Amdirlain’s PoV - Culerzic

When a Gate bloomed into existence well away from the chamber’s midpoint, it emitted a pained screaming, and the pair reacted in a blur. When Amdirlain leapt out of the Gate’s focus, Sarah's head swung around. Inhaling sharply, she readied her breath weapon, only to stop with a grunt and settle back to the ground.

“We weren’t expecting anyone, Livia. Not like you to bring smelly gifts,” grumbled Sarah.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you both, I know it's been a while since you gave me the location image. I’ve been trying to find a resolution for this on my own.”

Amdirlain wrapped her auras’ concealments in place before she moved to the Gate, and spotted Livia on the other side of a protective circle. Attired in grey half-robes over leather pants and black boots, Livia's outfit bore Týr’s symbol—an upward arrow within a circle of Norse runes.

The rectangular chamber she stood in was barely wide enough for the four-metre circle, but allowed a few metres between the door and its outer edge. Instead of the familiar dark granite of Duskstone’s summoning chamber emblazoned with Moradin’s symbol, the grey stone chamber had protective runes centred around Týr’s symbol. Within the circle was a sizeable, misshapen bundle tightly wrapped in a dark, waterproof cloth—and the location of the screaming Soul.

It was still a mental jolt seeing Livia now; despite exchanging messages, Amdirlain hadn’t entirely understood the extent of her changes. Though she’d been told Livia’s mountain climb in Judge Po’s realm had bleached colour from her, the extent hadn’t been clear. Livia’s previously olive Mediterranean skin tone and dark hair were now an icy white. The vividness of her crystal sapphire eyes and a hint of pink colouring her lips accented her stark paleness.

“Livia, I hadn’t expected you to be opening a Gate. What, or should I say, who is in the bundle?” asked Amdirlain warily.

“Something I should have told you about earlier,” confessed Livia. “I’ll admit it was tempting to not tell you, but I couldn’t do that any longer.”

Amdirlain listened beyond the screams and curled her lip in distaste at the ugliness of the Soul and the curse enfolding it.

Noting her focus, Sarah took a careful sniff and wrinkled her nose. “An infernal curse for those failing the supplicant’s trials.”

The announcement jerked Livia's attention towards Sarah. “I knew its source but not its purpose.”

“Various infernal groups use it to break those they’ve found wanting in their petitions or for trying to breach contracts. They’re trapped, continually experiencing the moments of their death and all the damage inflicted upon their corpse; eventually, the hatred-filled remnant is bound among Hell’s undead legions. They shouldn’t deliver them to anyone, let alone one of your boss’s temples,” explained Sarah.

“Do you know that for sure?” whispered Livia.

“I’ve seen it administered several times. If the petitioners fail the initial challenges, they’re dragged to Hell’s Main Gate, and they administer the curse there. Kytons on the outer walls help prepare the recruit’s flesh before they’re hung from posts lining the path from the mountain Gate,” said Sarah, her voice tight with pain. “The materials required to affix the souls to the bodies are expensive. How did you get this?”

“These have shown up addressed to me for years; ‌maybe one a season, sometimes only one in a year,” explained Livia.

“So what about this one prompted you to seek advice from us?” asked Amdirlain; keeping her voice calm, resisting the temptation to listen to Livia’s song.

Livia let out a disgruntled sigh. “There were only hints until this one arrived. The usual note we’d find in the wrappings with their crimes was this time signed ‘Torm’—though it looked nothing like his handwriting. I was undecided when I’d tell you about it, but the news I got on my return to Eyrarháls changed my mind. Is Gail on Vehtë?”

“Gail’s been planning a trip, but let's deal with this first.”

“But she-”

“Is twenty and has been working with clearance teams on Cemna for three years. Is the note still with the bundle?” asked Amdirlain.

Giving a sharp nod, Livia pointed to a fold in the cloth. “It’s tucked in there; they have all shown up wrapped the same way. Normally, the note lists the people they’ve murdered and the means they used.”

“I can’t hear any magics besides the curse,” stated Amdirlain, and she glanced back at Sarah. “Do you think it’s safe for you to bring it through?”

