Chapter 17: Saviours and Assassins
Aerie had never expected to be in a situation like this. Adventure, yes. But that meant long walks through the plains and forests of Toril, a few caverns and castles perhaps…but not an ancient wizard's spherical complex, caught far from the Prime Material Plane. The others were trying not to think about it but she could see that their calm was fraying. Elatharia and Edwin had obviously been arguing, probably about the Transmuter's earlier response to the devils they had seen. For her part, the avariel could sympathise; travelling the Planes sounded so idealistic when Haer'Dalis talked about it but from what she had seen so far, of the Hells and the trapped, crazed halflings, there was little but fear and madness to be found in such a venture.
Lavok's absence from their experience in this place thus far seemed suspicious to her. She had not said anything, for fear of causing more worry than the others already felt, but…she would have expected more of a defensive response from a wizard whose enclave had been infiltrated by a group of adventurers, especially since one of that group was a relative of his. If he had been cursing his own family for centuries, why did he seem to be making no effort to kill Valygar?
The Knights of Solamnia agreed after some significant effort on Haer'Dalis's part to help them in the coming fight – and when Jan opened the next door, the largest of those in the octagonal room, Aerie for one was certainly glad that the tiefling had thought to enlist them. While she, Jan and Edwin were taken up with dispelling the various wards they found in the tunnels ahead, the sound of pounding feet could be heard. After such an audible approach it had been no surprise to the group when two huge clay golems burst through into the cool white stillness of the rounded corridor. The leader of the Knights braced herself behind her tower shield and actually managed to stagger one of the constructs, clay flaking in a shower around her as she dented its cumbersome body. A flurry of dodges and weighty hits from Aerie's companions had followed, Viconia aided by a Strength spell upon her own request – and all of them under the effects of Haste.
Jan proved the most helpful to the group in finding and disarming the traps and wards in the corridor and stairway ahead. But Edwin's knowledge of the likelihoods of a wizard's living space had proved correct; the way to Lavok's central chamber in the upper level of the Sphere was littered with wards and traps but little else. They had already faced their greatest military threat in the trapped halflings earlier in the day – and Aerie was beginning to wonder if they had ever been intended captives of the place or not.
At the top of the broad spiral staircase beyond the first tunnel, just past the alcoves in which had hidden the golems, the door stood open. It was plain wood, swung welcomingly wide. Though its arched stone frame was covered in spiralling wards, none of them glowed with the light that might suggest that they were active.
"Oh, do come in, Descendant! Bring your flock of chicks into my sinister domain!" a rough voice called in a tone that sounded more weary than hateful.
Aerie shared a nervous look with Elatharia, who in turn passed this expression on to Viconia and Edwin. Jan just raised his eyebrows and looked up to Valygar. The Knights, gathered behind them, braced themselves for battle and gave Haer'Dalis a series of determined nods. Korgan just grinned and braced his axe in readiness.
"Do all planewalkers prefer naming those around them for birds? (How mad is our tiefling leech, really?)" Edwin wondered, eyeing Haer'Dalis in a manner that Aerie found rather distasteful.
"Most cutters – and berks, for that matter – are happier with my ornithomorphisations," the tiefling put in, momentarily staggering the Red Wizard with his verbosity. And probably also his obscure Sigil slang.
"That is hardly a valid word, degenerate!" Edwin spluttered at last, only to be shushed to silence by several members of the group. Aerie could not believe he had the nerve to glare back at such sensible recommendations for silence.
"That greeting did sound a little strange," Jan commented into the momentarily ringing silence, still looking up at Valygar.
When the ranger moved forward without a word, his grip upon the handle of his sword so tight that his hand was shaking, the others followed with some unwillingness through the open doorway. Beyond, they found a tall cylindrical room topped with a vast crystal dome and through it could be seen an endless cluster of green, black-limned clouds across which flickered distant lightning storms far above whatever ground the Planar Sphere currently rested on, casting flickering green and blue patterns upon the black marble floor. Aerie had to will her breathing to steady as she looked back to the room ahead, fearing who or what she might see there.
