ST:SoD326 | "Return to Belyia Pt. II"

Stardate 100916.1

The team successfully reaches Belyia, but the plan quickly falls apart as they learn that the Reaper somehow arrived before them...

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NPC@annpc#557:FX | https://images.uesp.net/a/a5/SR-place-Shoreline_Lovers%27_Tent.jpg

NPC@annpc#557:| Having found an abandoned campsite in the tundra, Terran Rianni had set up camp for the night to take shelter from the cold. Here, she bears witness to what happened to Prime Rianni through their connection, up to Rianni being knocked out by the mysterious assailants

Rianni@crystyl:idly rubs the back of her head, "Could have done without that vision... stupid psionic link making save stupid other me..." she grumbles

NPC@annpc#557:| It is still dark out, and there is no sign of whoever used this campsite last. Rianni could head out to find Prime Rianni, but it may be wiser to wait until sunrise...

Rianni@crystyl:curls back up to sleep, "I'll do better at rescuing after enough beauty sleep..."

NPC@annpc#557:| Rianni is able to sleep to the next morning. Before she wakes, she receives another vision like a dream just before she wakes up, seeing out of the eyes of Prime Rianni as she is bound on a cart. -

NPC@annpc#557:- The woman with the marking on her head sits opposite her. Rianni doesn't appear to have been blindfolded, her captors likely unaware of the connection with Terran Rianni

Rianni@crystyl:"Eugh, of all the things to wake up to... oi, softy, wake up and look around already!" she communicates while packing up and getting ready to move out

NPC@annpc#557:| Prime Rianni: "There's not much to see yet, just a road with the odd tree..."

Rianni@crystyl:"At least you've got that much. I've got just nothing but wilderness out here..."

NPC@annpc#557:| Prime Rianni: "Look around for some kind of landscape feature, anything at all?"

Rianni@crystyl:starts walking, gauging an approximate bearing from the suns position before her and in Prime Rianni's eyes, "Working on it..."

NPC@annpc#557:| Prime Rianni: "Wait that mountain! On your...left, I think?"

Rianni@crystyl:stops and looks around, "What, that one?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Prime Rianni: "Yeah! I can't see it now, but I saw it in the distance back in the city. I think it was to the north...east? I think the city's on the other side of it from where you are."

Rianni@crystyl:"Alright, that'll get me closer. Could still do with something to track where you're at though so stay sharp"

NPC@annpc#557:| Prime Rianni: "I'll keep my eyes open."

Rianni@crystyl:changes direction accordingly and keeps moving

NPC@annpc#557:| Rianni spends a good portion of the day travelling towards the mountain. As she nears it, she finds what looks like a large road, which could lead towards the city

Rianni@crystyl:hrms, debating whether or not the other Rianni is heading away on this road and tries to get some insight from her

NPC@annpc#557:| Prime Rianni: "I think we're heading towards you. We've been going northwards, from what I can tell. I've seen the mountain a few times now and it seems to be getting a bit closer."

Rianni@crystyl:"That could work then" she starts heading south to try and get eyes on the carriage

NPC@annpc#557:| After a little more walking, Rianni spots a series of carts along the road, though it seems to be a bigger convoy than Prime Rianni's and travelling south

Rianni@crystyl:pays it no heed and continues

Rianni@crystyl:gets close enough that she can use the caravan for cover if anything happens, but otherwise hangs back and out of the way

NPC@annpc#557:| Rianni trails behind the caravan for a good hour, and soon dusk begins to set in

NPC@annpc#557:| Prime Rianni: "Our cart's stopping, but it's still the middle of nowhere. I think they're setting up camp for the night."

Rianni@crystyl:"That should give me time to close the gap then, good"

NPC@annpc#557:| The Riannis' communication is suddenly interrupted by shouts and screams. It is initially unclear from whose end it is coming from, until Terran Rianni realizes it is the caravan ahead of her

Rianni@crystyl:thinks to the other one, "Before you jump to any conclusions, I didn't do anything"

NPC@annpc#557:| On the road ahead of her, the caravan is attacked by large horned bipeds wearing rough hides and furs. The guards of the caravan were almost immediately overwhelmed, and the few that weren't -

NPC@annpc#557:- injured or killed throw down their weapons and raise their hands. A few of the Raiders keep watch over them, while the others begin ransacking the wagons

Rianni@crystyl:groans at the inconvenience and moves to work her way around the stalling caravan, no intention of unnecessary heroics clearly

NPC@annpc#557:| One of the Raiders spots Rianni and motions to another before making his way over, "Hey! You there!"

Rianni@crystyl:grumbles and keeps moving, making out that she's ignoring the raider

NPC@annpc#557:| Raider: "You! Stop right there!"

Rianni@crystyl:keeps walking, "Pretend you never saw me"

NPC@annpc#557:| Raider: "But we did see you!"

NPC@annpc#557:| Raider 2: "You're not a part of this caravan?"

Rianni@crystyl:groans out loud, and stops, "That's where the /pretend/ comes in. Idiots..."

NPC@annpc#557:| Raider: "So what're you going to do if we don't pretend? We have a raiding party and it's just one of you, if you hadn't noticed."

Rianni@crystyl:"Yeah, so come back when you've got a couple more parties to even things out" she starts walking again

NPC@annpc#557:| Raider 2: "Get her! Let's teach this girl a lesson or two about wandering alone on the road!"

NPC@annpc#557:| The first Raider starts to run at Rianni, his axe held casually while he just tries to grab at her

Rianni@crystyl:lets them close in before unleashing a vicious series of attacks with her dagger

NPC@annpc#557:| The first Raider is caught unaware and hit several times by the dagger, staggering back. The second, who was further away, managed to jump back, "What the- looks like you've got some idea what you're doing."

NPC@annpc#557:| The second Raider holds his spear at the ready, "But my weapon's got better range than yours. Little knife of yours won't be much use."

Rianni@crystyl:stands playing with her dagger and wearing a vicious grin, "You had your chance" and promptly lunges in, dancing around his spear to slice at his throat

NPC@annpc#557:| Rianni is able to work her way around the Raider's spear, much to his surprise. He is tall and it is hard to reach his neck. Letting one hand go of the spear, he tries to fend off Rianni, but -

NPC@annpc#557:- gets multiple slashes on his arm in the process. He begins to step back from her, but slips on some ice and falls

Rianni@crystyl:wastes no time leaping on top of him and very much enjoying the moment of superiority before ending him

NPC@annpc#557:| Before she can finish him off, Rianni hears a female voice shout, "Stop! Enough!"

Rianni@crystyl:keeps slowly teasing the edge of her blade along his throat, "You're either very brave or very stupid, girl. Either way, it's not something I have the patience for"

NPC@annpc#557:| Female Raider: "Jertag is a fool, but he is still muscle we can use. You've proven your skill. Let our warrior live and we shall leave you be."

Rianni@crystyl:scoffs, "This meathead is what you call muscle? He had his chance. I generously allowed him to walk away and he declined so now he belongs to me. You can make that same choice for yourself, I won't be long here, his sniveling is already ruining my appetite"

NPC@annpc#557:| Female Raider: "You hold his life in ransom, then. As cold and ruthless as one of the Ice Drake Clan. Very well. Will some of the spoils be enough to barter for Jertag's life?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Prime Rianni: "Wait. We can use this to our advantage."

Rianni@crystyl:thinks to the other Rianni, "Please, you're just trying to spare him for the sake of it"

NPC@annpc#557:| Prime Rianni: "No, no, there's more than Light Lady with me here. There's plenty of these cultist people too. As good as you think you are, you can't take them all alone, especially since you -

NPC@annpc#557:- haven't even got your powers here yet. If you can get these Raiders to attack my escorts, that'll make the rescue a lot easier!"

Rianni@crystyl:hrms, "You have a surprisingly devious mind softy"

NPC@annpc#557:| Prime Rianni: "Speak for yourself, I'm just thinking tactically."

NPC@annpc#557:| Female Raider: "So? What will the price be?"

Rianni@crystyl:stands, digging the heel of her boot onto Jertag's jugular to painfully pin him while she turns to the female raider, "You've got some stones raider, I'll give you that. Maybe I could make some use of your little party, that is if you think you're up to the challenge"

NPC@annpc#557:| Female Raider: "You want us to fight for you?"

Rianni@crystyl:"I have a target of opportunity. And whilst I relish the fun of taking it all on myself, having a full raiding party would make things easier. What do you say? It's a bigger score than whatever scraps you found here and it's not that far away"

NPC@annpc#557:| Female Raider: "Very well. It is what we do anyways, and if this target is as rich as you say, it sounds like a fair trade."

