Amdirlain’s PoV - Sanctuary’s Demi-Plane

As Sarah got close, Amdirlain gestured to Livia. “Livia brought me up to speed on the main points with Torm and the cult. I’ll get the details about Torm’s contact in The Exchange from you after we take care of some key items.”

“Whenever you want, we can go together,” acknowledged Sarah.

“I’ll ask Erwarth or the others to help,” offered Ebusuku.

Gail sat down and put her head on Amdirlain’s shoulder. “Did you enjoy talking to them at all?”

“I did. It was a wonderful surprise to see them,” Amdirlain said as she gave Gail a gentle, one-armed hug. “I never took enough time to convey my respect to them.”

Livia hummed and shook her head. “It's not how often you say things, Móðir; it's the conviction that you project with them. Those women have gone away knowing they are the heroes of Amdirlain.”

“Bet Gideon gives them a Prestige or evolved Class,” giggled Gail. “Nanok got a Prestige Class offered in his last Class vision that I think was Gideon teasing him. Not going to say, but it was slightly rude.”

“Elf Herder? Grumpy Bear?” proposed Livia.

Gail’s laughter rose, and she waggled her head against Amdirlain’s shoulder, not leaving her embrace. “No, I’m not saying. Not sure why he told me the name.”

“What have you been up to while Livia and I met with the guests?” asked Amdirlain, reaching up to brush a stray lock from Gail’s face.

“Putting out fires initially, and then I got some rest while my folks tried the soundproofing in a bower. Your reveal was fun, but I thought some people’s brains would explode,” Gail chirped.

“Who approached you?” asked Amdirlain dryly, wondering if there was a problem to head off.

“There weren’t any issues at all with your veterans. However, some of their guests‌ got a little excited. Like the Adventurers’ Guild Grand Master—his name is Hasusar—who came along at the invitation of a friend instead of asking me what was going on. After settling them down, I took time for reverie so I wouldn’t hold you up,” explained Gail.

As Gail spoke, Farhad entered the hall from the same path Gail and Ebusuku had appeared from, his hawk-like features set in a stern expression. The regimented notes within his being gained a lightness that brushed across them when he spotted Ebusuku and Gail. His severeness was further eased by Gail’s slumped pose against Amdirlain; his daughter's antics added amusement to his gaze.

“Are you not on Hasusar's nice list?” asked Amdirlain.

“We’ve had our differences of opinion over the last four years. I’ve smacked him on the nose a few times, and he’s returned the favour a few times. Other times we’ve worked out approaches to handling situations together.”

Amdirlain nodded. “What does it look like it will be this time?”

Covering her mouth, Gail gave a bone-cracking yawn. “Sorry, still waking up. On this one, I think we’ll agree to disagree.”

“Myrto had a meltdown,” prompted Amdirlain. "And none of them stuck around to speak to me."

“They likely figured you meant the veterans. Myrto had an excited meltdown, and she wasn’t the only one having that sort of reaction, even if hers was the most extreme in my team. The rest were so funny they almost had me in stitches,” giggled Gail. “Ipy’s immediate reaction was the best. You completely shattered his normal calm so all he managed was: ‘Your aunt Am is Amdirlain? Then who is your mother?’ I pretended I’d gone deaf at that point and rushed off to fix aunt Aggie’s scars.”

“I played an additional decoy for her,” Farhad said, sitting across the table.

“You promised no interrogations,” groaned Gail.

“Fatherly questions aren’t interrogations,” argued Farhad.

Gail scrubbed her fingers in her hair. “They so are. Wait, how did you introduce yourself?”

As Gail started to say more, Farhad gave her an enigmatic smile and added fuel to her fire.

“You’ve kept your rank secret from them?” asked Amdirlain, interrupting Gail's protest.

Gail shrugged. “Nikias knows it, but he’s known since his Class vision. Though I’ve had to word my answers carefully with the rest, I’ve never lied.”

“The degree to which Nikias is planar-touched should make an interesting legacy for his children,” commented Amdirlain.

“Now that Amdirlain is free, when do we see a grandchild?” Farhad asked, and Gail sputtered in wide-eyed disbelief at the topic shift.