“He knows what Plane you’re on. Might have found someone with enough power to trace the body and pull a variation of Lêdhins’ trick; let's not bring a trojan horse through the Gate,” argued Sarah. “I can read details from the parcel and the remains.”

Sarah transformed into her willowy brunette shape and donned a set of hunting leathers between long strides. Stepping through the Gate, Sarah crouched and laid a hand on the cloth wrapping with no hesitation. As she touched it, Amdirlain could hear Sarah’s psychometry technique beginning to work. After reading impressions from the cloth, she moved on the letter’s parchment, though she didn’t comment on the contents.

While Sarah worked, Livia looked on in apparent fascination.

“Livia, I’ll make crystals to alert you to a Fallen and other bodies cursed this way. You’ll need to distribute them throughout the locations where the deliveries have occurred. That way you’ll get warned before they drop another or if a Gate is opened with a Fallen beyond.”

“Enough warning would let me catch whoever is doing the delivers, and then I can trace them back,” smiled Livia grimly. “So far, they’ve broken into random shops and wealthy homes and left a slip of parchment addressed to the local Temple, and me, on top. I’m pretty sure no infernal cult is operating within the towns, and the break-ins used normal tools.”

“Turned them upside down and shook them out?” asked Amdirlain.

“Yes, when I showed the local jarls the bodies, they didn’t argue about the disruption,” clarified Livia. “While I broke up a few thieves' guilds, I found nothing serious going on, though certainly criminals were getting away with things that we were glad to stop. Petty thefts, smuggling, and a few protection rackets on merchants. The note with this one clarified that was part of the intent.”

“What does it say?”

Sarah repeated the start of the note from memory. “'You remain too soft on the lawbreakers I’ve shown you through trying to catch us. You should take my examples to heart so we can be together. Doesn’t part of you cry out to inflict the same punishments your Móðir did upon the raping silversmith? Can’t you see the weaknesses in mortals will continue to fester? Torm.' Then it listed the details of various murders.”

“You mentioned the materials are expensive?” asked Livia. “Is it something we could trace?”

Sarah pulled open the wrapping. The cloth came away with a moist sucking sound, and the stench of putrefying flesh suddenly wafted through the Gate. “Depends on where the materials come from. First, let's see who’s involved. They enchanted the cloth to keep the odour and fluids contained while closed up, something else that’s potentially traceable.”

“It’s not made on the Material Plane,” prompted Livia.

“Doesn’t mean it's not traceable; just need to go further afield,” stated Sarah as she unwrapped it. “Like Amdirlain, you’ve not only your resources to draw on, Livia.”

Though bloated, the exposed flesh looked like someone had carefully flayed the victim’s body, leaving the fat layer showing barely any scraping. At the shoulders and hip joints, they had entirely cut away the flesh, and the limbs' empty sockets showed no damage.

“You’ve got a Kyton processing them,” murmured Sarah, her eyes roaming over the decaying meat and fat. “I couldn’t smell her until I unwrapped the body. She’s on the Material Plane from the smell of her; my flesh smelt different when I was on the expedition.”

“Processing them, murdering them, you mean?” corrected Livia briskly, her lips pressed tight as if seeking to keep the stench at bay.

“He died from the torture,” acknowledged Sarah, motioning to the mutilated crotch. “If all the bodies were this carefully done, she’s been handling them. The group has someone with an infernal bond, which should make detecting them possible. Though I’m not sure what Blessing paths that your faith provides.”

“They wouldn’t just summon her each time?” asked Livia.

“Her smell says she’s been out of Hell a while,” clarified Sarah. “That doesn’t mean they summoned her solely for dressing these gifts. She could be a bodyguard and torturer for the group or a key member.”

Amdirlain frowned. “Why a key member?”

“This rite of binding isn’t something given to mortals to do. To perform it, she’s not a junior Kyton, and before you ask, I don’t know her scent. She likely has at least one Tier 5 Prestige Class with Wizard and Priest at level 70. I take it you’ve been breaking the curses?” asked Sarah.