Rianni@crystyl:removes her boot from Jertag's neck, kicking him aside, "Hear that meathead? You're going to come play with me now"

NPC@annpc#557:| Jertag grumbles and slowly gets up, looking to the cuts on his arm, "You've already scratched me up pretty hard this time, little girl..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Oh please, those are barely lovetaps. If you want scratching up proper, I could still take myself an ear" she smirks, licking the blood from her blade, "And if you've got to speak to me, try -

Rianni@crystyl:- something more fitting than 'little girl' like... Boss. Yeah, that works. Now get the party together, I trust you have scouts?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Female Raider: "She has earned the right to be addressed by a proper name. I am Huntress Brigild of the Whistling Spear Clan. I lead this party, and yes, we have scouts."

Rianni@crystyl:"Huntress, very well" she points further down the road, "Our target is another caravan. My intel has them camped further ahead down this road"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "I will send my scouts to locate them. You will be coming with us for the attack?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Obviously. I just want the scouts to get their exact location for us so we can get the lay of the land. I'll warn you now Huntress, you go into this one wild like you did here and it will be the end of your party. We need to be smart in how we take this one"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild nods, "We did not expect much resistance from these mercenary guards. We will plan the attack on your target more carefully."

Rianni@crystyl:nods, "Perfect! Let's get moving then" she wraps an arm around Brigild's shoulder and starts to walk, "And while we do, tell me more of these spoils you just plundered..."

—

NPC@annpc#557:| After encountering the Raiders, Huntress Brigild takes Terran Rianni to their camp, where she is given some of the food they plundered from the caravan. It's mostly just dried foods and some -

NPC@annpc#557:- bread, but after roughing it out in the tundra for almost two days, it is much needed nourishment

Rianni@crystyl:doesn't argue with it and chows down

NPC@annpc#557:| As she eats, Rianni sees the scouts Brigild sent ahead returning back. Brigild stands and walks over to meet them

Rianni@crystyl:grabs a brick of bread and stands, joining them, "I assume that your back means you have news"

NPC@annpc#557:| Raider Scout: "We found Star Cultists, camped out further down the road. Is that who you're out for?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Did they have this one on their foreheads?" she crouches and traces out a rough pattern of the star image in the dirt

NPC@annpc#557:| Raider Scout: "We didn't get close enough to see that much detail, but that is the mark of the Star Cult."

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "You could've just told us you were going after Star Cultists..."

Rianni@crystyl:scrubs it out with her foot as she stands, "Why, is that significant to you?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "You don't know the quarry you are hunting?"

Rianni@crystyl:"I know they took something that I want, so I'm getting it back. Simple as that. So what if it's bunch of cultists"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "The Star Cult is an enemy of our people. They appeared out of nowhere recently and galvanized the city folk into dreams of empire. Now some of them are actually organizing raids on our -

NPC@annpc#557:- clan keeps. But they don't just raid for supplies and materials like we do. They conquer, and have already forced two clans into their service."

Rianni@crystyl:"Well then, seems it's your lucky day since I'm handing you this caravan of theirs. See, I told you it would be more fruitful than that little merchant hit"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "That it certainly will. So how many of them are there?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Raider Scout: "I counted thirteen, but one of them appears to be a prisoner."

Rianni@crystyl:"That's my spoils"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild nods, "Leave the prisoner alive, kill the rest then. Got it. Any mages with them?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Raider Scout: "One of them was carrying a staff."

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "The cultists, for all their crazy beliefs, are more capable than most. They'll have at least one of their number keeping watch. We'll need to take out their night watchers silently to -

NPC@annpc#557:- hit them with an ambush. If they are alerted to our attack, that mage will be difficult to fight without our shaman or any of his apprentices present."

Rianni@crystyl:"How many night watchers are we talking, and do we have their positions mapped?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Raider Scout: "I saw two during our scouting run. One sits by the campfire while the other patrols around."

Rianni@crystyl:"Sounds manageable enough. You have folks actually capable of doing a quiet hit or shall I have the honours?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "I can be sneaky, and our scouts aren't bad at it either. But you're smaller than any of us. You'll have an advantage, if you also know how to move around quietly."

Rianni@crystyl:"I prefer fighting head on, but not as much as I prefer unfair advantages. Tell you what, we take one each"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild smiles, "Sounds like a plan. If we hit them together instead of taking them out one at a time, it'll be less likely to alert the camp. Else one might notice the other gone and shout before we get to them."

Rianni@crystyl:"Exactly. Now what about this mage, you mentioned shaman?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "The shamans are the mages of our people. Each clan usually has one, and each shaman takes on an apprentice or two so there is someone to take over when they die. They do not usually -

NPC@annpc#557:- accompany us on raids, unless we expect to be encountering magical opposition."

Rianni@crystyl:"Alright, sounds good. So, ready to get raiding?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "I'll gather the rest of the party and we'll get on our way."

Rianni@crystyl:"Time for some fun!" she heads back to get a drink

—

NPC@annpc#557:| A short while later, the raiding party is assembled and makes their way over to the cultist camp. While the bulk of the party spreads out through the woods, the scout signals for Brigild and Rianni to follow him

Rianni@crystyl:tags along, actually seeming to be making some effort for once

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild whispers, "Think you can sneak up to the one by the fire successfully?"

Rianni@crystyl:"He'll never see me coming"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Good. I'll take the patroller then."

Rianni@crystyl:draws her blade and slips away to work around the guards blindspot

NPC@annpc#557:| Though the cultists are keeping watch, they are clearly far from professional soldiers. Rianni with her natural Terran sneakiness is easily able to get around the patroller and behind the guard by the campfire without being seen

Rianni@crystyl:doesn't mess around this time and carefully works her way up behind him and grabs him with one arm while slitting his throat with the other as she pulls him backwards into the foliage

NPC@annpc#557:| As Rianni takes out the guard, she sees Brigild making her way up behind the patroller. She stabs her spear through the back of his neck and slowly lowers the guard to the ground before removing -

NPC@annpc#557:- the weapon. She looks around the camp first, identifying which one the mage is before giving a signal for the rest of the raiding party

NPC@annpc#557:| Raising her spear, the huntress takes careful aim before hurling it. The spear goes flying through the air, striking the woman who was one of those responsible for capturing Prime Rianni in the -

NPC@annpc#557:- back while she is still sleeping. Several other spears come flying as the raiders close in, taking out three more of the cultists and wounding a fourth

NPC@annpc#557:| The remaining five throw aside their bedrolls and start to get up, but by now it is already too late. The raiders have already closed in and significantly outnumber them, and their mage is dead

NPC@annpc#557:| Three more are finished off by Raiders before they have grabbed their weapons. Two of them manage to arm themselves, but are surrounded by multiple of the large horned beings. There is not much of a fight as they are quickly cut down

Rianni@crystyl:pouts at not really getting to bloody her blade, so settles in sitting comfortably by the cultists campfire, now using the one she too down as a footrest

NPC@annpc#557:| Prime Rianni is bound up by the campfire, near where the mage was sleeping

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild finishes off the wounded cultist by plunging her spear into his chest before making her way over to Terran Rianni, "See. We can carry out a plan when we need one. Those poor merchants just didn't need the effort!"

Rianni@crystyl:picks up a stone and tosses it around in one hand, "I've got to say, you do good work. Seeing this, it's a little disappointing to think of what you said before about how these guys have been owning your clans"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Well, this clearly wasn't a raiding party, just a prisoner escort."

Rianni@crystyl:tosses the little stone once more before throwing it at Prime Rianni to wake her up, and in doing so rolling over to reveal her face, "Oi, you going to sleep through all our heroic rescuing or what?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Wait, you two look similar. Almost the same, even. Is she your sister?"

Rianni@crystyl:| Prime Rianni rubs her head and frowns at the rude awakening. She looks around, then to the Terran, "Took you long enough"

Rianni@crystyl:"And now you owe me" she looks back to Brigild, "Let's just say yes for simplicity's sake"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Why does the Star Cult have your sister captive and under such heavy guard? What are you, city-folk princesses?"

Rianni@crystyl:| Prime Rianni sits herself up, "That is actually a very good question. Who are these cultists anyway? Also..." she twists around, emphasizing her bound wrists, "In your own time!"

Rianni@crystyl:eyerolls and goes to uncut her bindings

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "How do you know so little about them but have made such enemies of the cult already?"

Rianni@crystyl:"That's what we're trying to figure out"

Rianni@crystyl:| Prime Rianni: "They said something about me having their Mistresses face. I suspect this cult leader might be another, um, sister of ours"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "That...might explain the capture and guard. Why don't you come with us? If the cult is after you, the cities won't be safe. And our shaman can tell you what we know about them."

Rianni@crystyl:| Prime Rianni looks to the Terran, almost not needing to think, "They're your gang, what do you think?"