Ebusuku laughed at the question. “All the times you’ve asked about siblings, surely you don’t mind indulging us?”

“I’m young yet,” protested Gail.

“You said you were all grown up when you started adventuring. You could always establish a harem of beautiful ladies if you didn’t wish to bear a child—I hear you have two on the hook,” stated Farhad.

“You forgot the men chasing Gail,” Livia added.

Farhad shrugged. “That’s fine, but it's hard for them to help with the grandchild part unless Gail’s staying put for a bit.”

Hiding her face in her hands, Gail’s shoulders shook with suppressed mirth, a reaction that had Farhad directing an indulgent smile her way.

Their interaction didn’t distract Amdirlain from Ebusuku placing concealments to prevent their conversation from being overheard.

“Gail mentioned you’d gone to set a new Home Plane,” started Ebusuku, and her getting down to business brought a pleased nod from Amdirlain.

“I did and found out I can have four now, but none is anywhere I want to be. The best is Acheron,” admitted Amdirlain.

“There are safer planes in the Abyss,” muttered Ebusuku. “Where did you set?”

“Carceri as a secondary, the five layers of it are all accessible if I get locked again,” answered Amdirlain. “I'm leaving my primary alone until I’ve researched locations to use as a haven and find a replacement that I’m happy with going forward.”

Livia snorted. “In other words, you’ll leave it in case you get Planar Locked again. You’ll be able to shift there at least and hurt that vile bastard further.”

“Am I that transparent?”

“I deal with the Norse and Persians daily, Móðir. Some of the tribal groups will keep revenge going for generations,” reminded Livia.

“Four home planes. Do I want to know what level you got to?” asked Ebusuku. “I’m sure you would have told me if you’d taken a new Prestige Class.”

“The last four years, I stopped creating so many crystals. Instead, I’ve focused on pushing my True Song and other abilities. That has unfortunately meant that the net scanning for mortals and fallen isn’t growing as fast,” grumbled Amdirlain.

Gail tilted her head in thought. “If I need to get stronger to open the seal, I could help sing crystals to push my levels. Aunt Isa says it's boring, but I’ve far more patience for the routine than she does.”

“I would never have guessed,” drawled Amdirlain. “How many hours a day do you practice the harp?”

“I try for at least four, sometimes pushing to six, but I don’t always manage it,” replied Gail, and she gave a forlorn sigh. “Yesterday was almost a complete bust; I only squeezed in an hour.”

“Shocking,” gasped Amdirlain playfully.

“It’s truly slack,” Gail said, her expression carefully schooled to show only disappointment.

“The only one of you that seems to know how to relax is Isa,” noted Livia.

“I blame Amdirlain. She’s a corrupting influence on an impressionable mind,” Sarah commented. “I just have to look at the routine you keep.”

“Alright, pot calling a kettle black,” admitted Livia.

“What’s your next step?” enquired Ebusuku, contently watching Gail cuddle up against Amdirlain.

“When Gail’s ready, we’ll see if the harp’s connection can lead us to the royal tower,” stated Amdirlain.

“Whenever you want to give it a whirl,” acknowledged Gail excitedly, her attempt to leap up countered by Amdirlain's arm not moving as she continued her recount.

“After that, we’ll see if we can find the royal tower, then shift its location into one of the Lómë’s caverns,” continued Amdirlain. “As Gail said, we don’t know if she’ll be capable of breaking the seal even with being Anar Royalty—she might need to get stronger. We also don’t want to risk breaking it open and the agreement coming into force on them, so it needs to be shifted into a safe spot first.”

Gail shrugged. “Jokes aside, I was really worried I wouldn’t be good enough to handle the Oírë Coivië Nandë; it harshly critiqued the first song I played on it. Auntie Am, when you said it had a mind of its own, I didn’t understand you meant that literally.”

“Let’s talk with it,” proposed Amdirlain.

Rising, Gail teleported to the hall’s dance floor, and Amdirlain followed suit, allowing the others to follow at their own pace.

