg First Times “More wine?” Stella asked Nala with her best smile. There was a specific feeling that lingered in the aftermath of adrenaline - a sick coldness in the stomach, a tremble in the hands. The dark wine in Stella’s fine crystal glass trembled too, reminding her to sit still and wait for the aftershock to work itself out of her system. She did her best to relax in the warm silence of this richly furnished private suite in the Blue Lotus. This evening. Fuck. It had started going bad from the moment she opened the Korranberg Chronicle to realise that the Inspired ambassador to Breland was right here in the city. Then gotten worse next door to an upmarket chocolatier where her Medani relative had not believed her warning about the Dreaming Dark for one second. Then worse still when she had learned that Breland was considering allying with a nation run by extraplanar sociopaths. And then when checking in to the Blue Lotus when Nevitash had just sauntered up right behind her, all handsome and polite. “No, no, after you.” Bastard. And those few minutes she had been waiting here in their private suite for Hendrick to rescue her party members… knowing that Nevitash might have recognised her on sight, knowing that he could use psionics to kill without anyone ever realising it was him… all she’d been able to think of was Nala and Blue, Azur and Zeth, just casually hanging out with Nevitash in the public baths. None of them understanding what kind of danger they were in. Fuck. Stella rubbed her gritty eyes with a sigh. “We definitely need more wine. It’s been an exciting evening already, and the night is still young.” Stella leaned across the mahogany table and topped up Nala’s glass - she’d discovered the fine crystal glasses in a cabinet - then her own. She lifted her glass in a toast, and their eyes caught. Locked. Stella might melt like chocolate just from meeting that green gaze. Just from looking at this dragonborn girl whose excitement about this whole city fascinated her. If Nevitash had harmed her, Stella would have done her best to murder him. No mercy, no hesitation. No fear of the consequences. And even that thought melted. This was a quiet moment in a private suite in some degree of safety. Everyone else had gone to bed. And Nala had confessed earlier what Stella had already suspected - she was very inexperienced. Alarmingly so, in fact. So Stella should be gentle with her. Stella’s smile slowly warmed until it brought out the rarely seen dimples in her cheeks, crinkling the corners of her eyes. Her voice softened as one finger played with the stem of her glass. “Nervous?”

Night of 27th Aryth Blue Lotus, Korranberg First Times As Stella got up to find some wine glasses, Nala let out the slightest breath; uneven and impossible to restrain, much like her emotions. As she sat back down, a wine bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other, Nala gave her a brilliant smile. In her head, meticulous calculations of the perfect angle at which to hold her mouth were happening. It was useless. She knew it was useless. Stella knew she was new to this. More importantly, she believed - if nothing else - that Stella could care less if Nala was perfect at the art of flirting. But gods, with my charisma you'd think I'd be a little better at this.  "More wine?" Stella asked. Nala nodded and...well, Stella kept saying things but Nala had missed it because she was too focused on the way her eyes looked through her eyelashes as she looked down at the wine glasses. Full, red liquid poured gracefully into Nala's glass. Stella's lips had already been slightly colored from the wine, and Nala couldn't help but think that she looked beautiful. Like the fine china in her mother's cabinet, only Nala wouldn't dare to mistake her as fragile.  "Nervous?" Stella asked. Oh no, she sees me staring. Oh wait, did I forget to respond to something? Oh no!  Nala took a small sip of wine to cover up the fact that she was trying to come up with a response. "I suppose I am. The wine is helping, though." Nala gave Stella a sheepish smile. "It's lovely, isn't it? The city?"