Rianni@crystyl:grins, "Well of course she will come with us now. I did just stake my claim on this clan after all, no need to give up now. Especially when they're out for the blood of these folks who have decided make enemies of us"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Follow us then. We'll stay at the camp for now and lead you up the mountain to the keep come sunrise."

Rianni@crystyl:| Prime Rianni stands, flexing her newly freed wrists, "Sounds good to me"

Rianni@crystyl:"Alright, don't forget to plunder these saps for every bit of worth!"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild grins as the Raiders are already going through the cultists' belongings, "My party's already on it."

—

NPC@annpc#557:FX | https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/elderscrolls/images/7/7c/Largashbur.png/revision/latest?cb=20120123225028

NPC@annpc#557:| After camping out for the night, Brigild the Riannis along with her raiding party up the mountainside. With a bit of hiking, they reach the keep of their Raider clan

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Wait here. I will go in first to speak with the Chief."

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni: "Yes, inform them that I am here to tak- ow!"

Rianni@crystyl:stamps on her foot and smiles at Brigild, "We will wait here"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild chuckles at the interaction, "Sisters indeed," She turns and heads inside the gate with some of her warriors, leaving a few outside with the Riannis

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni: "What's the big idea?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Do you /want/ to make enemies of these folks when there's a chance they'll fight for us?!"

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni: "What I /want/ is to make them my subordinates. What I wouldn't give for a good agony booth right now, that would show them. And you..."

Rianni@crystyl:"It's not too soon for me to abandon you on this world you know, psionic link or not"

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni scoffs, "Yeah? I give you a day before getting captured again! Honestly, how did you ever survive here without me?"

Rianni@crystyl:"And I give you the day before getting yourself killed by the locals. Look, this Star Cult is a new unknown and it seems likely that it's the Reaper. We need allies against them, and these raiders seem -

Rianni@crystyl:- willing volunteers for that. I don't know how she got here ahead of us, if it is her. But even if not, it's a dangerous unknown with an inside line on us"

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni nods, "You're not wrong there"

NPC@annpc#557:| A few minutes pass and the wooden palisade gate of the keep opens. Brigild steps out, this time accompanied by several different Raiders. The most prominent among them is a tall male wearing what -

NPC@annpc#557:- seems to be a Lupan fur cloak. The male appears older than most of the warriors around him, but still stands half a head above most and is just as muscled. He holds a ceremonial looking spear -

NPC@annpc#557:- which somewhat resembles a Vulcan lirpa by having a club on rear end, and the bottom of the spear blade is decorated with fur tassels

NPC@annpc#557:| The older male steps forward, taking a good look at the Riannis, "So you are the sisters my huntress told me about. I am Chief Torstag of the Whistling Spears."

Rianni@crystyl:bows her head, with a somewhat exaggerated movement but just happens to be enough to allow her Lupan tooth necklace to come loose, "Greetings Chief, I am Rianni. And this is my, uh, sister...also Rianni..."

NPC@annpc#557:| The Chief gives them a confused look, "You are identical sisters and you are given the same name? How do you distinguish between one another? You city-dwellers have strange customs," he shakes -

NPC@annpc#557:- his head incredulously before he gestures to the necklace, "I see you have fought the wolf-men as well, though. And Brigild tells me your sister is quite the skilled assassin."

Rianni@crystyl:"That she is. And yes, I have fought both against them and hunted alongside them in years gone past"

NPC@annpc#557:| Torstag: "Impressive. Warriors of your skill and enemies of the Star Cult will be welcome inside our keep. Come!" He waves and turns to lead the way through the gate

Rianni@crystyl:smiles and follows

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni grumbles, "Should've been my kee-" and catches herself with a glare from Prime Rianni

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "You wanted to learn more about the cult from our shaman, right?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Any insight you can share would surely help us take them on"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Come. I'll take you to him. He knows the most about the Star Cult out of all of us."

Rianni@crystyl:"Sounds good" they both follow

—

NPC@annpc#557:FX | https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/110/images/79397-8-1476451892.jpg

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild leads them into one of the larger buildings of the keep. Inside, they find a Raider who seems to be in the middle of giving a lesson to two others. The two seated and listening are -

NPC@annpc#557:- visibly younger, a female who seems to be a young adult and a male who is still a teenager. The one giving the lesson is a male about the age of the Chief, though he is missing part of his left -

NPC@annpc#557:- horn and has a beard, making him look older and very distinct

NPC@annpc#557:| The Shaman pauses as Brigild and the Riannis step in, looking over curiously, "It is not every day we have outsiders in our keep. May I help you?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "These outsiders are enemies of the Star Cult, but they don't seem to know much about their foes. They wanted to learn more from you."

NPC@annpc#557:| The Shaman nods and gestures to his apprentices, "We will continue this tomorrow." The two young Raiders stand and make their way past the Riannis and out the door as the Shaman approaches them

NPC@annpc#557:| Shaman: "Is that so? And what is your quarrel with the Star Cult, hm?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Largely that they came after us without warning. They were trained in specific skills to counter my abilities too"

NPC@annpc#557:| Shaman: "Interesting. And you don't know who they are? Why they are attacking you?"

Rianni@crystyl:shakes her head, "Only that they said something about me looking like their mistress"

NPC@annpc#557:| The Shaman nods and gestures for the Riannis to sit, "Come, join me."

Rianni@crystyl:"Thank you" she follows with the Terran and sits where the apprentices were before

NPC@annpc#557:| The Shaman sits opposite them, "I am Ungeir, Shaman of the Whistling Spears. And you are?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Rianni. We're... both Rianni..."

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "The same name? How curious. And what city do you hail from? Village, town...city-dweller settlement, whatever you call it."

Rianni@crystyl:"We hail from the far off city of Aindong, but have been travelling for considerable time"

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "You are a long way from home indeed! I can count the number of people I've met who have been to Aindong on one hand! Maybe two now that you're here..."

Rianni@crystyl:smiles a little at that

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "Well, the cult has no connections to Aindong and the Elven Lands from what I know of. So it's not where you're from, at least I don't think so."

Rianni@crystyl:"I understand they just appeared quite recently?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir nods, "About half a year ago was the earliest anyone's ever heard of them. They didn't start being trouble for us until the last month or two, though."

Rianni@crystyl:"Did something happen to make them target you?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "Not that I or the other shamans know of. I suspect they just got strong enough to start recruiting us by force, since our beliefs are different from that of the city-folk, and their mad ramblings won't convert us."

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni, "So we're all their enemy, but none of us know why. Shiny"

Rianni@crystyl:"Hm. What exactly do they ramble about, do you know?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "Well, the Star Cult got their name for the ridiculous belief that the stars in the night sky are all different, faraway worlds or some nonsense. Their cult leader apparently claims to -

NPC@annpc#557:- have once been a god among the stars and ruled all of them. The Star Queen, she was known as. Then she was betrayed, and fell from the sky."

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni just mouths a silent 'wow...'

Rianni@crystyl:chuckles, "Well, that certainly is quite the belief"

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "They think if they can restore the Star Queen to power, she will unite all of Belyia under one banner and recreate her empire of stars. But they're already getting started by attacking some of our clans and conquering them."

Rianni@crystyl:hrms, looking to the Terran who nods, sharing the same thought, "It is clear we can't let this cult continue to run rampant. Heroes and armies be damned, this is survival of the fittest"

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "Well, we already have a common enemy in the Star Cult. Question is, how we go about getting rid of them."

Rianni@crystyl:"Do you have any intel on their base of operations, their numbers?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "Numbers, no, only that they have spread out across the northern lands. They seem to have the strongest presence in the northern capital of Stakvarg, but no one outside the cult knows -

NPC@annpc#557:- exactly where they are based. Chances are it's somewhere in that city, but it's a large city. And they'll probably get you before you get them if you just walk in."

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni, "Knew I should have just let them take you and then followed..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Leaving things to chance like that is never a wise strategy"

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "We're gonna need /some/ strategy if we're to take down the cult..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Well, we do have allies out there. They're scattered to the wind right now, but they are powerful warriors too. If we can get word at the nearest guildhall we can track them down again and have the numbers to make a stand against this cult"

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "Guild hall? Which guild?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Um, well our guild from back in the capital was called the Guild of Forged Adventurers. But I'm not sure if it has a branch way out here..."

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "I've heard of it, yes. There is a branch, not at the nearest city, but not too far away. But with the cult after you, going into the cities will be dangerous."

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild speaks up from by the door, "I can go contact the guild, get them to send someone here."

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "Yes, why don't you stay with us in the safety of the keep for a few days, while Brigild goes into the city?"