The floor harp Gail released onto the soft ground was taller than many. Rising from a flat base—that presented a series of pedals—the head of its column came up to Amdirlain’s shoulder. The True Song crystal looked like they had filled it with living darkness, clouds of it swirling and brushing against the boundaries of the crystal. Within that darkness, brief glimmers of silvery stars shone, flaring brightly only to be swallowed up again. From the tuning pins on the harp’s arch, strings made from wisps of energy stretched downward to the soundbox, at first looking phantasmal, they quickly solidified into the physical reality and pulsed.

A gentle strumming followed the initial run across the string, and Amdirlain’s Polyglot picked out the meaning. “Your features resemble Orhêthurin, but you project serenity instead of harsh judgement. Are you her or another Solar posing as a grove keeper that Gail is permitting to ogle me?”

“In my first life, I was Orhêthurin,” admitted Amdirlain.

“Good. Are you planning to sort this mess out soon, or do you need more time?” Nandë asked waspishly.

“Nandë, do I need to remind you that neither of us had anything to do with the Lómë’s agreement?” chided Gail.

The notes that followed stung the air. “I’ve been under water and mud for over half a million years with only the realm’s beat to track the time. I’d like to see how patient you are after that long.”

“It has the potential to go very wrong, so we need to locate the royal tower first and plan our next steps,” informed Amdirlain. “Has Gail told you I need to use your link to the royal couple?”

“Yes, let’s get on with it then,” grumbled Nandë. “Though not you. I expect Gail to play the song. She’s told me you don’t know how to play, and I refuse to be mishandled.”

“I don’t need any song played. I just need you not to resist mine when it touches your bond to them,” corrected Amdirlain. “If you do that, you could deflect its intent.”

Nandë's huff was a cascade of deep base notes. “What will your song do?”

“I’ll only be scrying the location of the primary bondholder.”

“Of course, you need the songs of its place. It’s been a while since I considered the basic theories I’d heard spoken of,” Nandë said.

“The bond will tell me enough about the place’s song. Rather, I need to see what other seals, traps, and glyphs are in place; otherwise, we might drag them with the tower. The last thing we want is explosions inside one of the Lómë settlements,” corrected Amdirlain, and Nandë’s bass notes thrummed sharply in response. “Before we start, I’ll reinforce the wards here.”

“Well, you said you’d pushed your True Song, so have at it,” said Gail, and she swung her arms out wide.

While Amdirlain’s voice wasn’t louder, the raw power within the first note surprised her. Gail’s jaw dropped, and her eyes widened, yet she clapped excitedly. Continuing to push, Amdirlain tried to split her voice as she’d done in the past with Multi-voice and found the hundreds of songs kept the same strength. Pushing through to their end, she resisted the temptation to extend their duration and still felt their strength drink from her health.

“Might want to close your mouth, Gail,” Ebusuku instructed.

“Mother, auntie’s been holding out on me,” protested Gail playfully. “Her True Song has gotten extremely loud. Not her voice, but the energy within each note makes me feel like I’m whispering.”

“It was like a giant choir singing. Were you using Multi-voice to layer the effect, not combine them?” asked Ebusuku.

“Gail’s been teaching the logistics, it seems,” noted Amdirlain.

“Was the power rating over 9000?” quipped Sarah.

Gail grinned at Sarah. “Well, she still needs to work on her resistance training.”

“Right, we need to find a high-gravity planet for her,” nodded Sarah.

“You pair make no sense,” muttered Ebusuku.

“They’re being goofy, talking about things from our previous world,” explained Amdirlain. “I’m completely the wrong person to talk to about dragon balls. Has Gaius decided one way or another?”

Sarah sighed lightly. “Not as yet. He allowed Gail to reverse his ageing, so there was no rush. Plus—and I should have predicted this—we’re still getting to know each other again. He’s lived a lifetime without me, and I’m very different now.”

“Is the injury you inflicted all forgiven?”

“I didn’t hit him as hard as I believed. When I disappeared, he figured out what I’d done and why, even before finding his copy of Hell’s contract had crumbled to dust. Other matters are why we’re still working on the relationship,” explained Sarah, and she waved at the harp. “Don’t you have other matters to tend to, or are you putting them off because of nerves?”

“Nerves indeed,” agreed Amdirlain.