Night of 27th Aryth Blue Lotus, Korranberg First Times Awww. Nala was adorable when she was flustered. Apparently bronze dragonborn could indeed blush. “Oh, the city is quite spectacular. The view from our suite alone is stunning.” Stella deliberately and openly checked her out as if she was looking at an especially delicious dessert, one she was going to eat right up. She was just waiting for the perfect moment. You couldn’t rush a good dessert. It had to be lingered over. She sipped her wine slowly, still thinking. Normally she had more time to prepare for this moment - wear the one beautiful dress she owned, do her hair and makeup, really indulge in being a girl for once. But Nala seemed quite intrigued by the adventurer bard who lived in leather armour and cursed a lot. Maybe it was her boots? They were rather nice boots. High. Lace-up. Stella deliberately crossed her legs and those green eyes dipped to watch. That made Stella laugh inside. And for once, it felt nice to be looked at. Nice to be admired. Like all the years of lies, and danger, and anonymity were melting away. Like she could forget every risk that came with being noticed and just enjoy this moment. Stella hid her smile behind her glass. “New cities are full of exciting possibilities, but you don’t have to explore them all at once. There’s no rush.” She dipped her finger in her wine and licked it, just out of curiosity to see what would happen - her older sisters could make a man fall off his chair that way. Nala didn’t quite fall off her chair, but nonetheless, it was satisfying. “Do we need to talk about this? Are you having feelings? Expectations? Or do you just want to… explore?”

Night of 27th Aryth Blue Lotus, Korranberg First Times It suddenly dawned on Nala, as if it were the voice of her older sister - was it her voice? - that she was in over her head. Stella's every movement made Nala remember certain portions of the Book of Unspeakable Shame that she had tried to forget about. Her legs, her hands...it seemed like an artists rendition of a beautiful woman, not like something real, and certainly not like someone that would show interest in Nala.  "Do we need to talk about this? [...] Or do you just want to...explore?" Nala nearly spit the gulp she had taken back into her wine glass. Thankfully, oh gods thankfully, she was able to steel herself before something embarrassing happened.  "I...I trust you." Nala said, setting the wine glass aside, and rubbing the back of her neck out of nerves. Her eyes met Stella's and the tension in the room was palatable. Placable? One of those pretentious P-words. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Nala wondered where Diego was. But the thought quickly fell to the wayside in favor of Stella, who had been the source of much anxiety for Nala in the past few days. But maybe anxiety wasn't the right word. Maybe what Nala was feeling could be more pleasant than that. Maybe she and Stella could have the sort of relationship that she and Diego never had. Something sweet. Something stable. Did Stella just do that thing with her mouth again? In over your head for sure, Nala.

Night of 27th Aryth Sharn It was a cold night in Sharn.  Earlier in the day, the Horizon Company had vanquished their latest enemy in a clash that ruined an old abandoned temple of the Sovereign Host, but it was in the Cogs, so no one really cared. After the battle, they discovered and burned grotesque experiments that were preying on the citizens of the City of Towers. Most of their time was spent clearing out the horrific sight through copious application of fire, holy, unholy, and everything in between. It had been a long day. Invidia of Korth had gone to bed earlier than the rest of his group, tired from the mental strain of maintaining his concentration on some of his trickier spells. He dozed away on the trusty flat futon that he had lugged around for the better part of two years, mind lost in the fields Dal Quor. "WHOOOOOP!" a voice rang out. "ALERT! THIS IS A NOTIFICATION! THIS DEVICE HAS WORKED!" Invidia ripped himself away from his rest and shot up, hand gripping for his emergency wand. Disheveled, he looked around the room for the source of the noise. It was coming from... his bag? In his extraordinarily fluffy robes, the wizard stepped closer to his pack, wand outstretched, tip glowing with ice crystals. "WHOOOOOP!" a voice—he now recognized it as his—blasted out again. "THIRD POCKET DOWN ON THE RIGHT!" Invidia faintly touched his fingers to his head in remembrance. Oh! Of course that's what it was. He shoved the wand back into its holster and grumpily strode over to the bag. Next time, he would just have it record the measurement instead of blaring out an alarm. He reached into his traveling sack and rooted around the bag. There it is. "WHOOO-!" the voice shut off as Invidia fiddled with the handheld device. The faintly smoking gadget resembled a timepiece, but the glowing screen on its face marked it as anything but. A faint map of Khorvaire projected itself in front of Invidia's face. An especially bright pinprick of light hovered around Korranberg.  I don't even remember why I built this thing. How long ago was it? When I was with those idiots on that boat, I think. He flipped the invention over and checked the hastily scrawled label on the back. PROTOTYPE LEWD DETECTION DEVICE, it read. WILL ACTIVATE WHEN SPECIFIC LEWDNESS ABOUT TO OCCUR BEYOND CALIBRATED AMBIENT LEWDNESS IN KHORVAIRE. The text trailed off into the mechanic of how exactly it measured lewdness by pinging several magical leylines across the continent. Several cities were excluded, mostly filtered on the basis of the locations of known individuals who were fond of orgies. Usually royalty. Or the dragonmarked houses. I bet it's the dragonborn again,  Invidia sleepily thought to himself as he tinkered with the device's settings. So insistent upon these lewd shenanigans.  After a moment, he tossed the mechanism back onto his bag and threw himself back into the realm of his dreams. He needed the sleep, after all. Delving into the history and mechanics of planar magic required a sharp mind. Tomorrow was to be a busy day.