Livia’s expression hardened, and she gave a sharp nod. “Yes, given the dead’s nature, I wouldn’t resurrect them. With their body so badly damaged, a Raise Dead wouldn’t be enough, and I wouldn’t waste that effort on them either. I can gauge enough from their auras to know the crimes listed likely aren’t the only ones.”

At first, Amdirlain thought Sarah would have to fish through the remains. However, she merely poked a finger into swollen flesh before raising her other hand to show a neatly faceted smokey black diamond about three centimeters in diameter. Etched into a few visible facets were infernal glyphs that shone banefully against the chamber’s protections.

“Breaking the curse would shatter these,” stated Sarah. “Otherwise—from what I know about Duskstone’s auction prices—you’d likely have buried at least thirty thousand small golds a time with the various remains.”

“All the people we could have helped with those funds make this even sicker,” groaned Livia.

Giving Livia a polite nod, Sarah re-wrapped the body. However, it did nothing to remove the stench that had permeated the dome.

“This adds to my concern about Gail. Do you know what her goal is?” asked Livia.

Amdirlain raised an eyebrow. “Alright, let’s move on. Why did you ask about Gail?”

“I wasn’t in town as I’d been collecting this body and investigating. On my return, I got news of a Wood Elf named Gailneth asking about me—I had hoped it was someone else—she visited the Cadre compound and then left town the next day,” details Livia. “When I attempted a Message to Gail, I realised she’d never given me her name directly. Those she spoke to at the Cadre also couldn’t Message her.”

Sarah snorted. “She likely picked one of the few non-wizards in the Cadre and got them to handle introductions.”

“I hadn’t known she’d left,” admitted Amdirlain. “The last time we spoke was three weeks ago; she intended to stop at Eyrarháls to surprise you and get information. I’ll message Ebusuku.”

It only took a minute for Amdirlain to get confirmation.

“Your timeline matches, except she stopped at Stoneheart first and got a ward stone so she could teleport there directly,” stated Amdirlain. “She wanted to secure a fallback position, and the Temple’s priests happily facilitated it.”

Livia blinked in surprise. “Fallback position? She’s handling a trip like a military operation?”

“Gail can plan well when she has a reason; she’s got her mother’s devious mind,” noted Sarah. “I pity whoever disappoints her first; scratching the varnish of her idealism could be painful.”

“She didn’t seem the type to get aggressive,” refuted Livia.

“No, but she’s likely to fix whatever caused her to be disappointed until it meets her standards,” laughed Sarah. “The people involved might not recognise themselves or their lives afterwards.”

“But with her mother being-”

Sarah waved a finger. “Gail doesn’t worry about someone’s choice; she worries if beings are unnecessarily injured or disadvantaged. She knows the realm isn’t perfect, but that won’t stop her from trying to improve it.”

“What improves conditions for one person can worsen them for another,” noted Livia.

A nod of acknowledgement from Amdirlain cut them off. “Gail has this flexible tool called True Song to hammer down the bits that stick up. She’ll see problems quickly; learning about the repercussions of each fix could take longer. However, if she’s caused a problem, Gail will probably keep working until she smoothes it out.”

“Was it just Gail being around that prompted you to contact us?” asked Sarah.

Livia motioned to the body. “With Torm’s name used, this went from being an investigation for me to track down to something Móðir needed to know about. I only considered delaying because I had hoped to learn more before I got in touch. If he is somehow involved with individuals like this on Vehtë, it might not be safe for Gail.”

Casually crushing the gem, Sarah let the powder trickle between her fingers before she stood. “He has no reason to suspect she’d even come to Vehtë. The reason she’s visiting wasn’t determined until after Torm was corrupted.”

“Gail spent the last three years working on Cemna. She can take care of herself better than many with Prestige classes and she’s planning to recruit from the Adventurers’ Guild,” advised Amdirlain. Retrieving a half dozen crystal needles, she held them casually while Silent Song impressed an altered detection array in each.

“Take care of herself? She isn’t travelling with a bodyguard?” asked Livia, brow furrowing in concern.