At a first glance this place looked like a wizard's dream home. Its curved walls were lined to the beginning of the dome with books, the higher bookcases accessible by a circular walkway. A raised alcove in amongst this vast collection of knowledge held a bed and other pieces of furniture which suggested a place for resting. Before its graven white steps was a long, curved table…and in front of this stood a creature which had surely once been a man.
Withered and a little stooped, his flesh hung from his bones; sagging, ragged and rotten, greenish, greyish and wretched. His eyes were too pale and seemed to roll wildly in their almost-bare sockets when the lich looked to each of the group who formed up across the room from him. His lips were cracked inches deep, and they cracked audibly a little more when he tried to smile, gesturing in a mock-greeting accompanied by the groaning of old bones. His black-nailed feet were bare but otherwise he was dressed in the sweeping, gold-and-white robes of a wizard who had once been very vain in his great power, even stained and torn as they now were. A black gem pulsed with occasional green light at his throat. With each flash of the gem, his hands twitched just a little…and that detail set Aerie's mind racing. She had no time to consult anyone now, but…
"It is so strange and heart-warming to be paid this visit, young Corthala," Lavok rasped, his unblinking stare settling confidently upon Valygar, "It was only a matter of time before someone of my ancestry would come. The last of the line, you and I, I suppose. I wish I could offer you some tea." Another pulse of the necklace's light; another pained twitch. Aerie's heart was racing at the thought of what she might know.
"Enough of this mockery," Valygar growled, his back to Aerie and his expression thus invisible, "I will have my vengeance upon you for what you did to my mother, murderer."
Behind her, Aerie heard the tell-tale sparking sound as Elatharia's Fireshield went up.
"Murderer is it?" another twitch, and what might have been a pained smile, "If only you knew the half of it, fool."
Valygar wasted no more time on conversation and with a snarl he ran for the lich, Korgan charging after him. Haer'Dalis gave a hearty laugh and followed without fear; in his wake came the Knights of Solamnia with foreign war cries. Aerie started to back up to join Edwin and Elatharia – both of whom had already begun casting. Then in a blink, several spells fell upon the group all at once; the lich disappeared momentarily before reappearing duplicated five times, and with his reappearance three of the five Knights screamed and tore off in opposite directions, attempting to cower behind the bookcases. Next, a fireball erupted behind the avariel and with a shriek she barely leapt out of the way in time, feeling the hot ripple of the air as she staggered out of the way with Jan. Edwin and Elatharia, who were both heavily protected against fire, continued casting. Viconia was patting out a few flames on her cloak hurriedly before spreading her arms and trying to call upon Shar's power.
"Time stop," Jan muttered merrily at Aerie's elbow, "Better get casting, Wingless, before he gets us like he got them," he nodded towards the screaming Knights.
Haer'Dalis, Korgan and Valygar had been sensibly protected by Viconia against such a spell as Fear and were attempting to fight their way past the lich's defences without being blown apart. Beside Aerie, Jan had started casting; nearby, Edwin's first Abjuration soared into the area of Lavok's duplicates, forcing three to fizzle out.
The avariel did not have the heart to complain about the nickname the gnome had just bestowed upon her in that particular moment, and instead reached for the power of the Weave. First, however, she saw Jan's Abjuration reveal Lavok's true whereabouts…and the lich's wild green gaze. Those eyes had not held that glow moments before, that bright colour that matched his rapidly pulsing necklace. In that moment the avariel had no doubt. She knew what she had to do. It was just a matter of when.
Her first Abjuration and Edwin's next crackled into Lavok's newly revealed form at the same time; it staggered him, but he still managed to dodge Haer'Dalis's two deft swings, stumble out of range of Valygar's angry chop…and finish his spell. The lich started cackling madly when a wall of flame roared into being between him and his attackers, giving him time to Dimension Door to the opposite end of the room…much closer to Edwin and Elatharia, both of whom lost hold of their spells when their target disappeared. Not so for Viconia, however, whose spell ended at the precise moment that Lavok arrived nearby…it seethed from her in a tide of darkness and slithered across the floor to her evident glee, seeking out its momentarily disorientated target and creeping up his emaciated body before he could start to recast his spell protections. The effect was instantaneous, and Lavok swayed, visibly slumping…and then Elatharia's next spell crashed into him, crackling over his weakened limbs and oozing into him, forcing him to slump even more. The lich, who ought not to have been affected by anything like illness, began to shake.
