Chapter Eighty-five
Water Ashari
It was still dark when we woke up the next morning. I should have been used to it, but it still confused me at first. After breakfast, Marnalore came to our dwelling, letting us know the council was ready to see us.
She led us past the statues, the heavily guarded building, then into a more open area. The dwellings in the area were more finely crafted. We were led into a room to meet with the council. Five larger stone seats lined the back of the room, the members of the council seated at a table.
First on the left was a silver dragonborn. I was interested to realize that I didn't react the same way inside as I had when I saw the other dragonborn— tensing up and preparing to fight. Could it be that because of the coloring—similar to Bahamut's—I was more trusting?
Also making me more inclined to be at ease with this dragonborn, he had the symbol of the Platinum Dragon on his armor— one on the corner of his chest piece, and one on a pauldron. He had a battleaxe next to his chair.
Next to him was a female drow. She wore robes of gold and green that looked like they were a bit older. To my relief, she bore no resemblance to Sephra, though she looked oddly familiar. A finely crafted staff rested in the rock next to her. The end curled and held a stone or crystal. Her robes covered her hands, running down to her feet.
A male half-elf sat next to her, wearing wizards robes. A female human sat next to him. She wore a tunic with the symbol of the Stormlord, another friendly deity. The last person was a male tiefling. His skin was bright white, as were his horns, though his eyes were pure black. His hair was white and followed his horns— slicked back and down his head. His clothing was made of white and silvers, making his dark eyes stand out even more. He wore a saber at his side.
Marnalore gave a low bow to the five seated, who all gave a nod in return. She then turned slightly towards us. "These are the members of the Vox Imperium, which you have been given notice of, and they are here to speak with you. We would be glad that you would hear their words and help them in any way that we can."
She bowed before exiting the room. I'd seen respect given to the other headmasters, but this seemed a little over the top. Suddenly, I felt more out of my element than I already had been.
Melima stepped forward, giving a low curtsy. "Good morning. I am High Elven Princess Melima Moonfeather, sent here by my father to retrieve a rare and precious artifact. We are looking for the Astral Stones, and in particular, the Water Stone. Do you have any information about its whereabouts or what journey may be required to obtain it?"
The drow stood, taller than I expected. She had an extremely regal aire. "I am Aleena Harridon. I am the highest member of the Elders, and we welcome you to our city. We understand and have been given word by those who have sent messages before that you are in need of these things. We are aware of this, and we do know where the Astral Stone of the Water is. It is something that has been guarded and safeguarded for generations here. It is not something we would give up lightly."
The dragonborn sat a little straighter in his seat and gave a curt nod. Aleena continued, "though if you are true to what you say you are— or what has been told to us that you are planning on doing with the Stone— we would expect that you complete a task for us that has been of danger to us and our people so that you may prove your worthiness and trustworthiness. We have welcomed you into our city openly, without much reason for us trusting you to begin with. We have put a lot of trust in you to begin with.
"I have been one of the ruling council for many, many years. The city itself is protected, and we also protect the portal to the Elemental Plane of Water, as you may know. Part of this— in order to keep our city hidden and in order to keep our protections in place and the city itself alive—with the magic in place to keep us protected from the deep—we require that on an occasion magical objects are procured from the Elemental Plane. Magical stones. They're referred to as lodestones. And we require every two years to gather a number of them and return so that they may help us retain the magics that are set within the city. And if you would like more information, I will defer to our brother."
Lodestones. I'd only ever read mention of them once, in reference to a leviathan creature of the deep. On occasion—after feasting on certain types of creatures—they would excrete lodestones, which had magical properties. Nothing about them sounded pleasant. They were only found around the place where the leviathan—a kraken—had its lair. No wonder it was dangerous.
Aleena turned to the dragonborn, who stood. "I am Zilidath, and I will not pronounce my last name because it is too long to pronounce here. But just know me as Zilidath. Most people call me 'Zil.'"