“Given she wants to get out from under everyone’s shadow, I doubt it. We’ll see how long she can manage it,” explained Amdirlain.

“If she’s that dependent on others-” started Livia.

Sarah laughed. “It’s not like that. Gail’s got a nose for trouble and a passion for improving things. Helping people matters more to her than pride; if she finds something she can’t resolve herself, she’ll be in touch for advice at the very least. She’s not unprotected though. Besides the safeguards Amdirlain provided, Gail would hear the likes involved with these atrocities out of range of most spells.”

“How long since she left?” asked Amdirlain.

“Over a full week now,” clarified Livia

Sarah humphed. “I hadn’t expected her to last two days without finding some trouble to fall into.”

“Yeah, and I’m going to hold you to the bet,” teased Amdirlain. “Anyway, you don’t know if she hasn’t found trouble; we’ve just not heard yet.”

The statement made Livia pause. “When I met Gail years ago, she’d been very focused on your situation, Móðir. Is there something on Vehtë that can help?”

“She’s after more than just fixing my situation, but-”

“Fixing your situation? The curse or Planar Lock?” interjected Livia eagerly, and she leaned forward in anticipation.

“The lock,” admitted Amdirlain with a laugh. “There isn’t a way for her to help with my state; I need to be the one to fix that.”

“But that would mean bringing Prince Charilaos back to life,” protested Livia. “His Soul will know the caster’s purpose, and he won’t cooperate.”

Her tone perked Amdirlain’s interest. “Oh? That sounds like you did more than consider it.”

Livia huffed. “I already tried True Resurrection on him planning to get him to let me summon you. I only needed his permission, and I could have released you; the spiteful bastard rejected the Resurrection.”

“What would you have done with him afterwards?” probed Sarah.

“Had him face justice for his actions,” declared Livia.

Both that she’d tried and the implicit permission from Týr involved in the casting had Amdirlain beaming. “There is a way, Livia, and if Gail’s on Vehtë, she’s looking for the key now.”

“She asked at the Cadre about the closest location to the peninsula,” stated Livia.

“Yes, the key to getting me free early and finding the Lómë’s Royal tower is somewhere out there or in the surrounding ocean,” admitted Amdirlain.

The news broke Livia’s composure; waving a hand to the east, her jaw dropped. “Why aren’t more helping her then?”

“I told her I’d expect it to get her an achievement. Gail had the idea it would help some locals get one. Also, since she’ll need to be stronger to use the key, being carried won’t help,” explained Amdirlain. “Gail needs more time to mature and improve certain skills.”

“There are other factors,” added Sarah.

“But still-”

“It doesn’t matter where I am for my current projects,” reassured Amdirlain.

Livia slashed a hand down sharply, and her words rasped. “You’re not safe, so it matters to me.”

Amdirlain picked out the shift in the light reflecting from Livia’s eyes and softened her tone. “I know, but it is what it is. I don’t want others ruining things for Gail, and rushing her progress could cause failure. Unless her plan has changed, she intends to pretend to be a Wizard and Spellsinger; her capabilities will easily get her into a party. She shouldn’t attract more attention than another Wood Elf.”

“Her Class names might appear on the imprint plate; a group of artificers have improved Yngvarr’s original design,” cautioned Livia.

“A bunch of elven words that most won’t recognise, except her Solar Emissary class,” countered Amdirlain.

Livia blinked. “Does that relate to her-”

“Parentage? Oh, indeed it does,” drawled Sarah. “It's a spy diplomat combination only available to children of solars or divine beings. Blending socially with mortals will initially challenge her since most of her diplomacy training isn’t Mortal; sneaking through the long grass or stealing someone’s heart is a different matter.”

“I’m told she was exquisitely polite and very cheerful as you’d expect. My clerk has quite the crush on her, but I hadn’t the heart to tell him how young she was for an Elf,” detailed Livia as she fought to regain her composure. “By the way, Móðir. What have you done to yourself? You’ve looked like you’re impersonating a statue nearly this entire conversation?”

“A Skill evolution is still giving me problems. The safest thing presently is for me to minimise unnecessary motions,” explained Amdirlain.