Valygar, Korgan and Haer'Dalis were regaining their balance to dart back across the room to make short work of the lich, the Knights of Solamnia gathering their composure and starting to think about joining in, as Jan finished another spell. It created an eerily transparent black doorway in front of him…and he stepped through quite happily.
The gnome disappeared, and as Aerie watched in dismay, stumbling forward to try to intercept the fighters before they did something they would regret – but that only she seemed to have understood – Jan appeared again in front of Lavok with his crossbow raised to the lich's chest. The ancient wizard looked at him all but blankly, the green light still pulsing in his eyes, and tried in vain to push the weapon aside. The gnome just shrugged, gave a smile, and pressed the trigger. One of his own projectiles exploded against Lavok, forcing him to slump back against the wall; it seemed to do little damage but it soon became clear that its enchantment had paralysed the lich.
"You will die now for what you did, monster!" Valygar roared…and Aerie saw her moment.
Giving a wordless shriek and startling them all, the avariel ran between the ranger and the lich, calling upon Baervan's power the whole way with prayers as heartfelt as she had ever given. She was not aware of the confused stillness that descended upon the room, of Haer'Dalis holding Valygar back just in time before the ranger could seek to angrily push her aside. She just closed her eyes and fell into the power of her spell.
Elatharia hated fighting other wizards. She had never faced a lich before, and after the show that Lavok put up she was worried to ever meet one that was truly powerful. Dragons were a little less odious to fight…but not by much. It was something to do with being a Transmuter, forced to rely upon the spells of other wizards to break through the protections of her foe. Just one more incentive to finally learn how to cast a precious spell like Ruby Ray of Reversal.
It had been quite pathetic, in her opinion, how easily the Knights had succumbed to the lich's magic. It had fallen to her companions, and to her, to immobilise Lavok. What she had not expected was to see Aerie rushing between Valygar and his prey, turning to the lich and beginning to cast. The ranger fought against the tiefling's hold with all of his fury and strength, but Haer'Dalis did not release him – apparently understanding what Valygar could not. Viconia watched with confusion for a few moments before her expression cleared in surprised understanding.
"What is she doing?" the leader of the Knights inquired to no one in particular, but Jan of all people gestured for silence as the avariel's hands began to take on a bright white radiance.
"Do you trust the fool not to blow this place up?" Edwin hissed in Elatharia's ear, and she almost laughed aloud to look around at him and see the nervous distrust on his face. Trusting Aerie's clerical powers but also enjoying the Red Wizard's poorly disguised fear, she just gave a shrug.
At last Aerie reached out and touched Lavok…who jolted abruptly, eyes rolling in their bare sockets and flaring an even brighter green before the colour in them faded and they returned to the inhuman paleness that they had held when the group entered his library. Elatharia began to understand then, seeing the strange green and black necklace spark, hiss and drop to the floor with a clatter. With its loss, the lich crumpled with a groan…and his form blurred and shifted just a little. Away went the rot from his sagging skin, the stretches of bare skull upon his bald head…and he blinked with eyelids which he had not possessed before.
"I thank you," he rasped, his voice weaker and unhealthier than it had been previously, "Many centuries have I endured that curse."
"Wh-what is this?" Valygar demanded, pulling himself free from Haer'Dalis's grip when Aerie backed up from Lavok with a relieved smile.
"What's it matter?" Korgan asked irritably, leaning on his axe and watching the group as if they were stupid, "Just kill 'im and be done wi' it!"
"It was the necklace," Viconia explained when no else seemed to know how, "It was cursed, jaluk."
"That would explain why he fought like such a defenceless child," Edwin noted, "(For a moment or two I could have believed that lichdom is not so glorious a pursuit as I had previously thought)."
Valygar cast a glare from the drow to the Thayvian before turning back to Lavok and levelling the tip of his sword to the rasping old man's slumped form.
