Zorlon - Levdia

[Malchik]

"A lot of question!"

 

She indicates that you should sit.

 

"I know nothing of Kellimond besides what I am told by one who lives outside of Avelyssia. We speak through mind contact. His name is Anromainyus. You will not know him. I am not sure he knows much but he seems to know a little. He is not a man you would want to know."

 

There is a strange edge to her voice when she speaks the name - anger, despair, fear, hatred it is hard to tell. Her eyes linger on Midge again as she speaks the name as if she can see someone or something in Midge's place.

 

"He believes that both Zorlon and Kellimond are being used as pawns in an attempt to annihilate all life on both worlds but this is I am sure only a guess. He does not know the truth nor has he any idea who the motivators might be."

 

She turns to Lisette. "I have not released the Keeper. He is here unable to escape from Avelyssia any more easily. Why have I taken him? Because of the key that materialised in Mara's tomb. Who put it there? Why? Again I have no knowledge but I have theories. If you wish to hear them I will tell you. And perhaps you should hear them if you are to help me."

 

To Ford she adds. "I will not keep you here on two conditions. Firstly you must swear not to mention my existence to Avelyssia. I know that you are honourable and will accept your word. The second is that you will at least try to help me. My problem is with Anromainyus."

[ThetaOrionis01]

Lurel pales.

 

"Anromainyus," he mutters. "Him again."

 

He looks at Anima. "I've met him. I don't trust him." His gaze lingers briefly on Midge, before he returns his attention to Anima.

 

"Please tell us your theories - and of Anromainyus' involvement. And the problem you have with him."

[Malchik]

"You've MET him! That means you have been to the realm of the undead!" She holds up a vial of liquid as if as a ward. "You say you do not trust him but perhaps he is using you to make sure I still do his bidding. I need time to let my magic check this. I will return tomorrow. In the meantime you may help yourself to whatever food and drink you need. Do not experiment with the potions. Some would kill you."

 

Anima vanishes.

 

You see in the room behind her a well-stocked kitchen with food and drink of the kind you are used to. Otherwise you have to wait for Anima to return.

 

Some of the others may have questions to ask Lurel!

[Abramul]

Unsuprisingly, Lisette begins examining the potions...nothing like a warning to spark interest! She then looks for a piece of fruit.

 

"Lurel..and Midge, I think? What can you tell us about this Anro-whosiwhat?"

[ShinJiOh]

"Very little, infact less than that. I have not spoken to him in some time."

He pauses

 

"When I was young, well, younger, he used to tell me things. I was never really sure who he was, why he did it, or if he was just a figment of my imagination."

[ThetaOrionis01]

"I would rather not think about him," Lurel says. "He is the ruler of the undead, and has spoken to me, too - as a voice in my head - but I was never quite sure what his motives are."

 

Abruptly, he changes the topic.

 

"Look at that kitchen... I think we deserve a good meal, don't you? Let's cook a nice meal while we have the chance!"

[Malchik]

Given free access to the well-stocked kitchen you can cook and eat whatever you want, within reason. Bloated and a little drunk with wine you fall asleep.

 

Lisette drops one of the potions, accidentally inhales the noxious fumes and blacks out before she has a chance to eat and is therefore ravenous when she wakes. The others check to ensure she is not dead (isn't she lucky!) but keep away from the spilt liquid.

 

When they awaken, Anima has returned. She is none to pleased with Lisette.

 

"That was concentrated and should have served as a basis for 400 sleeping draft potions. FORTUNATELY the ingredients are readily available. If you had dropped this one," Anima waves a vial, "you would have been searching Zorlon's seas for sixty pink pearls!"

 

She glances at Lurel. "You and the child are infected but only physically. Your minds are free of the man. Firstly you should know this. I must do whatever Anromainyus asks of me. His plans I do not know but they are assuredly evil. It is my belief that he can be defeated and whilst I dare not turn against him I can sometimes interfere to some small extent."

 

She looks away. "There is so much to say about him. Where can I start?"

 

She sits at the table beside you. "He was once like all of us, simply a very powerful mage. He and his brothers dabbled in the black arts. Now Anromainyus is ruler of the undead and all but immortal. But he is not undead and remains immortal only as long as his physical being remains in the timeless citadel where he exists. He communicates telepathically as you doubtless know."

 

She hits the table. "If I could but... I do not know this for a fact but I believe he achieved his position by cheating his brothers and that they could be the cause of his undoing. The brothers were Shaura, Darendor and Daro. The first two were as evil as Anromainyus. Of the last I do not know. He was very much younger - well, it is all a theory."