Rianni@crystyl:looks to Brigild, "You really don't mind?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "The cult is as much a threat to us as it is to you. They might not like Raiders in the cities, but like you said, they know your face. They don't know mine."

Rianni@crystyl:smiles, "Thank you then. I can give you some specifics to help identify our associates and their messages. Meanwhile, we can stay here and train with your clan"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Train? Just because your sister bested some of our warriors doesn't mean we can't handle ourselves in a fight!"

Rianni@crystyl:smiles, "Actually I was hoping we might learn from your clanmates, not the other way around. You know this land better than us, so I am sure there is much we can learn. Also, do you know if there -

Rianni@crystyl:- are any spirit shrines along your way? My sister here is long past due to pay her respects"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild smiles, "That sounds like a good idea. And we do know the land well, we should be able to show you a shrine or two while you stay with us. You're clearly the smarter and more reasonable of the sisters," she chuckles

—

NPC@annpc#557:| A few days later, the older of the Shaman's apprentices, Lyta, guides Terran Rianni to one of the nearby shrines while Prime Rianni travels with one of their hunters to learn about the land

NPC@annpc#557:| Lyta is dressed like most of the clan, in furs and hides, though instead of a spear she carries around a staff, though she bears a pair of knives on her as well

NPC@annpc#557:| Lyta: "So, you and your sister are quite different, aren't you?"

Rianni@crystyl:scoffs, "Yeah, you could say that. Could also say we're complete polar opposites"

NPC@annpc#557:| Lyta: "I have an older brother, Lifgar. He's very different from me too. I wouldn't say /polar/ opposites, but it gets pretty close," she chuckles

Rianni@crystyl:"Yeah, sometimes I look at her and wonder how we could ever be the same person- I mean, like, siblings. From the same parents"

NPC@annpc#557:| Lyta: "I can say the same about my brother. He likes to charge right into danger, where I prefer to think things out and plan ahead. That's probably why Ungeir picked me out to be his apprentice."

Rianni@crystyl:"I think your brother sounds fun at a party"

NPC@annpc#557:| Lyta laughs, "Oh that he is. Only thing he likes as much as going out on a raid or hunt is eating and drinking the spoils!"

Rianni@crystyl:"I am rather partial to spoils too"

NPC@annpc#557:| Lyta: "You'd probably get along with him, then. Anyways, here we are," she gestures at a stone-carved entrance in a hillside. "One of the shrines your sister asked me to show you to."

Rianni@crystyl:looks it over, "I take it I just go in and... stuff happens?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Lyta: "I'm not sure. Our clans don't usually visit these places. Your sister said something about gaining power from them?"

Rianni@crystyl: emerges some time later, "Well, we might be opposites but we're very close in ways too. Seems I have inherited the same abilities she has"

NPC@annpc#557:| Lyta chuckles, "Guess that sums up siblings pretty much!"

—

NPC@annpc#557:| Meanwhile, Rianni and the hunters have just returned from a hunting trip with several of the hunters carrying a large elk-like creature they had taken down

NPC@annpc#557:| As they approach the keep, the gate opens and Brigild steps out, having apparently returned from her trip. She waves over to Rianni

Rianni@crystyl:bids farewell to the hunters and veers off to meet Brigild

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Back from a successful hunt, I see."

Rianni@crystyl:smiles, glancing to the group inside, "Yes, it has been a while but most invigorating"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild smiles back, "I've had similar success on my journey too. Come, the adventurer I brought back is inside the main hall, speaking with the Chief."

Rianni@crystyl:"You brought someone back? Well then, let us proceed"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild leads Rianni through the keep and into the largest and most central structure, which Rianni has now learned is the main hall where the clan gathers for meetings and celebrations

NPC@annpc#557:FX | https://images.uesp.net/thumb/3/33/ON-load-Orc_House.jpg/1200px-ON-load-Orc_House.jpg

NPC@annpc#557:| Inside, Rianni finds Chief Torstag speaking with one of the Vulcanoids the locals refer to as 'elves.'

NPC@annpc#557:| Torstag: "Ah, welcome back Rianni...one of the Rianni."

Rianni@crystyl:smiles, "Thank you Chief, and if news has not reached you yet the clan will eat well tonight" she looks to the Vulcanoid, "And I see we have a new guest with us"

NPC@annpc#557:| Torstag: "Excellent! Always glad to hear that! This is Reniadis, of the Forged Adventurers."

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia smiles, "You can call me Renia for short. I'm told you were seeking our guild?"

Rianni@crystyl:"I, uh... well yes. Yes I was. I just wasn't expecting to see an unfamiliar face. I'm Rianni by the way, it's nice to meet you Renia"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "An unfamiliar face? You're a member of our guild, then?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Once upon a time I was, and in a distant land where the guild first formed"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "In the homeland of our people?"

Rianni@crystyl:smiles, "Yes, indeed. You are a long way from home here"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "What can I say? I like to travel. I've never heard of you though. Exactly how long ago was it when you were in the guild?"

Rianni@crystyl:hrms, "Hard to say since I've been doing very much the same. How long has it been since the guild was first founded now?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "We've been founded for around fifty years now. I only joined a little over ten years ago myself, though."

Rianni@crystyl:"Ah, wow it's really been that long? Ok so... fifty years since the founding. Then..." she counts out on her fingertips, then on the other hand, mutters ,"...and carry the one..." more -

Rianni@crystyl:- fingercountings ,some tallying in the air, "Ah! Yes, then I was last involved with the guild... 49 years ago!"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "Really? You don't seem old enough to have been involved with the guild that long ago. Are you using some powerful magic to stay young."

Rianni@crystyl:"Must be a hidden part of my blessing from the spirits" she chuckles"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "Wait...you weren't part of the Dragon Expedition, were you..."

Rianni@crystyl:ponders, "Dragon expedition you say... do you mean the one where the red winged dragon was making a nest up in the mountains?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "Yes! Our records say the original guildmaster disappeared shortly after that, along with many of the core guild members of the time."

Rianni@crystyl:"Ah yes, fun times indeed! I remember it well"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia widens her eyes, "So you were one of the original guild members..."

Rianni@crystyl:smiles and nods

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "Incredible. Where did you go after that quest? How and why have you returned now?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Suffice to say I've been travelling. A lot. As for returning, well my travels landed me here and here I found this Star Cult that's popped up and they are a problem we can't ignore. They made -

Rianni@crystyl:- enemies of this clan already, which is why we are basing ourselves here to work with them and help put a stop to this cult before they do any more damage. But to do that we need allies. We need the guild"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "Do you wish to come back to the guild hall with me? Or do you seek the headquarters back in the capital?"

Rianni@crystyl:"The thing is, this Star Cult seems to have it out for me. They're watching the towns for my face and I fear that showing it at the guild hall could bring trouble there. Could you perhaps deliver -

Rianni@crystyl:- news of this to your local leader and have them join us out here to discuss?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia nods, "You could also disguise your face, but I can do that if you would prefer."

Rianni@crystyl:hrms, "I suppose, but it's not a skill I've ever really leaned on before"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "I will head back to the guild hall and bring them word of your return, then."

Rianni@crystyl:"Thank you Renia"

NPC@annpc#557:| The door opens and Lyta steps in with Terran Rianni

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia looks over, doubletakes, then looks back to Prime Rianni, "Wait...there's two of you?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Yes, for now at least"

—

NPC@annpc#557:| A few more days pass, and Prime Rianni and Terran Rianni are in the open areas of the keep, training with their powers

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni appears from a shadow behind Rianni, "Aha!"

Rianni@crystyl:smirks and slips away before she can strike with her wooden training sword though

Rianni@crystyl:reappears on a nearby rooftop, "You're going to have to try better than that!"

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni grrr's and disappears again. The pair keep popping up all over the place like whack-a-mole's

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni appears and looks around, seemingly having lost track of Prime...

Rianni@crystyl:drops down from the shadow underneath a balcony above, grabbing the Terran and disappearing with her just to pop back up again near the middle of the yard

Rianni@crystyl:| Terran Rianni, "What the? You didn't tell me we can do /that/ too!"

Rianni@crystyl:giggles, "Can't give you the easy way with all of it now!"

NPC@annpc#557:| The two find Chief Torstag walking up to the yard, "These powers of yours sure seem useful. But if you're done with your play, our watchmen report that elf adventurer is back and making her way -

NPC@annpc#557:- the mountain now. This time she's brought someone else, like you asked."