"You. I want you to explain why I should not kill you now for what you have done to my family…and all of my ancestors."
"I will not give that to you, descendant," Lavok denied, "Though I can explain, I will not be exempt from what has befallen. I…" he coughed weakly, "I have little time left, I think. The elf who speaks as a drow has told you truly – the necklace was cursed. Long ago, when I had newly made this Sphere, I sought the trinket's power – believing that it would give me immortality without turning me into a lich, for I had ever feared the prospect of undeath. Once I had it, however, it turned me into the creature you fought; made with hatred and rage, ghastly to look upon…but also weak, and changeable. It was that monster, whose strength of will was far greater than my own, that destroyed your family, young Corthala. In my moments of clarity I did not seek to remove the necklace, however," another, worse cough, "I sought to weaken it, overcome it…and failed every time.
"Had I been a kinder, wiser man I would have escaped this Sphere and allowed myself to die in Athkatla at the hands of the Cowled Wizards. That had been my intention when I forced the Sphere to crash in that city, but the curse received the challenge you had sent out…I lured you here. I will not ask for forgiveness – that I do not deserve – but I must say that I am sorry. At least I had enough lucidity to make the way easy for you, hoping at last my salvation had come, though I could not permit all of your friends inside. The creature who held me in its cursed grip had enough self-preservation to stop me, just as it locked you inside and sent us careering back to its place of creation, Minauros."
Valygar's sword lowered and he looked away sharply, as if seeking to hide the tears that had filled his eyes unbidden. He said nothing until he had mastered himself and his voice did not shake.
"You are correct that I cannot give you forgiveness, but I…I think that I understand, at least," the ranger glanced at Elatharia, "I do not think that your story has lessened my belief that the pursuit of power is a terrible cause. But I have also seen today that those who practice magic can be kind, as well." He nodded to Aerie, who smiled back through her typically empathic tears.
"Then that is something for which I am glad," Lavok managed to nod, attempting to shift his frail form into a better sitting position against the wall, "I have little time left. The power that has kept me alive is fading, and with me will go the understanding to relocate this Sphere. I will bring you back to Athkatla…and then I would ask that you allow me to see the sky of my homeland ere I die."
"I…" Valygar stopped himself and thought for a moment before nodding, "Alright. I can give that much to you."
"Thank you," the former-lich's eyes moved over the Knights of Solamnia, who had been about to speak, "And I will have my golems, now able to travel through the Sphere as they are…I will have them open one of the portals, by which you may return home," he looked to Elatharia and Edwin then, both of whom shifted uncomfortably under the old man's stare. The Transmuter did not expect to hear his amused tone, "I will have them clean up after the mess you made of the halflings, as well. I have a feeling that wizards such as you are going to like this place when I am gone."
"You are trying to tell me that none of you knew that unauthorised magic would be triggered when your ally – a fugitive of the Cowled Wizards – opened that doorway?" Rayic Gethras had never been a patient man, and now he was angry to boot.
"That is exactly what I have told the others," the hard-faced druid nodded stiffly, her peculiar accent grating against the Cowled Wizard's nerves.
"We do not have enough evidence to arrest them, sir," one of the other Cowls told Rayic, as if he did not already know.
None of this strange band seemed capable of casting arcane spells. It consisted of a druid – who had just taken over the Grove near Trademeet, apparently – and a member of the Radiant Heart gleaming in his tell-tale armour, as well as a halfling paladin and a half-witted Rashemi who towered bemusedly over the others. Not really the type of group he would have expected to be meddling wit hteh Planar Sphere, which surely held such a vast store of purely arcane wealth and knowledge. There was only one answer to that problem. They had wizarding friends inside.
They had been ordered down from the scaffold when the Planar Sphere vanished, bearing off their companions, and a tense discussion had begun between them and those Cowled Wizards who had arrived to deal with the Charm spell activated when Valygar Corthala opened the Sphere's door. And all of it had been conducted here, in the streets of the Slums just paces from the putrid stink that had been at least half-contained by the Planar Sphere's presence…and which lingered even after the city guards had been ordered to clean up the wretched mess at long last.