Night of 27th Aryth Sharn WHOOOOOP! ALERT! THIS IS A NOTIFICATION! THIS DEVICE HAS WORKED! “ Gods above, can’t a man enjoy a night in peace! ” Dysmas grumbled to himself. The blaring alarm came from his left probably Invidia’s room. He could get up and knock on the wall of the continents premiere wizard and tell him off, but he had enough life endangering encounters for one day. Besides the water in his tub might snuff out the lavender scented candles he had lined on the lip. WHOOOOOP!THIRD POCKET DOWN ON THE RIGHT!WHOOO-! He thumbed the page of his dog-eared novel and stared at the wall watching the shadows flicker in the twilight, waiting to see if the wail returned. When he was satisfied he picked up his flute of rosé and sipped calm fully. He breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes, letting the foamy heat of the water liquefy his sore muscles. He returned to his book, voraciously eating up the story of a time travelling sorcerer who was currently in the process of sleeping with his wife in the past while his past self was fast asleep right next to them. “I wonder if she’s gonna wake him up.” To Dysmas’ pleasant surprise, she did.

Night of 27th Aryth Blue Lotus, Korranberg First Times (NB: Skip this part to avoid mild intimacy.) “I… I trust you.” Stella’s fingertip paused in drawing circles around the rim of her glass. Nothing good ever happened to people who told her that. People always trusted her most right before she took all their secrets, burned down all their plans, and vanished. This was where she should put a stop to this. Make it absolutely clear she was a professional counterspy who had never hesitated to cosy up with whoever seemed useful. Even though this was for fun and not work - in fact, it felt like the first time in a while she’d genuinely liked someone - this couldn’t possibly end well. But Nala had no desire to talk. In fact, Nala might be in too much of a flutter to even listen. And this was definitely it - the right girl, the right moment. That golden hour when Stella had nothing but confidence in her next move. Slowly, deliberately, Stella uncrossed her legs, pushed back her chair and stood. She walked around the table, trailing one finger along the polished surface, and took a seat on the table right in front of Nala. Now she had Nala’s full, wide-eyed attention. Good. Stella began to take off her leather armour. Still slowly. Still without a word. The straps unstrapped. The buckles unbuckled. Her leather armour hit the floor. Stella started to unlace her shirt at the throat… and stopped. Not because she had any shyness about her body. No. It was a different fear that tightened her throat and forced her to take deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. She opened her shirt and pulled it off one shoulder to reveal the striking dragonmark, still fresh and vivid against her pale skin. More intricate than any scar, more meaningful than any tattoo, it practically glowed with a distinctive blue-purple colour. It was the first time she had screwed up her courage enough to reveal it to anyone. And if Nala was at all unsettled by this mark that unsettled Stella so much, Stella might be the one to panic here. Stella took Nala’s hand and placed it over the dragonmark, pressing gently. Just to feel the warmth of her palm there, the intimacy of that small touch. She leaned down. “Let’s explore,” she said against Nala’s lips, and kissed her. * Some time later… “ Don’t say a word ,” Stella warned Kashtai over their telepathic link. With night fallen and the drapes drawn, total darkness had closed in on this private suite, deep enough to test even her half-elven darkvision. Only the eerie glow of Kashtai following her around threw strange shadows across the rooms. Total silence ruled as well. It must be after two in the morning, yet Stella had rarely been so awake, so on guard. Even in her fluffy robe. Kashtai said something teasing in her mind and Stella turned around to point a finger at her. “ I’m