Rianni@crystyl:and the Terran turn their attention to the Chief, "Thanks Chief. Hopefully this is someone who can help us get organized"

NPC@annpc#557:| Torstag: "I hope so too. She looks pretty small, but then again, most of you seem small to my people!" he laughs

Rianni@crystyl:smiles, "We'll go meet them"

NPC@annpc#557:| Torstag turns and leads them towards the gate. As they arrive, the gate operators open it up and they indeed see two figures making their way up the mountain pass, one clearly taller than the -

NPC@annpc#557:- other. Both are wrapped in thick cloaks with their hoods up for the northern weather, making it hard to tell who is beneath

NPC@annpc#557:| The figures are leading steeds as well, and as they near, the Riannis spot Renia's distinctive bow on one of the steeds, confirming that it is indeed the elf from before

NPC@annpc#557:| As the two figures approach the gate, the shorter of the two pulls back her hood to reveal...Emma

Rianni@crystyl:'s eyes widen and a beaming smile forms as she rushes up to greet her, "Ohmygod! How on Earth did you find us?!" she asks excitedly with a welcoming hug

Rianni@crystyl:| The Terran just pulls a face and goes to sit away to one side

NPC@annpc#557:| Emma returns the smile, rushing up and meeting Rianni midway to hug her as well, "You can mostly thank Renia for that! Well, her and the guild as it is today."

Rianni@crystyl:"I was expecting the local guildmaster, not one of our own! I can't believe you were so close by!"

NPC@annpc#557:| Emma: "I wasn't, actually! I was in the desert, where Mana and Tiah were at last time."

Rianni@crystyl:"Really? Then how did you end up here? Come on, you have to tell me everything that's happened!" she leads her by the hand over to the hut they've been using

NPC@annpc#557:| Emma follows over while Renia takes the steeds over to the keep's stable

NPC@annpc#557:| Emma: "That's where the guild comes in. So it turns out after we left, the members of the guild who were local to Belyia kept up the portal network. It helped them spread across the world and they've now grown into the main adventuring guild of Belyia!"

Rianni@crystyl:"Oh wow, I knew they were still around of course but had no idea they were that big now"

NPC@annpc#557:| Emma: "They've really done well for themselves thanks to the advantage given to them by the portals! The guildmasters have also been passing down the secrets of the shrine, and it's part of the -

NPC@annpc#557:- process now to make a pilgrimage to a shrine for every new guildmaster. Which makes the heads of every guildhall especially powerful people."

Rianni@crystyl:leads her into the hut and gets seated, "That's really useful! So our comms are already circulating all over then?"

Rianni@crystyl:| Meanwhile the Terran grabs Renia's arm as she follows the pair and shakes her head, "Trust me, you don't want to get in the middle of that hot mess just now"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia gives Terran Rianni a curious look, "Shall we give them some time to catch up, then?"

Rianni@crystyl:Terran Rianni nods, "Unless you're into watching. Not sure about the other me, the green one's probably into it though..."

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "Right, I'll...stay with you, then."

NPC@annpc#557:| Emma meanwhile nods and responds, "That's right! The guild doesn't have a hall in /every/ city, but there was enough for us all to get into contact with each other quickly enough. And so when you -

NPC@annpc#557:- talked to Renia and she brought word of you back to the local guildhall, it was quickly sent to HQ in Aindong."

Rianni@crystyl:"You got my note already then?" she refers to the coded note she gave Brigild to first give the guild to tell everyone the Reaper is here

NPC@annpc#557:| Emma: "We have. Still no idea how the Reaper got here /ahead/ of us, but it's a little too late to back out now."

Rianni@crystyl:nods, "She was ready for me with this cult of hers. How do we look with getting everyone here?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Emma: "We have a closer portal destination to that capital city where you think the cult is based in. Should we get everyone here, or do you think it's better to go back and gather at Aindong first before going there to deal with the cult and find the Reaper?"

Rianni@crystyl:"I think we need to approach this smart. If we can get there through the portals, it's probably worth regrouping at Aindong first. The Terran could stay here and keep rallying these raiders"

NPC@annpc#557:| Emma: "Sounds like a plan. Renia's brought along some supplies to help disguise you for the trip too, so any cult members won't recognize you as Rianni."

Rianni@crystyl:"Ooh perfect! She seems like a good one, and it appears she is getting on well with the Terran. I think they could make good allies while we're at the capital"

—

Keliaya@anncaris:| Sometime later, Emma approaches the walls of a city with a Rianni clad in heavy plate armour and an enclosed helmet

Rianni@crystyl:clanks along, "This is not what I envisaged when you said about a disguise..."

Keliaya@anncaris:| Emma: "It's heavy, it conceals your face and it doesn't suit your powers and skills at all. I think it's the last thing the cult will expect if they're looking for a Rianni!"

Rianni@crystyl:"Well you're not wrong"

Keliaya@anncaris:| Emma: "Don't worry, as soon as we're through the portal, you can take it all off!"

Rianni@crystyl:"Then let's hope this goes quickly. And that there's a bath on the other side..."

Keliaya@anncaris:| Emma: "We're going right to Aindong, so there definitely will be one!" She steps up and talks with the guard on the gate, showing him various papers. After a brief exchange, the guard lets them through, all the while Rianni's helmet is still on. "See! It works."

Rianni@crystyl:"We're not in Aindong yet"

Keliaya@anncaris:| Emma: "True. Just act normal, like you're an adventurer back from, well, an adventure."

Rianni@crystyl:"Of course. Lead the way"

Keliaya@anncaris:| Emma leads the way through the city streets, acting very natural and casual the whole time. Before long, they begin to approach a building which curiously has the same distinct architectural style as the mausoleum in the other city where Rianni was ambushed

Rianni@crystyl:"This is the guildhall?"

Keliaya@anncaris:| Emma nods, "Apparently, the guild purchased and took over a lot of buildings where the portals could be found in. The first portal room we found is still the temple in Aindong though, since they -

Keliaya@anncaris:- kept the original guildhall. But when they expanded, they looked to build their halls where the portals already were."

Rianni@crystyl:"Huh, I wonder if that means there was one in that mausoleum..." she ponders

Keliaya@anncaris:| Emma makes her way up the steps, "You think this one used to be a mausoleum?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Don't know, maybe? But there was a mausoleum where I got jumped and it looked just like this"

Keliaya@anncaris:| Emma: "I guess it makes sense, a lot of the portal locations were turned into important places like the temple in Aindong. Apparently the guild had a lot of trouble acquiring the right places for -

Keliaya@anncaris:- the guildhalls and sometimes settled for a building next to the actual temple. Wonder what they did to convince the people here to give up their mausoleum..."

Rianni@crystyl:"Please, you already picked up a lot more than me. I'm still getting my head around the fact it's been 50 years locally. The way that adventurer who brought you to the camp looked at me when she first pieced it together was quite troubling!"

Keliaya@anncaris:| Emma chuckles, "Oh I got plenty of these looks at first too, I think we all did! I guess you could say I'm a lot more used to people being surprised at how long I live than most, though..."

Rianni@crystyl:laughs, "Yeah, now we all get a taste of it!"

Keliaya@anncaris:| Emma laughs as well, "That you do! This way, the portal room's down here."

Rianni@crystyl:follows eagerly

—

Keliaya@anncaris:| After going through the portal, they arrive in the temple at Aindong where Rianni can take her disguise off. Now no longer wearing the heavy armour, they make their way to the main guildhall, -

Keliaya@anncaris:- which still appears to be the same building they remember at its core, though it has received a few expansions. There are additional wings built onto the side of the structure, and it seems like a few surrounding buildings now belong to the guild as well

Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://external-preview.redd.it/0QBGkCXu-tL5sY6e8CFaBM66L0ySt6kpNmwXMrzbi4M.jpg?auto=webp&s=cc4752f3cb4b1b26354be2532c483303e82b1040

Rianni@crystyl looks around, "Wow, this has certainly changed a lot. I still remember when we first moved in to an abandoned old manor that nobody wanted"

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma nods, "Now it's one of the most important parts of the city! Of course the Citadel Temple is still the centrepiece, and since the portal room is under there, that's just added to its importance. But the guildhall's not far behind now!"

Rianni@crystyl:"I really never thought I'd ever see this place again. Escaping this world was huge, but I can't help but feel a little nostalgic seeing it again"

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma: "Yeah, I think everyone who came here feels that way, too."

Keliaya@anncaris:| Emma leads the way into the main building. The interior, just like the exterior, is familiar but slightly different. Rianni could see that the basic structure of the entrance hall is still -

Keliaya@anncaris - identical to how it was when they left it, though the decor had changed. The furniture was all different, from the rugs to the benches, and the paintings were replaced by all sorts of trophies -

Keliaya@anncaris - collected from various monsters. The central staircase has been renovated to be two arching staircases, and most prominently, in between the staircases stands a giant statue of Keelah. Some -

Keliaya@anncaris - liberties had been taken, including depicting Keelah in elven chainmail, which Rianni doesn't remember her actually wearing during their time here, and the sculptor didn't quite get her face exactly right, but the resemblance to Keelah is still unmistakable

Rianni@crystyl pauses at the statue, staring up at it, "Well that's... a thing"

Keliaya@anncaris steps across the hall towards Rianni, "We're lucky Starfleet ruled that the Prime Directive doesn't apply to Belyia, otherwise we may be in a bit of trouble here," she chuckles

Rianni@crystyl steps over and smiles, "Yes, that would take quite some explaining! It's good to see you, and so soon this time!"