Amdirlain built up the song slowly, but it still contained more energy than she’d expected. Before Amdirlain completed the first series of chords, the link with the bond reached the Abyss and quickly progressed onto the familiar Ternòx. However, when the image snapped into focus, there wasn’t a crystal tower in view. The manifested image was of a large rectangular chamber; shaped from an off-white, roughly pitted stone. Inside were naked writhing succubi ravaging each other on the floor or smashing each other against the chamber’s wall. With the scrying point buried amid the undulating bodies and flaring wings, seeing the entire room was impossible.

Amdirlain could see enough to tell the forty-odd identical succubi in mid-orgy weren’t going at it sedately. Fingers, fists, tongues, and tails all vigorously but soundlessly violated whatever suitable orifice was nearby. Their physical appearance was far too familiar to Amdirlain. The focal point of the scrying was above a pinned succubus with two hands thrust up inside her.

“Did you intend to scry on bored members of the Sisterhood?” asked Ebusuku, tilting her head as she tracked a plunging tail. “Lucky that tail isn’t coming out her mouth; must have followed her intestine’s curves.”

“There isn’t any blood, so I think that’s safe to assume,” observed Farhad, his hands covering Gail’s eyes.

Amdirlain released the song, and the image closed off. “No, spying on the Sisterhood wasn’t my intention at all. The bond led towards Ternòx without an issue, but ended up there.”

“At least we didn’t get sound effects, and now you know the Sisterhood’s members will be happy to get punched. I mean, with how deep a few fists were inside another sister,” drawled Sarah.

“I know what sex looks like, father; it’s not like I haven’t seen you two,” snorted Gail as she tapped the back of her father’s hands. Despite the scene's disappearance, he hadn’t lowered them.

“There is sex, and then there is unchained lust,” critiqued Farhad. “That wasn’t about their partners’ pleasure, only sating their twisted fits of hunger.”

“True, but you can at least do both,” remarked Ebusuku glibly.

“I think we’re done talking about the scene,” commented Amdirlain. “I’ll adjust the tracing composition and retry somewhere less open. With people still cleaning up, I’m glad Ebusuku’s privacy barrier had moved with her. I had just wanted an accurate visual for teleportation.”

“The walls weren’t typical of Ternòx stone; then again, it’s not stone,” remarked Ebusuku. “The town where you met your infernal half-breed was one location with a primordial bone being mined for its marrow. However, years ago, Erwarth reported the Sisterhood had been clamping down on trying to control it, and that isn’t the only town involved in such endeavours.”

“Qcppxtýpcd? The town with the awkward name that means rotting marrow?” asked Amdirlain. “I didn’t realise the tower in the pit was a bone.”

“Rotting marrow or diseased marrow, depending on the abyssal dialect you use, there are other translations. The tower is the top of a bone that extends down further,” clarified Ebusuku. “You’ve been there twice now. Would you need to return to scry it?”

“If I go there, Resonance will let me sweep wide around by just walking through town.”

Ebusuku nodded. “Will you be servicing half the town or slaughtering them? I don’t think your projection of calm will be enough, given the number of males I saw reacting to you this evening.”

“I could get behind a mass slaughter of demons,” huffed Amdirlain.

“Not sure that ripping someone apart counts as blow jobs,” quipped Sarah. “Besides a blow to their ego when you crotch shot and rip.”

“Or you could compose a new song that lets you hear the True Song at that location. Wouldn’t that let you determine if True Song crystal is nearby?” asked Ebusuku. “I know there are times you’ll need to take the risk. But with the Sisterhood present, let's not draw their attention until you’ve secured the tower.”

Amdirlain considered the options before she nodded. “I’ve been restraining myself for the last dozen-odd years. I’ll admit getting my hands messy had great appeal.”

Mentally composing a different song, Amdirlain tried again. When the image appeared, it was empty of Succubi; instead, within the chamber was a collection of indistinct shapes. Parts of hazy pillars extended through the ceiling along one edge, and scattered through the chamber were free-standing sets of full armour—some poised in mid-step. A set of crystal-scale armour hung in mid-air before the scrying point’s focus.

