Exodus: Masks and Maidens

[opius]

Silence. In the relative sense, there was silence. The quiet shifting of viscous asphalt, the knocking of settling stones, and the shambling of feet were silent things when compared to the storm of crackling violet energy that had been gathered here only moments before. No longer were there sparks of that malevolent hue threatening to flash into full blown lightning strikes, or winds bellowing with force enough to knock a person down. The inky darkness that had blotted out the dim silver shine of the moon and stars had dissipated. Even the dead had begun meandering elsewhere, away from radiant souls and burning spirits.

The King of Feathers, now reduced to a pile of sticky, tar-caked bones, hungered no more. The pile was still, dis-animated. Whatever had been occupying the vessel was now long gone.

The worst, it seemed, was over. The groaning drones of undead masses, having only moments ago been rallied into a violent army bent on killing the living, grew distant as the once-army now wandered slowly and silently away, dispersing. A cool breeze passed through the ruins where the party now gathered themselves. The night sky provided a dim illumination such that even those not gifted with the dark vision of of their neighbor races could still maneuver and collect their bearings.

It was a fine time to take a breather and a head count. Before, of course, figuring out where and when to rest.

"Anyone no longer living, please call out." Called a hoarse Jeane, who stood upon the pile of broken spire Incognitus had helped level earlier. Following a brief pause, she looked about. "Wounded, then." She dismounted the pile, hand on her side as she caught her own breath, and moved about the party to administer aid to the wounded.

-----------------

Alina found herself coming to after momentarily losing time in the rush of battle. The King of Feathers had been reduced to an unmoving pile of tar and bone, the dead had begun to meander off, and her allies had begun moving- gathering themselves, licking their wounds and the like. For Alina, several revelations stood in the forefront of her mind. One, her body felt... strong. Like a newfound power was coursing through her muscles. Second, the magic which had been absent- the ability to pull from that divine power of elsewhere, the sensation of protection and solidarity that her presence provided- felt intact. Stronger, even, than before. Third, there was something foreign resting on her face. More than something, she would recognize the half-mask which had manifested there, and would remember the look Jeane had returned to her in the moments following the fight.

((Alina, effectively your spell slots and Lay On Hands abilities are filled following the pact made with Selune and your other paladin features are back in working order.))

From where Alina stood, she could find the cleric moving about to check on the party and their surroundings. Jeane was not one to stay put and talk when there was still the possibility of danger nearby.

[redcoat]

Alina stepped forward- she wasn't hurt, not a lot, not anymore- but she needed her mentor. First though, she moved to the side for a moment of privacy, gently taking off the mask and running her fingers across it. Beautiful silver filigree, light and functional. Her fingers brushed the tips of the wings worked into the metal.

All she had ever wanted was to be a masked paladin, like her mother. A protector, a uniformed face that could be trusted at a glance. Not Alina, but A Paladin.

Selune had given that to her. Selune had seen her. For that... she was grateful.

Slipping the mask back on her face, she moved to join Jeanne.

"I think I will need to learn a new set of prayers."

[opius]

Alina discovered Jean somewhat flummoxed. The party was in better shspe- and spirits- than she'd thought. With the witch and the wildling moseying elsewhere to discuss some personal matters, that let few wounded to tend to.

With the need to find things to do, Alina discovered Jeane had dug Alina's shield from the tar and was in the process of cleaning it. It was an arduous process likely to take some time as Jeane ran the back, blunted side of her hunting knife against the steel shield, sloughing of layers of tar with each stroke. She watched the dead meander, squinting into the darkness.

Alina, clad in plate, was not quite. Jeane turned to spot her approach, and there was a momentary expression of surprise, shock even, which gave way to a smile. She was not used to seeing the mask at all, it seemed. The smile faded some. "Oh. Oh, you're hurt..." She placed the shield down. "We'll talk about that in a moment, first let's get some color back into your face." She dusted her hands and began preparing a spell- speaking out loud one of the prayers of Selune.

[redcoat]

Alina blinked, it took her a moment before she realized she was more than a little banged up- but that happened after big fights. There was only 'dead', 'almost dead', and 'fine', and since she was still able to stand, she assumed she landed in 'fine'.

But, with some of the adrenaline wearing off from the fight, and Jean spotting the true extent of her injuries, she began to feel them again. Still... better than the last time she'd fought the king of feathers, she supposed.

She sat down on a convenient boulder, sliding her shield back from Jean to look over the damage. She'd honestly forgotten that she'd lost it at the end of the fight.

"Thanks for grabbing this- it'd be a pain if it got swallowed by the tar."

[opius]

Completing the final phrase, the area around the two took on a faint silvery glow and Jean's hand came to rest on Alina's shoulder. A cool, calming sensation radiated from the aasimar's shoulder and outward, a balm to the rapidly bruising bludgeoning injuries. Jeane came to sit beside Alina, placing her hands on her knees. The older woman let out a long sigh of decompression.

"It wouldn't be the first thing lost to this place. I need to report this to one of the specialists- this has the makings of a ruin." She bowed her head. "But that's a conversation for later."

Another breath, she took a second to simply exist. Exhausted, but alive. No casualties, nothing broken beyond fixing. Overall, this expedition was successful. Jean then looked to the moon, "... That mask is a fitting look for you. So... Where do we begin?"

[redcoat]

"We could start with the vision." She sighed a bit, tilting her head back. "I touched Verdi's bow, and time slowed down to... nothing.