Keliaya@anncaris smiles back, "That's the benefits of having a plan, and a network from last time. The fifty-year difference threw us off, but it more or less lines up with the passage of time during our last -

Keliaya@anncaris - visit, and I think it worked out to our favour with the guild having more time to expand and spread its presence."

Rianni@crystyl:"Yes, though less so in that the Reaper now has a head start on us"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "We got your note on that. That part didn't quite go to plan, admittedly."

Rianni@crystyl:"I've still no idea how she ended up here ahead of us, but it wasn't by much it seems. Still, she's made inroads faster than Sin did before with her following. And while I haven't seen first hand, I -

Rianni@crystyl:- have reason to believe that she knows about the Spirits and the shrines, and she has my abilities"

Keliaya@anncaris:"That's...troubling. Where's the /other/ you?"

Rianni@crystyl:"The Terran? She's back with the raiders we settled with. It's... a bit of a story, but she got them to help pull me out of the fire and they're natural enemies of the Reaper's cult. So we've set up-

Rianni@crystyl:- to work with them and the local guild up there is working with them too in order to get everyone ready"

Keliaya@anncaris:"The Raiders...those are the local descendants of Drenn that Thorkildsen ran into when we were here last time, right?"

Rianni@crystyl nods, "I believe so, yes"

Keliaya@anncaris:"And you said the Terran got them to pull you out of the fire?"

Rianni@crystyl nods again, "Mhmm!"

Keliaya@anncaris:"I suppose there are a few similarities between Terran and golden age Drenn culture, but still. I'm glad it looks like our trust to bring her along on this mission wasn't misfounded."

Rianni@crystyl:"I almost hate to admit it, but I would be lost right now without her"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Looks like we made the right call with her, then. It certainly sounds like you've been through quite a bit. Why don't you settle in here while I get everyone gathered, and you can tell us about everything you've learned."

Rianni@crystyl:"Sounds good"

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma: "See, there's the opportunity to get that shower you wanted!"

Rianni@crystyl smiles, "Perfect!"

—

Keliaya@anncaris | After settling in, Emma leads Rianni to a large meeting chamber where Kelly and the others have gathered. The rest of the mission team are all present, with the exception of Terran Rianni as well as Eva and Lennie

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "Glad you have you with us, Tierno. We were concerned when we started gathering, but neither one of you showed up yet."

Rianni@crystyl:"Yeah, sorry about that. Got a little unwelcome distraction on day 1"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Tell us more about it. I imagine there's a few details you couldn't fit into that note you sent."

Rianni@crystyl nods, "Well, this 'Star Cult' as they're called, were watching the local towns for my face. The first night I stayed at an Inn, and a whole squad came at me there. I fled, but as soon as I used my -

Rianni@crystyl:- shadowstep something intercepted it. I think it was a specific counter-ability that left me in a room of blinding light where two cultists talked of me being a 'trickster' and stealing their -

Rianni@crystyl:- mistresses face. Fortunately I was able to make psionic contact with the Terran and guide her to me while I was being transported to the cultists base. She turned up with a group of raiders who we-

Rianni@crystyl:- believe are the Drenn descendants previously encountered by Thorkilsden. We've been staying with them since, as they are self-proclaimed enemies of this cult"

Keliaya@anncaris | Vrolmacht: "And you believe this cult is being run by the Reaper, hence why their mistress has the same face as you? Do you know anything more about the Star Cult?"

Rianni@crystyl:"We've learned some, mostly third hand from the raider clan. But there are preachers for this cult who talk about a fallen Goddess who fell from her rule of the stars and they are working to restore -

Rianni@crystyl:- her to her rightful throne atop all creation. They have adopted a view of the wider galaxy as we know it, unlike the rest of the population of this world"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "That does sound like Riannihil. What do you mean, a view of the wider galaxy as we know it?"

Rianni@crystyl:"The population of Belyia believe this world to be the centre of the universe, and the extent of it. The stars are not distant worlds, but punctures in the veil where the spirits pass through. -

Rianni@crystyl:- Mystical as it sounds, this is actually quite accurate. But this cult preaches about the stars actually being distant stars surrounded by distant worlds, just as we know them to be outside of this anomaly"

Keliaya@anncaris:"That certainly seems like the work of someone from outside. Do you know how widespread or powerful this cult is?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Not exactly, though they seem to be spreading fast and their activity seems largely centred around the area the Terran and I found ourselves in, here" she indicates on a large table map

Keliaya@anncaris:"Wait, both of you arrived in the same region, didn't you?"

Rianni@crystyl nods, "Yes, and I suspect so did the Reaper. I think the Spirits here seem to regard us all as the same person, that's why we all have the same abilities too"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "That would explain why their activity is centred around there. She still wants to get you."

Keliaya@anncaris | Vrolmacht: "Which means we have a general area to search for her. She is likely somewhere in the north herself."

Rianni@crystyl:"Yes, we believe the cult has a stronghold in the region. The Terran is working with the raider clan we recruited to scout the area for now, but her already being here throws all of our plans up in the air so now we're on the backfoot"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "We know where to find her now, but with her having arrived earlier and learned how things work here, I wonder if it's even a good idea to find and confront her."

Keliaya@anncaris:| Vrolmacht: "Not to mention all these cult followers who will no doubt attempt to defend her."

Rianni@crystyl:"We need to get information, so we could use more eyes on the ground up there who she isn't looking for as a start. If we can learn enough, maybe we can figure a way to draw her out"

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma nods, "I didn't have any trouble when I was travelling the north, so I think it's pretty safe to say they're only looking for Riannis and not the rest of us."

Rianni@crystyl:"If she's expecting me though, she'll be expecting others with me. So it would be a real job of blending in like one of the locals born and raised here"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "I should be able to blend in there. Do you have any particular location in the region you think is fruitful to begin scouting at?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Nothing specific yet, but hopefully by the time we get back there then our allies will have some leads. We should also make a show of numbers and start working with the clans. The more they see us commit, the more additional clans we're likely to get rallied"

Keliaya@anncaris | Emma: "He's not exactly conspicuous, but from what I've seen of their culture, Vrolmacht might be good at working with them."

Rianni@crystyl:"Very much so, yes"

Keliaya@anncaris | Vrolmacht: "I will go and rally some allies for us, then."

—

NPC@annpc#557:| Back in the Raider keep, Renia, Terran Rianni, Chief Torstag, Shaman Ungeir and several other prominent clan members are gathered around the table in the central building

NPC@annpc#557:| Torstag: "The Iron Claws clan has pledged to stand with us if we march to war against the Star Cult. They have always been close allies of ours, and we can count on their assistance."

Rianni@crystyl:"That's good. What does that do for our overall numbers now?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Torstag: "The Iron Claws are one of the more numerous clans, but many of their number are miners and smiths. Most of them can still fight if need be of course, but the greatest advantage they -

NPC@annpc#557:- will provide is arms and armour for any other clan that pledges to our cause. Some of the other clans rely on copper and bronze."

NPC@annpc#557:| Ungeir: "Or even sticks and stones for the truly isolated ones, but they're unlikely to join such an effort if they don't even like to trade."

Rianni@crystyl:sighs, "Well, it's not a bad thing I guess. But I was hoping for more fighters"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "I've been checking out the smaller villages. It doesn't seem like the cult's influence has spread to any of them, at least the ones around these parts. They seem mostly concentrated in -

NPC@annpc#557:- the larger cities. The villages don't have any reason to go against the Cult either though, it seems like many of them haven't heard of it, and the few who have just learned by way of rumour while visiting the larger cities."

Rianni@crystyl:"So as far as most are concerned, it's not a problem and nothing they need to care about"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia nods, "That would seem to be the case."

NPC@annpc#557:| The door opens and Brigild steps in, "Chieftain, there's a stranger at the gate. Claims he's from the adventurer guild, here to help Rianni."

Rianni@crystyl:'s eyes narrow with suspicion and she looks to Renia, "Were you expecting any new arrivals?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "No, but I haven't been back to the guildhall since I came here with Emma. Let's go and see if you recognize this stranger."