His voice was deep and gravelly— deeper even than Bahamut's. He continued, "if you truly wish to help us and to have the Stone, you will need to retrieve these lodestones from the Elemental Plane of Water. What you must do— the lodestones— If you dare to venture into the Elemental Plane of Water and wish to retrieve— For this time we need three lodestones retrieved and brought back. It is dangerous. The last three attempts have gone awry and we have lost ten of our warriors going to retrieve them. They have not come back and we presume them dead. So, if you wish to do this, then we can discuss further the use of the Astral Stone for you and for your group. Do you wish to undertake this task?"
"I don't think we have any other choice," Melima said. "If that is your requirement, it shall be done. Can you give us any kind of proof that you actually have it?"
"We have it in a safe place," Zilidath said. I couldn't read him, I wasn't familiar with dragonborn at all. Was he playing us? He seemed to be telling the truth.
"So, is this something that you, Vox Imperium, are willing to take on?"
"If that is what you require," I said, "then yes."
"It will require the utmost stealth and the utmost... creativity at times."
"It sounds like you know what this experience is going to be like," Melima said. "In order to help us, can you please tell us everything you know?"
"Well, since you are going to venture in... When you enter the Elemental Plane of Water, it goes to the very depths of the Elemental Plane. There is a bottom to it, and the kraken does not live far from it. Once you are in there, the crushing depths will not let you stay long. Those of you, if you do have any ability to resist the cold—because it is extremely cold—would do well to have that.
"Also for you, if there is any ability for you to travel more quietly, it is advantageous to take that on. Also, more advantageous to not carry any source of light unless necessary. The kraken is very sensitive to movement, to changes in temperature, and just to everything in general. I have made in my years, I have made this attempt just once, and was able to retrieve a single lodestone.
"We don't know exactly where they are, which is why it is so dangerous. They are just there wherever the creature has dropped them. So, they may be near, they may be far, we do not know. But it is of higher priority that you use stealth and not to engage with it. Most who engage with it end up eaten. It has an exceedingly long reach and can swallow many at a time if it desires."
"This sounds like the type of adventure that we will need substantial collateral for," Melima said. "Would you be willing to front five-thousand gold in order for us to complete this task as well?"
"Well, if there is something you are in need of or desire, we can try to procure it from our local vendors. But we are limited as far as cash on hand. Most of what we do, and most of what the members of our city do is in trade for other services. So, if there is something you would like, or we could provide some additional possible protections for you for your venture into the Elemental Plane of Water."
"That would be nice. Ways to withstand the cold and pressure I think is going to be vital to our team in order for us to be successful. We currently only have one potion of cold resistance."
"Is traveling under a silence spell a bad idea, to hear things coming?" I asked. "I'm totally unfamiliar with underwater travel, is that going to put us under a severe disadvantage for telling that something is coming up on us? Or would traveling under silence be beneficial?"
Zilidath looked at the half-elf and gave him a nod. The half-elf spoke, but didn't stand. "I am Edwin Elric. I am one of the standing members and one of the magic users in the group. I would recommend—though it would be beneficial for the stealth of your mission—being able to hear what is going on around you— it would be more beneficial. The kraken itself is not silent in and of itself because it is a massive creature. It does displace some sound and you will be able to hear it as it's approaching. It will sound... It sounds like a low undulation through the water. A large water displacement, if you will."
"So, how would you recommend staying silent in the water?" Melima asked.
Edwin looked at all of us, then pointed at Ari'yasa. "If that item is what I believe that she carries with her, then that will be of most use to you."
Of course, her cloaking spell. It wasn't complete silence, but it would mute most of our sound. Edwin continued, "It would also be beneficial for those of you in this undertaking, any items that you do not essentially need, to be left behind. They will slow you down, weigh you down, and not be of benefit to you."