Rayic had only arrived once the Sphere reappeared, and he had done so several hours later than he would have hoped. There were other duties which ought to have taken priority; his underlings had been under strict instructions to get inside that Sphere. And they had failed. No wonder he was in a bad mood.
"None of our companions have broken the law here," Anomen Delryn, newly disgraced from his noble home from what Rayic had heard, was just arguing with the grey-cowled wizards arrayed before him, "'Twas the Sphere which…charmed Valygar."
"Are you trying to imply that you do not travel with unlicenced wizards, Delryn?" Rayic demanded, and could barely contain his smirk when the boy's face twitched guiltily.
"None of our group has broken the law here," Jaheira interrupted before the cleric could fall into the trap, "And that is what matters to you, is it not?" She drew herself up, fixing steely grey eyes upon Rayic, but the wizard just smiled condescendingly at her.
"Of course, lady druid," he pretended to simper, and was distracted from her deep frown when a grinding sound emanated from the Sphere, "Ah, it looks like we can at last deal with your friends."
The door swung open slowly, and out onto it clambered the leather-armoured figure of Valygar Corthala…carrying in his arms what looked at first to be nothing more than a bundle of robes. After him filed a thin young woman with untidy blonde-streaked hair. A black mask covered her face from brow to cheekbones, and she was clad in a long grey cloak…beneath which she wore a robe which looked rather arcane to Rayic.
As he rushed to be first to the top of the scaffold, Jaheira and Anomen following at his heels, Rayic could hear other voices from above. Ignoring the cleric's protests and the druid's complaints, he made it to the platform at the top and saw Valygar just lowering the ancient, frail form of a man to the ground – more robes than living thing, really, but it took little power of the mind to understand this thing must have been the owner of the Sphere.
By Valygar's side there now stood a small elvish woman, all blonde hair and large, tear-filled blue eyes. Her tunic-and-leggings, and her leather jerkin, suggested that she was not a wizard. Behind them lingered that masked girl, and with her another elf – this one was armoured in enviable black dragon scale and mithral, swathed in a striking yellow cloak. Not a wizard then – a shame, because she was altogether rather beautiful and Rayic's peers at New Spellhold would have been very pleased to have her as one of their first inmates. Beside her was a tall…man...whose blue hair and pitch black eyes suggested that he was not quite human, really. Armed with two ornate short swords it seemed unlikely that he knew much of the arcane.
As those who had just emerged from the Sphere began to bristle at the sight of Rayic coming to meet them, dressed as he was in the grey robes of the Cowled Wizards, his eyes skimmed over the grimy dwarf who was just grunting his way through the door and the crossbow-wearing gnome following.
"Get out of the way, gnome," a man's voice was complaining as the doorway cleared. Now that accent was interesting, "How long must you make me wait to see real land again, fool?"
At this point, Rayic arrived in front of the emerging group and, trying not to peer too hopefully through the open doorway as the final, most irritable member of that group made his appearance, he made his opening speech.
"We have had reports of unlawful spellcasting, and the illegal usage of this Planar Sphere," he told them, to a barrage of hateful and weary glares, "My name is Rayic Gethras, Enforcing Officer of this Cowled Wizard Threat Prevention Team. Unless you can prove your innocence, all those among you who are arcane spellcasters must come with us."
"I, for one, have a licence," the man stepping through the door informed Rayic imperiously.
Ah yes, that accent was definitely Thayvian. He was tall and slender enough too, his skin a few shades too naturally tanned to be a native of this place, with the high cheekbones and sharp features of his people. His hair and beard might have put enough doubt in Rayic, since few Mulan deigned to even accept that they could grow such things…but he had heard the Thayvian speak, and that was enough.
"None of us – other than the legal one – are wizards here," the masked woman – not much more than a girl really form the looks of her – added shamelessly, "She's a priestess of Baervan," she pointed at the blonde elf, who blanched and then refused to meet Rayic's eyes, "And she's a priestess of Shar," she gestured over her shoulder at the moon elf behind her, "He's a ranger, he's a…dwarf," she pointed at each in turn.