Rianni@crystyl:nods and checks her weapon as they head out

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia readies her bow as they head out. Chief Torstag follows as well, grabbing his ceremonial spear from by the entrance

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild signals for the Raiders to open the gate as they approach. Outside, Rianni sees Vrolmacht dressed in winter furs and leathers

NPC@annpc#557:| Renia: "I haven't seen him before, but I don't know /everyone/ in the guild. Do you recognize him?"

Rianni@crystyl:"Yeah, now he's someone we want in this war"

NPC@annpc#557:| Torstag: "I've never seen someone like him before, but he looks like a good warrior."

Rianni@crystyl:"That he is"

NPC@annpc#557:| Vrolmacht steps through the gate towards Rianni, "I'm here to help rally the raider clans together. Boone's going to scout for more information about the cult."

Rianni@crystyl:"I see the other me isn't back with you. More going on still?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Vrolmacht: "It was safer not to risk her travelling through the north until we are ready, since our enemy is looking for you."

Rianni@crystyl:"Right, so she plays it safe while I play decoy. Figures..." she smirks, "Not that I'd have it any other way, far more fun out here"

NPC@annpc#557:| Torstag: "It may be good for you two to reach out to the clans who are less friendly with us. They may be more willing to hear you out."

Rianni@crystyl:"Yeah, sounds good. Can you hook us up with a map and some names?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Torstag nods, "Come with me."

—

Keliaya@anncaris | Back at the guild HQ, another meeting is called some days later. As Rianni enters, she sees that this time, Lennie and Eva are present and Boone has returned, though Terran Rianni and Vrolmacht are still away

Rianni@crystyl takes a seat, smiling, "Good to see you guys made it alright"

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva smiles back, "Actually we got here before you did, we just went to check up on Junior."

Rianni@crystyl:"Ooh, you've got contact with him already? How is he?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "Well, I managed to get in telepathic contact with him all along, but since I can't actually understand his thoughts, we wanted to go check on him in person. Communication is still a bit -

Keliaya@anncaris - difficult, because all the consoles we installed in him don't work here, but from what we can tell he seems to be doing well. He was certainly happy to see us when we visited."

Rianni@crystyl smiles, "That's great! I trust he's laying low for now?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "That's right. And everything looks the same with him, so he should be able to take us back out once we're all done here."

Rianni@crystyl:"That's some welcome news"

Keliaya@anncaris:"That it certainly is. I believe Boone has some information for us as well from his trip to the northern capital."

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "I haven't been able to get get a visual on the cult leader personally, but I was able to see paintings and figurines of the Star Queen they created." He reaches into a bag and takes -

Keliaya@anncaris - out what looks like a clay model of a woman wearing armour which clearly isn't native to Belyia. "The portraits bear a little more resemblance to Rianni than these more crude idols, but I'm fairly certain their leader is the Reaper."

Rianni@crystyl takes the idol for a closer look, "So she's even doing merchandise now...?"

Keliaya@anncaris | It's hard to see any resemblance to Rianni from the idol. It's clearly a humanoid woman, but that's about all she can tell aside from the distinctly futuristic armour

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone chuckles, "I don't think she's /selling/ them. I don't even know if she's asked for them to be made. It's pretty common for people to start making idols of figures they worship as gods."

Rianni@crystyl:"True" she replaces it

Keliaya@anncaris:"So what else have you learned about the cult?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "Like any cult they're pretty big on secrecy. No solid numbers, but they have people through all levels of society, but primarily focused on the bigger cities. From the looks of things, -

Keliaya@anncaris - I'd say Riannihil is working on a coup to take over the North Kingdom. It seems like she's recruited some prominent members of society based on promises of power rather than true belief."

Keliaya@anncaris | Lennie: "So much for bein' good at keepin' secrets."

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "They're decent at it, I'd say. This isn't my first cult job."

Keliaya@anncaris:"Well, I'm glad we have someone with experience in this sort of thing along. Have you confirmed if Stakvarg is where the cult is mainly based?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone nods, "Which makes sense, since that's the seat of power in the north. If there's a place to orchestrate a coup, that's it."

Rianni@crystyl:"So we've pretty confirmed it's her, and where she is. The question is how to proceed, if we just go in wild with the raiders it will be a massacre. I would say infiltration as a standard approach, -

Rianni@crystyl:- but we have two of me on our side. I have to believe there's a bigger advantage in that too"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Sounds like you have a plan in mind, or at least an idea to take advantage of the two of you."

Rianni@crystyl sighs, "Just the latter right now. The two of us being on side and sharing my face with the Reaper has to give us an edge. But with so many unknowns, I am uncertain how yet"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "You learned about the cult when you got captured, right? And they were planning to take you right to Riannihil."

Rianni@crystyl nods, "As best as I could tell, yes. The Terran and I did consider allowing that to transpire so we could get eyes on the inside. But it seemed to early to commit to such a dangerous route, especially if it were the Reaper which it now seems is the case"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "Well, the cult presence is centred on Stakvarg, but there's no guarantee that the Reaper actually is there at any given time, if at all. Our best chance of getting to her is probably one of you with your connection to each other."

Rianni@crystyl:"So... let one of us get captured?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone nods, "We have two primary resources right now. The guild, and all of us here, and the Raiders. If they bring whoever is captured to the capital city, or one of the cities, we can -

Keliaya@anncaris - intercept there with a team from the guild to deal with the Reaper. If it's somewhere remote, the Raiders will be better suited for that."

Rianni@crystyl hrms, "We have to assume she'll be expecting that. I know I would be"

Keliaya@anncaris:"After the last attempt to capture you, it's quite likely."

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva looks to Rianni, "So if you are expecting that one of you would fake a capture to find your location, what would you do? Sorry, a little hard to keep track of all the yous there..."

Rianni@crystyl:"I would look to cover all eventualities and have contingencies in place to counter anything I may do. What we need is to subvert expectations. The problem is, it's my expectation to subvert so any -

Rianni@crystyl:- way I can think up to do so, she can also think it up and prepare for it"

Keliaya@anncaris:"And we end up in a vicious cycle of reasoning..."

Rianni@crystyl nods, "Ideally, we need something out of the box. That is to say, out of my thinking box. And it doesn't get much further out of my box, than Sin"

Keliaya@anncaris looks over to Sin, "Any thoughts?"

Rianni@crystyl | Sin hrms, "Apart from wishing Tierno wouldn't put me on the spot like that...?" she thinks

Rianni@crystyl pokes her tongue at Sin through a cheeky grin

Rianni@crystyl | Sin, "Having two Rianni's is great and all. Well I mean, it's actually kind of torture, but it's an advantage. At least it would be, if the enemy didn't already know there's two of you"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "But unfortunately, we've already revealed that, since we didn't quite expect to be in this situation."

Rianni@crystyl | Sin, "Exactly. So what we need - and I can't believe I'm saying this... - is more Rianni's"

Keliaya@anncaris | Eva: "That's an...interesting suggestion."

Rianni@crystyl | Sin, "And that's a thinly veiled way of saying it sucks"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Even if the process to do so was safe and legal, we don't exactly have transporters on hand to make a duplicate of Rianni. And if we leave to ask the Junayd, with how much quicker time passes -

Keliaya@anncaris:- here on Belyia, by the time we get back, who knows what will have happened. Unless we do /another/ jump further into the past-"

Keliaya@anncaris | Boone: "...which will put us into a temporal paradox if we defeat the Reaper before any of what's happening now happened."

Rianni@crystyl | Sin, "Yeah, yeah, I get it; no tech and we've already used our time travel points for the day. But only the Reaper knows well enough to identify herself. If this cult is half as good as my Empire-

Rianni@crystyl:- was here, those guys will hold her on a pedestal so high she'll be living in the clouds. That means most of them will likely have never seen her closely. I think we should survey all available -

Rianni@crystyl:- shrines and see if we can pick up some new illusion based ability that someone could then use to make a convincing Tierno, at least to anyone other than another her"

Keliaya@anncaris:"And what would we do once we have a third Tierno?"

Rianni@crystyl | Sin; "Depends who the lucky third is. But the basics would be to play to the Reapers expectations; let her capture one, and then let her catch the second in her cunning trap where she foresaw -

Rianni@crystyl:- their moves. Then her guard will be down, and then more show up!"

Keliaya@anncaris nods, "It's a good suggestion, we just...need another Rianni."

Rianni@crystyl:"The guild leaders across Belyia have been using the shrines, right? Maybe we can get them all together and see what abilities we have to play with. Maybe something will come up"

Keliaya@anncaris:"I'll speak with the Grandmaster here at HQ to call all the local guild leaders together, then."

Rianni@crystyl:"It's worth exploring at least to see what options we have"

Rianni@crystyl | Sin: "Now we've got everything networked here, I can start tapping up temples and stacking new abilities too. Maybe I'll find something"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Let's get to work, then. The longer we wait, the more powerful we risk the Reaper and her cult getting."