“What counts as unnecessary?”

“For some people—breathing,” grumbled Amdirlain.

Sarah placed a hand on her chest and pretended to swoon. “The mere swell of her bosom had one poor sod enraptured. Dominion lets her calm things down if the person is in the same Plane, but not across a Gate’s threshold.”

Amdirlain huffed. “Mere is right. I’ve only a lithe build.”

“The git’s an Elf; he wasn’t expecting curves,” laughed Sarah. Taking out a memory crystal, Sarah recorded all the snippets of information her examination had provided her and set it on the ground. “There were some people I caught impressions of handling the bundle, and one on the body itself—the Kyton wears adamantine chains.”

Sarah stepped back through the Gate, leaving the re-wrapped bundle behind.

“Thank you, Sarah. I’ll keep an ear out for trouble involving Gail, Móðir,” offered Livia. “I might chat with Verdandi, as I know we don’t have a temple at that village she picked out. Sending someone to establish a shrine would let us have support close at hand. Lots of the Greeks dislike elves.”

“That village?” enquired Sarah lightly.

“It’s called Apollo’s Reach,” spat Livia, her hands clenched by her sides.

“Give me a few moments,” requested Amdirlain, and she started to set another song into a crystal cube she retrieved from Inventory. Securing it in a pouch along with the needles, she tossed it through the Gate. “Plant those needles in areas where you’re most concerned. If they detect that curse, a Kyton, or a Fallen within twenty kilometres, you’ll get an image of the location of the needle and the reason. The cube lets you track any close to you.”

“What have you been doing that you had this song ready?”

“I’ve been working with various groups to free mortals from the Abyss,” replied Amdirlain and missed keeping the edge from her tone.

“Various?” enquired Livia, her eyebrow lifting at Amdirlain’s tone, setting Sarah snickering.

“Fallen have to help mortals to redeem themselves. Roher and Sarah coordinate with a cloister representative, but I’ve continued to stay clear because of my current state,” explained Amdirlain, ignoring Sarah’s antics. “It’s a touch frustrating even if I suggested they proceed. I’ll organise some time with Roher and create more crystals so you can spread a wider net for them.”

“The Planar Lock isn’t the state she’s referring to,” clarified Sarah. “It was more that she didn’t want to risk a come hither moment.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry, it was a ‘you had to be there' moment,” laughed Sarah.

When the Gate closed, Amdirlain pulled a face. “I’ll ask Roher to spare some time for more crystal rods and get him to help create these changed detectors.”

“Not just needles?”

“No, I’d want to set them up with both series of songs so we can redistribute them afterwards,” explained Amdirlain before she started to pace.

“Gail will be safe unless she slips up lying low,” reassured Sarah.

“Murphy’s law seems to be my fan, so let’s assume something goes sideways,” countered Amdirlain.

“What other protections do you have to give her?”

“If it sounds like she’ll need a proper safehold, I’ll create a Demi-Plane seed based on Isa’s last test. We’ll see if she gets in touch.”

Feeling confined, Amdirlain paced the chamber and let her true form come forth. Her Fallen form’s elven features were sharper, and electric blue hair cascaded down to her upper thighs. The quad wings had become a mix of black and red feathers with cores showing as veins of gold. Previously, the only red that had been present were the flames when the Angelic Aura was in place. Part of the challenge of directing the Femme Fatale Skill and learning her body’s motions properly was accepting her new seven-metre height and eighteen-metre wingspan.

“At least you don’t have my problem,” muttered Sarah, and she moved out of the way and shifted back into Dragon form.

As a large barrel of familiar goop appeared, Amdirlain smirked. “You mean because I have hair, and it's still the electric blue I like?”

“No, I meant itching scales,” grumbled Sarah, and she used Far Hand to slather herself with an abrasive gel. “Come help, please?”

“At least the first armoury rotating through the towers got you an achievement.”

Sarah humphed and snaked around to ensure she could properly see the area along her side she was tending. “Setting a net to cover the kingdoms will be far easier than a Plane.”