not blushing. You’re blushing .” That made no sense. Stella resorted to dark muttering. She had left Nala all cuddled up asleep in bed. That girl was adorable. And Stella would have liked to linger a bit longer, but right now she had work to do. Hence why she had kissed her back to sleep and slipped out of their nice warm bed. Several hours earlier, when the team had first settled down in this private suite, Stella had searched every inch of every room for hidden surprises. She’d been thinking so hard about detecting magic in here, she had almost set off her dragonmark - the heat had started to kindle and smoulder and she’d had to take a break. She had assessed whether you could get a clean line of fire through the windows (yes) and whether you could eavesdrop in the corridor outside without being noticed (at night, probably). Kashtai had hovered next to her ear the whole time. Stella had almost felt the sharpness of her interest. That had only been setup. Now Stella methodically laid out a colourful range of items and tools across the mahogany table that still bore their half-full wine glasses. She unrolled the leather wrap that held her delicate lockpicks and other items, pulled out half of her explorer’s pack, and even dug out one or two specialties she had picked up from Rune’s belongings. Then she got to work. The door felt sturdy enough, especially after she had finished bracing it. It could still be smashed in, but hopefully not without waking up everyone on multiple floors. The expansive balcony with its elegant railings? That was a problem. Not to be deterred, Stella brought out what the Medani referred to as a welcome mat - studded with spikes that you might just fall on and scream if you tried to sneak over a balcony railing. It took ten minutes to prepare the poor man’s Alarm ritual, half a dozen cups of ball bearings that sat precariously above doors and on windowsills. Try getting in without loudly smashing those and falling over. “ Is it overkill to rig up a tripwire to pull the trigger of my crossbow if anyone tries to let themselves in? ” Stella could answer that one herself. That was how you shot a maid by accident. “ Fine. It’s overkill. And illegal. And likely to make the Korranberg Chronicle .” Physical countermeasures. Check. Magical countermeasures. Not check. She would’ve liked to inscribe a glyph of warding on the ceiling, set to go off if the wrong person tried to cast a spell, but that was above her power level. Psionic countermeasures? Was there even such a thing? Stella stopped. Just stopped. She had done everything she could to make this private suite more defensible and it didn’t feel anywhere near enough. This time the real words slipped out. “ He was right here. Nevitash. He was right here. He was six inches away from me in the elevator. He was chatting up Nala and Blue in the public baths. He probably walked right past the door to this suite. For all I know he’s still hanging out in the bar downstairs charming everyone. ” The mere possibility an Inspired could be relaxing a hundred feet away while her friends slept was enough to keep anyone awake. His psionic bullshit might have enough range and power to kill them right through the floor. Fuck. She was getting more paranoid the more tired she got. Stella looked longingly at the closed door to her room, where Nala still slept all warm and cuddly, buried in a soft duvet and a pile of pillows. Maybe she could just snuggle back up with Nala and sleep, imagining they were safe. Protected. But somebody had to create that illusion of safety. How did that famous line go? They lived in a world that had walls and those walls had to be guarded by people who had crossbows? “ Looks like it’s just you and me tonight, Kashtai. ” Stella put her bare feet up on the table, positioned the loaded crossbow at her hand - not too close, because she had had trigger safety drilled into her - and settled in to keep watch. Just in case. All dark. All silent. It was going to be a long night.