—

NPC@annpc#557:| Back in the north, Terran Rianni and Vrolmacht returns to the Whistling Spears keep with a small party of emissaries from the Charging Boars clan

NPC@annpc#557:| As they wind their way up the mountain path however, they see a trail of smoke rising in the distance...

Rianni@crystyl:looks up, "Isn't that the direction of the camp...?"

NPC@annpc#557:| Vrolmacht nods, "That's more smoke than you would get from a bonfire. Something's wrong. Quickly!" He starts jogging up the mountain and the Raiders with them follow suit

Rianni@crystyl:hurries along too

NPC@annpc#557:| They soon come into visual range of the keep to find it aflame. Several figures guard the path up to it, members of the human-like species. They are all dressed in green-tinted armour and immediately draw weapons upon seeing the party approach

Rianni@crystyl:"You've got to be kidding me..."

NPC@annpc#557:| One of the Charging Boars shouts, "Star Cultists!" and the Raiders immediately charge forward to confront them. Vrolmacht readies his bat'leth as well and joins the attack

Rianni@crystyl:draws her blades and runs in too

NPC@annpc#557:| In the heat of battle, the Star Cultists don't recognize Terran Rianni as another Rianni and don't give her any priority, allowing her plenty of opportunities to use her new powers for unexpected flanking attacks

Rianni@crystyl:doesn't jump around much at first out of habit, but when she starts to see opportunities she does begin to strike through the shadows more and more

NPC@annpc#557:| With her help, the Charging Boars manage to take out the cultist watchers without suffering any casualties. However, more of the cultists from inside the keep notice the fighting going on and a larger group of them rushes out to meet them

Rianni@crystyl:focuses on trying to use her ability to get the jump on anyone who looks like a leader

NPC@annpc#557:| Rianni doesn't see any of their mages, but there is a man wearing armour with larger pauldrons that have an emblem on them and a fancier helmet, likely indicating someone of higher rank

Rianni@crystyl:grins to herself and stalks around to cut him down from within his own shadow

NPC@annpc#557:| The cultist officer is focused on fighting with one of the Raiders and Rianni catches him unaware, quickly finishing him off. Around them, the Raiders get the upper hand over the others as well, -

NPC@annpc#557:- though one of the Charging Boars falls in the fighting and a second suffers a minor injury

NPC@annpc#557:| The injured one continues on as they press into the keep itself. They see a number of dead Raiders and cultists, though there are also plenty still alive and the fighting is ongoing throughout -

NPC@annpc#557:- courtyard of the keep. Rianni sees Brigild dueling with another cultist officer on one side, while Renia shoots her magical arrows at several incoming cultists on the other side

Rianni@crystyl:jumps in to free Brigild up first

NPC@annpc#557:| Rianni cuts down the officer and Brigild gives her a nod of thanks, "Rianni! You've gotten back just in time. Their mages have cornered the Chieftain and Shaman inside the long hall. We have to help them!"

Rianni@crystyl:nods, "Let's take them down!"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild leads on towards the main hall. They find a pair of Raiders in their way, but these are dressed in tattered clothing and seem almost feral. One wields a pair of axes while the other holds a massive two-handed maul

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Raiders from the solitary clans. The cultists captured and did something to them. They are no friends of ours."

Rianni@crystyl:"Wait, they... did something to them? Like brainwashing or something?"

NPC@annpc#557:| The feral raiders roar and begin to charge. Brigild rolls out of the way and ducks under a hammer swing, "They want to kill us right now and that's the only thing that matters!"

Rianni@crystyl:ducks and weaves as well, "Try to take at least one alive. If they've been messed with we should figure out how"

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Will try my best...but...my people...aren't easy...to take...alive!"

Rianni@crystyl:"Well I wouldn't exactly lose any sleep over it!" she huffs, trying somewhat to do the same

NPC@annpc#557:| With well-placed cuts of her knives, Rianni is able to force the Raider she is fighting to drop his axes. Brigild is forced to stab her opponent through the chest and hurls him aside before -

NPC@annpc#557:- rushing Rianni's Raider and tackling him to the ground, "Now's your chance!"

Rianni@crystyl:flips her blade and hits him with a precise swipe of it's hilt to knock him out

NPC@annpc#557:| Brigild: "Good work. Not much further to the long hall now..."

Rianni@crystyl:quickly restrains him and rushes onwards

NPC@annpc#557:| As Rianni opens the doors into the long hall, she is greeted by a blinding light preventing her from jumping just like Prime Rianni

Rianni@crystyl:grunts, "Oh screw these guys"

NPC@annpc#557:| Suddenly, Rianni hears a whistling sound fly past her ear. A second later, the light fades away and Rianni sees a cultist mage, his exposed skin still glowing, with a knife in his chest. Two -

NPC@annpc#557:- cultist warriors around him rush in, but another Rianni runs in past Terran Rianni. She ducks under a sword swing and slashes at the attacker's legs. As he collapses to his knees, she is already -

NPC@annpc#557:- onto the second cultist, stabbing her knife into his wrist. The man drops his sword, and with incredible, almost superhuman reflexes, Rianni catches the blade as it falls and slices it across the -

NPC@annpc#557:- cultist's head in one swift stroke, beheading him. Without even looking behind her, she stabs the sword backwards straight through the kneeling cultist's neck, finishing him off

Rianni@crystyl:watches, somewhat confused, "You're not the other me..."

NPC@annpc#557:| This Rianni yanks the blade out of the dead cultist and spins around, pointing it directly at Terran Rianni, "Riannihil, also known as Rianni "the Reaper" Tierno. You're under arrest by authority of Starfleet. Is that how you say it?"

—

Keliaya@anncaris | In the portal room beneath the Timeless Citadel in Aindong, the heads of the various guildhalls are gathered after coming through the portals from various regions across Belyia. It is not a -

Keliaya@anncaris - formal meeting yet, as that was going to happen inside the guild HQ. As such, the various individuals were speaking to one another in smaller groups, but Kelly had already begun asking around

Keliaya@anncaris | After exchanging a few words with the Grandmaster, Kelly steps over to where Rianni and Emma are standing

Rianni@crystyl turns, "How are you getting on?"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Well, I've found a few of them with illusion based powers. The problem is, none of them think it'll stand up to captivity, especially close inspection by another mage. And the third Rianni has to -

Keliaya@anncaris:- be one of the ones captured, since they don't actually have your skills so just showing up with an illusion won't help much. Besides, they don't have the mental connection between you and the -

Keliaya@anncaris:- Terran, so if both of you are captured, the rest of us won't know where to find you."

Rianni@crystyl:"Yeah, as nice as this plan sounds I'm pretty sure it was just Sin looking for an excuse to go ability hunting"

Keliaya@anncaris:"You may be right..." she glances over to where Sin is socializing with three of the local guild leaders

Rianni@crystyl | Emma, "Hey, it's still valuable to learn all the abilities available to us so it's not like anything is a loss here!"

Rianni@crystyl nods, "Yes, Sin's plan may have been overly specific but at its core it is still fundamentally what we needed as a next step; gather and evaluate our resources"

Keliaya@anncaris:"That's true. The guild leaders and their abilities can be a useful tool against the Reaper and her cult, even if it isn't for this specific plan."

Rianni@crystyl:"So let's just focus on what we can do for now. We can work around and start to catalogue abilities. That should let you focus more on rallying them to follow our banner. We are strangers after all. Strangers with statues here admittedly, but still"

Keliaya@anncaris:"Good idea. Let's get back to the HQ and start-" she pauses, looking at something behind Rianni and Emma

Rianni@crystyl turns

Keliaya@anncaris | Rianni sees that one of the portals has lit up again

Keliaya@anncaris looks to the Grandmaster, "Are we expecting anyone else?"

Keliaya@anncaris | The Grandmaster shakes his head, "No, all the guildmasters are already here..."

Rianni@crystyl sets a hand on her blade, ready to pounce

Keliaya@anncaris | The closest group of guildmasters move towards the portal, some of them with their hands on their weapons while others ready their powers

Keliaya@anncaris | The portal remains static for a good few seconds as everyone stands around it, tense and ready for action

Keliaya@anncaris | Then, a hooded woman steps through

Keliaya@anncaris FX | https://images6.alphacoders.com/554/554834.jpg

Keliaya@anncaris | Grandmaster: "You are not one of the guildmasters. Identify yourself."

Keliaya@anncaris | A familiar voice speaks, "Why hello there."

Keliaya@anncaris | The figure lowers her hood to reveal a familiar face as well...

Keliaya@anncaris:"Mischa? How did you get here?"

Keliaya@anncaris | Mischa: "I hope you're ready for a very long story..."

Keliaya@anncaris | TO BE CONTINUED...