Reckonings: Talking at Cortez's Lifeboat.

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Why wouldn't we be able to 'return to the misty border?'" she asks slowly. She hands the medallion to Anders with which to view the ghost ship, and waits for the Inquisitor's reply.

The Inquisitor shrugs his odd rolling shrug in reply. "I have met a few outlanders," he says, absent-mindedly crossing his hands and touching one of his rings. "One of them had spent many, many years trying to return to his homes. He claimed that here--in the Deep Mists--there was some power which prevented movement through the Mists in a fashion unknown to those of the Misty Border. They tell stories..."

The Inquisitor falls silent, and then continues, as if to himself. "My strategos once told me that the highest of the Enemy's slaves said, under the question, that what the Enemy wanted was freedom...that to him the war was a game, so many markers on a map, while the real contest took place elsewhere..."

[Le Noir Faineant]

Anders, floating in the air next to ship makes a ghostly appearence, as he glows like illuminated from inner fire.

"So, basically, if we come to ship at the end of this dark ocean, we coem to confront that power... I had to slay a man once who claimed to be a priest of a dark deity that would grant him the powers to rule over the mists, should he serve it 100 years. Well, let's say that his powers were no match for me in the end. He claimed that his deity's name was Thariz'dun, and it's symbol was a glowing red eye. I have found some of such cultists since, all nothing but mad evil-doers. In my opinion, tales about such powers serve only as fireside tales. Those who try to escape the world are just too afraid to change it for themselves."

He looks for a moment to Cierra, as if he wanted to add something, but then doesn't say anything more.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Suddenly, Anders' eyes widen:

"Look!"

The soul searcher in his hands, Anders points at the water beneath Draga...

"She sought your love, but you would not
And cast her into the sea to rot.
Your nemesis has been set free
Beware -" Anders seems to gasp of surprise - "Beware the blood of Kiraslee!"

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Ciera regards the psion with a mixture of concern and correction.

"Hardly in vain. You found a spell that may slow the spread of disease, if we can only find a way to cast it. If you need something else to do, Toby could use some help. He expects that Harrin will try to steal the Smiling Serpent by dominating the crew. He's got some great ideas for preventing the theft, but the best prevention would be to destroy Harrin. Can Sojourner sniff out ghosts?"

Hearing Anders' prophecy, Ciera begs the crystal back and stares through it at the wereshark captive with a mixture of awe and dread.

"The water around him is red with her blood. Her judgement hangs over him even now!" She casts an anxious look at Cortez and Anders. "No one here would want to see justice done more than I, but I doubt the pirate king will survive their meeting...and I'm not sure this sailor's hell would survive his passing. We must do all we can to find the royal family and escape before the ghost arrives."

"Forgive me, Inquisitor. So much has happened in these few hours, and I would not distract you with trifles. It appears we have blundered into one of your world's titanic reckonings, and would best be gone before it's through. Surely a native such as yourself would fare better without having to coddle outsiders, so if you could tell us anything to speed us on our way, I'm sure it would suit both our purposes."

[The purpose of Anders' research was manyfold, so I wouldn't go so far as to say it was in vain. He now has lots of information but can't be certain where any of it fits. I'll get a breakdown of what's in the books to Rafael and then Anders can give a more detailed report to the group.]

[Le Noir Faineant]

[Alright, then. I'll wait for the record so I can give use the info on a later occasion.]

Anders will sit down next to Ciera and nod. "We'll do our best to save the day, as always."

[DeepShadow of FoS]

OOC: Okay, it's becoming crucial to both plotlines to know whether Peregrine has the ring gate. Forgive the lack of intro, but I'm declaring that Ciera offers it to him; pick a pretext:

--so they can keep in touch
--so they can move Prince Helrus through it tomorrow
--so they can exchange spellcasting help
--[insert reason here]

So she offers it--does he accept?

[Nathan of the FoS]

OOC: Okay, it's becoming crucial to both plotlines to know whether Peregrine has the ring gate. Forgive the lack of intro, but I'm declaring that Ciera offers it to him; pick a pretext:

--so they can keep in touch
--so they can move Prince Helrus through it tomorrow
--so they can exchange spellcasting help
--[insert reason here]

So she offers it--does he accept?

Yes. Peregrine would accept it for any of those reasons, but especially the first.

[Nathan of the FoS]

"Forgive me, Inquisitor. So much has happened in these few hours, and I would not distract you with trifles. It appears we have blundered into one of your world's titanic reckonings, and would best be gone before it's through. Surely a native such as yourself would fare better without having to coddle outsiders, so if you could tell us anything to speed us on our way, I'm sure it would suit both our purposes."

"Coddle?" Peregrine says wryly. "Such a thing had not crossed my mind once, since making the acquaintance of Master Arcadius for the first time--rather, I should hope to be coddled." Turning to stare curiously at the figure in the half-swamped lifeboat, he continues, "Frankly, I doubt it will be possible for you to leave, conjunction or no, after retrieving your friends, but if anyone can I suppose it will be you. Who is this fellow whose judgment approaches?"

As if struck by a sudden thought, Ciera brings her hands together and mutters, "A gate. Captain, the ring gate I gave you. Could you return it, please?"

Cortez hands over the great brass circlet, and Ciera takes it in both hands, offering it (a strangely formal gesture) to Peregrine. "Shepherd Wayfarer, we will certainly wish to be able to communicate readily with you for the duration of our stay, however long it may be. Please, accept this ring gate; it is capable both of allowing verbal communication between the two rings, and of carrying physical objects between the two."

Taking it, Peregrine stares at it quizzically, looking through it with curiosity. "What happens if I put my arm through it?" he asks. "Will it accept living matter in passage?"

[DeepShadow of FoS]

"The gate has reached its limit for the day as far as passage, but not for things pushed partway through and retracted. So--"

She reaches through to her cabin with one hand and dips her fingers in a bowl of water. As she withdraws her hand slowly, Peregrine can see the droplets of water trickle from her fingers as if squeezed off by an invisible membrane. Her hand emerges dry.