“It’s out of phase, pushed back several dimensional layers. The crystal, however, exists in about a dozen dimensions, so detecting for it gives us this,” explained Amdirlain, stabbing a finger towards the image floating between them.

“No sounds still,” noted Farhad.

Gail grinned. “No sounds you can hear, father. A distorted crystal resonance is present, and I can hear the planar location amidst some screeching; I'll let you guess from what.”

“Well, we’ve found them; time for us to delegate. Roher and the other composers can figure out what we’re dealing with. It’s hard to tell if the seals intentionally pushed the tower out of phase or if it's something applied over the intended protections,” stated Amdirlain. Tonnes of tension lifted from Amdirlain’s shoulders, and almost laughing, Amdirlain planted a kiss on Gail's forehead. “Darling child.”

“Auntie Am,” protested Gail to the others' laughter. “Child, really?”

“And thanks to you as well, Nandë. I appreciate you permitting the distortion of your purpose,” added Amdirlain.

“I take it that individual is now again deceased,” Nandë hissed, the notes’ tone sharper than previously.

“That’s correct. I plan to cleanse the Soul and give it a fresh start,” confirmed Amdirlain, wary of Nandë’s tone.

“Good. Though far more merciful than I expected from Orhêthurin,” noted Nandë, the abrupt disappearance of its sharpness surprising Amdirlain. “I felt his Soul's nature when I helped restore his life; obliterating it would be better than releasing that back into the realm.”

The judgement from the harp set Amdirlain aback. “I didn’t realise that hearing the souls was part of your abilities, Nandë.”

“So that I might better fit souls to the bodies they were being placed in, I grew aware of them. I didn’t need to mention it to anyone before now,” clarified Nandë, and the tempo of the notes lifted. “You said you were cleansing souls. Are you perhaps returning to your labours executing the Titan’s plan for new worlds?”

“I’ve so many challenges ahead of me I hadn’t considered what I would do once I get through them,” admitted Amdirlain. The thought of being the first to see a world’s dawn tickled her. That Nandë had a different take on her as the Titan’s executioner was very clear, and it wasn’t as the life taker the Lómë considered her.

“If you do, perhaps you might request the use of my capabilities? If it's not too forward for me to ask.” pleaded Nandë, the notes skittering quickly. “That is, once you re-learn how to play properly, unless Gailneth or another helps you.”

“I’ll see what I can do. For now, I’d best go speak to Roher and let him listen to what we’ve found,” stated Amdirlain.

Gail gave Amdirlain a grin of pure mischief. “We didn’t tell any of the Lómë that you were being set loose.”

“Then this should be fun. If someone could let me know when those coming back to speak to me show up,” laughed Amdirlain, and she shifted away.

The energy of the familiar staging location prickled over her uncomfortably, but the purification field at this point wasn’t enough to cause Amdirlain injury. No longer restricted by the Gate’s mail slot perspective, Amdirlain could now see further ledges leading up the cavern’s wall. A narrowing passage she’d never seen led further away from the settlement, its sides a series of irregular rock shelves. The border of the settlement was ninety metres away across broken rocky ground, marked by flawless pillars. Once cracked walls stood in perfect lines, humming in tune to the purification song echoing out from the central pillar.

Amdirlain kept the message simple. “Roher, I need some time if you can spare it.”

When Roher appeared ready to create a Gate, his jaw dropped. “How?”

His surprised stutter earned him a smile from Amdirlain. “Gail and her team recovered Oírë Coivië Nandë, and Sarah convinced the prince to give his permission. We found the royal tower.”

Roher spluttered for a minute, struggling to express himself coherently. When he recovered from his surprise, Roher gave Amdirlain a deep bow, momentarily causing his silver locks to obscure his face. “This is a great day.”

Returning his bow, Amdirlain frowned. “It’s good to come to you for a change. You were cutting it very fine with this location all this time.”

“As I mentioned when we first opened a Gate to you, it's not as bad as it seems. The perimeter is still another hundred metres out,” corrected Roher. “I’m glad Isa understated how much easier being directly in your presence is for resisting your allure. Though given you can now come to us to sing, the danger of being lured through the Gate is no longer a factor.”

“Yngvarr’s frequent visits helped, but some are still more susceptible,” cautioned Amdirlain. “Let me show you what I’ve discovered.”