He turned to Jörgen. "If you carry a spellbook, which I assume you do, being of an arcane nature, I suggest that unless you have a magical protection on the book itself, leave your spellbook behind. The crushing depths and the salinity of the water would ruin your spellbook."
"With the crushing pressure," I said, "it was mentioned that we only have a limited amount of time. How long do we have, to stay down there?"
"Most of our parties can usually only stay for about ten minutes at a time before detrimental effects will happen. You will feel it immediately. Though we are under here several hundred fathoms below the depths, the Elemental Plane of Water is almost infinitely deep and the crushing water will test your bodies and test your resolve in this. The crushing depths and the cold will be one of your greatest hindrances."
"Hmm," Melima said. "Well, you got any more spells to help us? Remember that five-thousand we talked about? Like, a resistance spell you can give us?"
Zilidath sat down, but Aleena remained standing and spoke again. "If you are in need, and do not have them yourself, we can provide one of our potions of resistance to each of you as you enter the Elemental Plane. We can have them ready for you as you enter. They will help you with the cold, though we have yet to find something that can protect us from the crushing deep. That is just something that you will need to endure."
She reached for her staff, showing the tips of her fingers from under her robes as she held it. She wore a white glove, which seemed a little unusual, but maybe it was just part of their culture. None of the others wore gloves though.
"Well, thank you," Melima said. "Thank you, thank you. I believe that will definitely benefit us in this process."
"You said to leave anything we don't need behind," I said. "Are weapons recommended?"
Zilidath spoke again. "The weapons that you need... Keep them to protect you, yes. But just know that the normal weapons of the land are not as effective underwater. So, just be aware of that. Hopefully—if all goes well—you will not need them."
"I have a spell that can help us find objects," Jörgen said, "I just need to become somewhat familiar with one to use it. Would that be possible?"
"Yes, we can show you one as you enter the Water Elemental Plane. One of the lodestones that we currently use is in the temple of the portal and you can see one there. That is the closest one. There are a few others throughout the city but they are under protection and are hidden mostly from the general public of the city. Though we do trust the members of the city—because they are essential to the continuing of the city—most people do not ask about them or have a concern with them."
"Do we need to get all three of them in one go?" I asked. "Or can we grab one and come back, grab one and come back, grab one and come back?"
Aleena answered, "it would probably be better if you did it all in one go, as the continued interruption into the Plane may awaken—if the kraken happens to be asleep—may waken it, or disturb it multiple times. Because the portal in and of itself creates a wake to make space for you. So there is some disturbance as you enter. We try to make it as small as possible, but it already creates that to begin with, so you will want to go quickly, quietly, and locate them as quickly as possible. And it appears—with the party that you have—most of you are able to see in the dark, and that will be to your advantage."
"Yes. What types of things should we be aware of if we do have to be there for more than ten minutes?"
Zilidath answered this question. "If you are there for more than ten minutes, you will want to as quickly as possible make your way back to the portal, as the bodies of most species are not adept to that depth. You will recognize it immediately as you are there, that this is not a hospitable place. So, if you are there for more than that time, and depending on how, shall we say, durable your physical forms are, the time may be less. When we send those who go in, we send our strongest to go retrieve it. Not necessarily our fastest, but our strongest to go retrieve it. Because if there is any interaction with the beast itself, it can go bad very quickly."
There was an uncomfortable silence. The more I learned about the conditions, the more difficult the task seemed. Almost impossible. They struggled to get one of these stones, and now they wanted us to get three for them?
Aleena finally broke the silence again. "So, unless there is anything else, I ask that you prepare yourselves with whatever means you need, and we will procure the potions as requested. When you are ready, please come to the entrance of the Temple, and Zilidath will meet you at the entrance and give you further instructions."
I nodded. "Thank you, very much."
"You are welcome."
"Thank you," Melima said "We will accomplish this task with much grace and longevity and commitment to the greater good."
"For your safety, we sincerely hope so as well."