"She said she saw the valor in my deeds. That I've heeded her omens, and overcome her first challenge. And she said we were in concordance. She asked if I desire to take back the night. If I would safeguard love and life under the moon. I agreed to both, and she said that while we are in concordance, she will grant her silver to me."

Alina shrugged, looking up to Jean.

"So, that was the start. Or the end. I don't know."

[opius]

"High praise." Jeane nodded, brows coming to furrow as she considered the words as she cupped her mouth. She spent a few moments pondering and reflecting on the words, trying to divine meaning.

"Our lady of Silver. Selune is associated with silver- whether symbolically, by the moon's light, or... practically. We- her followers favor silvered blades, arrows, the like..." She glanced across the fray, spying the bow.

"When I began my campaign here, I'd thought the young gods- the Champions of the divine dragons, had somehow missed this place. That Te'Kaal was one of the last frontiers. This... primal anomaly, untouched and somehow obscured from the divine. But now I question that belief. Perhaps they were here all along, their marks swallowed by the jungle like the ruins abound."

She tapped her chin some more, squinting a little. With a shake of her head, she shifted to look back to Alina. "A challenge, concordance, her silver. By the looks of it, she's given you her power and her blessing. By the sounds of the words you were given, it seems it's conditional. Or rather there is a clause. That so long as you agree on the same subjects- that you remain aligned, in concordance as it were, that you can rely on her power."

She pursed her lips and shrugged. "So... nothing terribly unfamiliar for you, I would imagine."

[redcoat]

"Honestly, I like it. I thought... I had devoted my life to the Matron. When I was rebuked... I felt dumped. Like I was just starting to get the power I needed to make a real difference... and it was taken from me, because I wouldn't kill something that wasn't a threat. Well. I suppose they are an existential threat, but on an island where there's..." She motioned to the all-too-recently reanimated corpse of the King of Feathers.

"That unholy mess, it was extra salt in the wound to divorce me over letting a few creepy but helpful wizards continue to exist."

Alina sighed. "I like it better, I think, knowing that it's possible we might fall out of alignment. I didn't know that was possible before."

[opius]

Jeane listened and nodded. "I've never met one myself, but I've heard of Paladins who've fallen from grace. As the stories go, those who lose their way, become arrogant or cruel or otherwise misrepresent their oaths find their power falling them at the worst possible moment. To then keep that power... Well, there are beings other than gods that can grant such things." She shook her head.

"Your situation is unique. And new to me in more ways than one." She folded her arms.

"... Still, to strip your power without warning, to send a celestial- one who nearly took your head... That feels so... Draconian. It seems... Disproportionate. Your feelings are valid. What happened was extreme." Her frown deepened as she looked to the moon.

"Our Lady of Silver tends to follow the path of temperance. Dealing in absolutes is less important than doing what's right in the moment. She only asks that you be the best version of yourself you can be- to do your best when acting in her name, rather than expecting perfect execution. I think you will appreciate that kind of flexibility."

[redcoat]

"I certainly will." Alina said, looking up to the sky. "I do try to hold myself to high standards. I know... I can come across as silly, or unthinking. But it's because life is too short to dwell on things that cannot be changed. All that can be done is to either change it, or accept it. There is no direction but forward."

She smiled.

"I am glad Our Lady has given me a path forward that doesn't feel like I'm being bitch slapped every time I heal someone, or smite something. Or lay someone to their rest."

[opius]

Jeane nodded in agreement, a genuine smile on her face. There was a bit of brazeness in her eyebrows as she leaned in. "And yet." She laughed. "Despite it all, you survived. You've performed some truly unexpected feats." The grin was short lived. Jeane was never one to linger long on celebrating when there were unseen dangers. "Still... From what I gather, it seems as though some of the power you've been using has come from somewhere else. Either through..." she gestured toward Alina, "...Effectively burning your life force, or..." And then she came to look at Alina's arm, not stating quite what was on her mind. There was a wariness concerning the Divine- whatever that divine thing was.

"There is a path forward, but still many questions. I for one would like to see you with a heading toward answers. How you came to possess this... Gift? Burden? And just what the Maiden of Moonlight intends for you." She folded her arms and looked outward, across the dark shapes of the geography.

"Humans are decidedly lacking when it comes to magical inclination- whether divine or arcane. Unlike yourself, what signs I've received from the Lady and her Shards have been cryptic. Like riddles, easy to miss." She tilted her head. "Perhaps when we reunite with your friend, miss Darkmoon, she can be convinced to allow a Missionary in this new place. The chances of reaching Divine Concordance would be much greater at a hallowed altar- a proper effigy, even, could help."

[redcoat]

"Some of those answers will hopefully be found when I rescue my mother." Alina said, frowning and looking at the twice dead corpse of the King of Feathers. Had this been a mistake? It hadn't taken too much time away from her plan- no more time than traveling with the caravan would have.

Still, finding her mother was a priority. Even answers were secondary to that.

"I'm sure she'd be willing to allow a such a thing. Since the whole settlement was an attempt of Pelor to conquer Te'kaal, she's said she wouldn't mind some more priests around to dilute a bit of that energy and sway."

[opius]

Jeane nodded. "Followers of our order aren't picky, and traditionally Selunites have worked well in polytheistic temples. Your vote of confidence is assuring." She glanced back to Alina. "Well. I'm still riding the battle rush. Is there anything else on your mind, or should I grab my prayer book?"