Repeating the second song used for scrying, Amdirlain presented the image of the phantasmal walls to Roher.

“The side of the throne room and the Queen’s armour,” gasped Roher excitedly. “That’s the ground floor—a public location—so it makes sense you could still scry her there. There might be some protections against scrying, but I’m unsure if you needed to put such force into your song.”

“Would be embarrassing if I’d failed to show you the image,” quipped Amdirlain, not correcting his belief that the force was intentional. “Is this out-of-phase effect to be expected?”

“In theory, but no one amongst us had the full details of the royal tower’s protections,” answered Roher, and he focused on the music of the crystal in the image. “This will take some time and study. We don’t have songs designed for teleporting populated buildings that aren’t fully corporeal.”

“I’ll leave that in your care then,” confirmed Amdirlain. “I’m all set for the transformation site and plateaus, but how many of the banishment arrays are now prepared?”

“We’ll need to sacrifice a spire to cover the palace completely. You’ll want to banish the mortals in his palace and then trigger the linked songs almost on top of each other. Too much of a delay, and we’ve no chance to catch Moloch off guard. ”

Amdirlain nodded. “I’ll put some more songs in the series beneath his plateau. The series beneath the site’s compound is all set to go. Are the prison crystals ready?”

“They are, but are you sure they’re the right Fallen?”

“I’ve scried and listened to their songs. Neither of them should have been strong enough to have become a Fallen, so whatever Isa’s miracle unleashed to help Torm rescued them as well.”

“Laergul and the others prepared an extra spire to support the smaller crystals. What location did you want to use?”

“Nowhere here. I will create a location and embed the crystals outside the cells. It will cause them to deteriorate faster, but if need be, we can replace the crystals or repair the more critical ones in place,” explained Amdirlain. “I’m going to set up to shift the crystals away if anyone breaches the location. I want nothing to point back to True Song Crystal being used.”

“That makes a cautious amount of sense. I think Laergul, in part, suggested using a boundary location so he could study their situation more easily,” informed Roher, and he sent off a few messages.

“He’ll have to make do with scrying them,” Amdirlain stated, barely restraining her eye roll. “I’m sure it was only Laergul that wanted that outcome.”

Roher coughed and changed the subject with a reminder. “This is a more dangerous approach than stripping them of their celestial energies and reincarnating them.”

“It’s easier for a Mortal to make up for things, but if I left the corruption in place, they’d likely have no desire to heal their souls’ flaws. I can’t bring myself to steal everything from Torm,” explained Amdirlain. “This is more than a little ironic. I’m poisoning them and hoping it destroys the corruption while leaving them intact enough to care about redeeming themselves.”

Laergul appeared with a large stone tray, some three metres long and two wide, floating beside him. On either side of the tray, held in place by bracers, a four-metre-long spire blocked in the variety of crystals between them.

“You’re here?!” exclaimed Laergul, his spearmint eyes ablaze with stoked internal energies.

“Gail found the harp, and we’ve found the tower. Roher will brief you on the next challenge with it,” replied Amdirlain.

“Everything in the plan is on the tray,” stated Laergul eagerly, unfazed by there being more work. He distractedly blew a stray indigo lock from his face and waved towards the tray. “Shall we get started on the containment set-up?”

Amdirlain glided close and absorbed the lot into her Inventory before giving Laergul a shoulder pat. “Change of plans. My occupational health and safety representative has spoken.”

“What?”

“If the concealments don’t stay in place, Moloch could find them here. I’m not making the settlement a target. For the health and safety of the settlement, I’ll set the containment up outside the Abyss.”

“But…”

“You’ve got a dimensionally sealed building to study so we can teleport it. Roher has the details,” offered Amdirlain before she gave them a casual wave, and Planar Shift took her away.

A teleport after her arrival placed her at a familiar location in the Outlands. Sarah had told her the landscape had healed itself, but she hadn’t expected the valley to look and feel exactly like her original discovery. Teleporting again, she set herself at the cliff face that had once housed the crafter’s hall. Reaching far into the cliff, Amdirlain pulled a block of stone into Inventory, and set to work.