"Never have met a dwarven wizard," the dwarf agreed when she shrugged at him. It looked like they were sharing some kind of humour.
"Then you have not met many dwarves, fool," added the beautiful elf, the one who had been labelled a priestess of Shar. Rayic had never heard a moon elf speak with such an accent but he let it pass. He could already see that she did not practice the arcane.
"He likes…shooting things with a crossbow, among other pursuits," she nodded to the gnome, who cracked the hint of a smile there when the masked woman continued shamelessly, "And me? I'm definitely not a Transmuter."
Oh, she was mocking him. The blue-haired man failed to hide a smile. The dwarf and the gnome snorted at her brazenness. The Thayvian turned to her with a warning glare. And Rayic was not amused.
"It was my spell," the old man rasped from where Valygar had settled him upon the ground; Rayic jumped at the sound of the voice. He had assumed the bundle of robes was dead, "And I have disabled the Sphere's planar travelling capabilities. With…my…death little of its power will linger, and there will be nothing for you and your Cowls in there."
"I must protest at that, old man," Rayic denied, eyeing the Thayvian carefully rather than look at the dying thing in front of him, "My men will inspect the Sphere to ensure that what you say is true. You are lucky that you are already dying, else you would be on your way to New Spellhold by now."
That comment sent a ripple of unease amongst the group, and Rayic could not help but smile. The woman who had rather unwisely implied she was a Transmuter backed up a step and he noticed that the Thayvian's hand closed around her wrist reflexively. From the look he gave her he obviously meant it to be a gesture of reproach – but Rayic suspected it meant something else. A shame he had little interest or time for emotions beyond fear and anger, because that kind of thing might have been helpful to his intentions. Especially if that Thayvian with the 'licence' was the Edwin Odesseiron that he had been told to look out for.
When the other Cowled Wizards finally jostled their way to the centre of the platform, Rayic waved them inside, opting to wait outside himself – at the foot of the scaffolding, well away from the influence of the Sphere. Less than an hour ago that thing had reappeared after a six hour planar jaunt. He had no intention of getting caught up in something like that, no matter how much its dying owner suggested that it was no longer functional. No, he would wait here until the old man was thoroughly dead, and then he would watch. He may not be patient, but he was no fool. There would be a better time to kill Edwin Odesseiron.
The Cowled Wizards had left eventually, even that cold-eyed leader of theirs whose piercing gaze had searched Elatharia and each of the others a little too perceptively. It seemed that they really had not found anything of serious worth in that place, especially since Lavok had shown them how to turn a few wheels and send the library out of alignment with its doorway. They would never have even known where to begin to put that right, so all of the amassed knowledge of Lavok's – admittedly insane – centuries had been preserved for the wizards of her group. Elatharia had rarely been grateful to anyone, but she had been to Lavok, and when he breathed his last there had been perhaps the faintest stirring of sadness in her heart. More interestingly, however, his last breath had sent with it the last hint of his immortality curse…and he had crumbled into dust before their eyes.
Aerie had cried openly, rushing reflexively into Jaheira's rather unwilling arms. The druid did at least attempt to hug her in return, patting uncomfortably at her back until she could extract the avariel and pass her on to the rather more willing embrace of Anomen.
"We are happy to see you return! Boo promised to me that you would be well!" Minsc greeted once the Cowled Wizards had left and Elatharia could breathe a sigh of relief. Perhaps they had taken her rather unwise admission of her trade as too foolish to be true. She almost felt embarrassed.
"Better than well," she promised, suddenly feeling excited at the prospect of all those books, "We have a whole library to read through."
The Rashemi ranger did not know what to do with information like that, so he just nodded and smiled. Meanwhile, Jaheira approached Valygar and clasped his arm, meeting his eyes with an understanding look of her own.
"I…must have some time to think on all that has passed today," the ranger admitted gruffly to the druid, and she nodded, "I would…like to help find that daughter that you have lost, but I must go for now." No one corrected his mistake, and the comment seemed to bring a few tears to Jaheira's eyes though she would never admit it.
"We will come and find you in Waukeen's Promenade when the Shadow Thieves finally permit us a means of finding Imoen," Jaheira agreed, stepping aside to let him pass and looking anywhere but at Elatharia. It crossed the Transmuter's mind that maybe the druid had described Imoen as her daughter when first speaking to Valygar. Elatharia preferred not to think on that too much and looked to the others instead.
"Well, you must tell us of all that passed today!" Mazzy insisted, pushing her way past Minsc to look upon those who had just emerged from the Planar Sphere.
"That is a dramatic tale that I will gladly recite, my tiny Hawk," Haer'Dalis agreed, smiling unaffectedly when the halfling gave him an unamused look for the name he gave her, "Come, let us away and I shall tell all!"
"Well, if that's goin' to happen I'd rather be gettin' drunk at the same time," Korgan put in, starting to stomp past them and down the stairs not far after Valygar, "Someone tell me whether yer bound fer the Copper Coronet or the Five Flagons…and I'll be sure to pick the other! Ha!"
"We will follow where you lead, my War Dog!" Haer'Dalis called jovially after the dwarf as Mazzy and Minsc moved to follow Korgan. Jaheira hesitated a moment more before doing the same.
"I believe we should return to Gaelan Bayle's home," Anomen disagreed, looking down at the top of Aerie's head where the avariel was hiding her face against his breastplate. He seemed more than a little pleased to have a damsel to care for. Haer'Dalis looked less amused by this than Elatharia would have expected.
"I'd like to stay here and look through the mechanisms," Jan added cheerfully, blinking up at Elatharia for a few moments before realising that he could not see her because he had left his goggles on, "Oh, there you are."
"Just keep out of the way (almost as addled as the ranger as you are)," Edwin told the Illusionist, who just shrugged and clambered back through the open door into the Planar Sphere.
"What of you, my Raven?" Haer'Dalis asked of Elatharia even as he watched Anomen and Aerie making their way down the stairway. There was definitely something wistful in the tiefling's expression as he observed the unhappy avariel's retreat.
Elatharia looked at him as if he might have just gone mad at last. A glance up at Edwin proved that the Conjurer's thoughts on this matter were already settled.
"We have things to plan," she admitted conspiratorially, and Haer'Dalis's eyebrows rose. By his side, Viconia snorted.
"Not of that ilk, fool," the drow told the tiefling as amicably as she had said anything to him since their return from the De'Arnise Hold. He gave her a wounded look that turned into a lingering stare. Her frown even seemed to start to wane under the weight of his gaze.
"Well, now I think I am more curious," Haer'Dalis admitted, glancing at Edwin, "When the chant is free to be told, do tell, my Raven and Sparrowhawk."
"We may have need of you at some point soon," the Conjurer admitted imperiously, "(Though how much you will deserve to know is doubtful)."
"Stay here tonight," Elatharia suggested to the drow and the tiefling, "Even if Jan forgets to leave, there are enough bedrooms." After the golems had cleaned up the mess which the group had left behind from wading through the mad halflings, at least.
The Planar Sphere seemed to have been imbued with Enchantments which made this task much easier – and that was just as well, because when Lavok had insisted upon ending the Sphere's planar travelling powers, the golems had deactivated as well. This was something for which the Transmuter had been secretly relieved. She would never be able to look at golems without distrust thanks to Irenicus.
"Gladly, my Raven," Haer'Dalis smiled, "I am tiring of the endless honour and valour of certain berks with whom we must travel."
"(It is almost as if we have started watching a circus show emphasising the failings of the Sigil dialect)," Edwin grumbled, turning and heading back inside the Planar Sphere. Viconia sent a disbelieving look at his back before turning to Elatharia and shrugging.
"I find myself in agreement with the tiefling," she admitted, 'And I am no fool when it comes to intrigue, my good friend. I could see in your bearing that at least some of this is about the Thieves' Guild,' she signed, and smiled widely when Elatharia nodded. Intrigue always put Viconia in a good mood.
"Tell Korgan that we might want to talk to him about that," the Transmuter nodded with a grin of her own.