 

She pauses. "I began to feel uneasy. I do not know why but I felt that Anromainyus had suborned another Avelyssian to his cause and one at a very senior level, a member of the council of judges. The intention, I am sure was to take Shaura out of the safe area and send him insane. If I am right this would go a long way to rendering Anromainyus invulnerable. I could not permit that. As a short term expedient I swapped Shaura for a double and influenced the mind of the King so he seems to be mad. Without the King, the council is largely inoperative. Someone must be very unhappy at the situation. The question is who? Finding that who is what you can do for me."

 

This time there is a long wait but you know there is more to come. Finally with a sigh she concludes: "I have given most of my years to saving Avelyssia from many disasters although they know nothing of me. You see I was the one who brought Shaura to the people of Uxenitza in the first place."

 

She sits back waiting for the response.

[ThetaOrionis01]

Lurel is silent for a long while before he speaks.

 

"Why?" he asks simply. "Why did you bring Shaura to Uxenitza? Who are you, Anima? Why must you do what Anromainyus tells you - you don't look like one of his undead."

 

He sighs.

 

"I have even more questions now, but I suppose what matters is finding out who that person on the council is. Whoever it is must have been the one to place the key in Mara's grave... so they would have needed access to the key, and the tomb. But what does Kellimond have to do with it - were Anromainyus and his helper simply taking advantage of the situation created by the presence of the alien magic?"

[Malchik]

Anima stares at Midge long and hard.

 

"I am a Mind wizard. I lived in El Rhun many years ago before women were banned. I married a prominent and immensely powerful member of the school of Water. Then women were made to leave. We knew of four dimensions. We guessed there might be others but I was heavily pregnant and did not want to spend time travelling. My husband and I went to Jourtres. I gave birth to Lazulo. Almost at once my husband complained that the climate was not good for a baby. I disagreed. But - Water wizards are devious and slippery. One night he abducted Lazulo and I have never seen them since."

 

She is a long way away from the room you are in. Lost in the past.

 

"I was frantic with grief. Anromainyus, ever smiling, the perfect friend, offered to help me. He had the financial resources and the ability to mobilise investigations in several counties at once. I could only ever trail from town to town asking questions. Since I couldn’t hide, Lazulo would never have been where I was. He asked if I could do him a favour in exchange. He wanted to know if there was any large city in Jourtres near enough isolated from the rest of the country. His brother, he said, wished to study a society that had developed in isolation within a populous country. Jourtres, with its impenetrable jungles, had to be the ideal place to start looking. He was happy to give me funds to so. What else could I do? I needed his help. While he sought my baby, I made my way to the heart of the country and discovered Uxenitza. I needed him to be able to contact me with news at any time. I taught him how to mind link and gave him several of my spells. Although I was not completely sure about him, I could not see what advantage he could gain from tricking me. Any mother would have acted in the same way. And it had all the marks of being an even-handed bargain. He was spending money but I was facing the humidity, the diseases and the dangers of the jungle."

 

She stops to gather her thoughts.

 

"Shaura, the brother Anromainyus had referred to, arrived in Uxenitza and the city’s fate was sealed. I had no reason to suspect his real intentions at first. By the time I saw what he was doing it was too late. But I stayed on, trying to find a way to help the suffering people. That was when Anromainyus revealed his true face. Foolishly I could not believe he either knew about or supported what his brother was doing. I sought his aid to have the whole thing stopped."

 

She is suddenly fiercely angry.

 

"That family! They are all as bad. Anromainyus showed me visions of my boy. He was about your age." She nodded at Midge. "They could have been illusions but my husband was in them and the boy did look like both of us. I was sure they were real. He told me my son now had a new life in the name of Riff. He was safe and happy and would stay that way as long as I did what I was asked to do."

 

Anima smashes her hand down hard on the table, setting the crockery rattling and knocking a fork to the floor.

 

"What could I do? At first, before his true nature became apparent, he told me to write notes for Lazulo. He smuggled them to him. He got replies too. Perhaps he wrote them himself! Is my son still alive? If he is, and I must hope so, his life hangs by the thread of my co-operation to Anromainyus. Now can you see why I do what I am told?"

 

She pauses again, this time you sense she is making a decision.

 

"Listen. I will let Avelyssia know that the real Shaura is missing. This will unite the colonies more closely. They will blame you and so I will not do it until after you leave. If there are things you would do before that please make haste. You may speak to the real Shaura if you have the stomach for it and help with the council if you think you can. I am afraid I will not lift the King's madness until the traitor is unmasked. I will mix some potions that will give you extra magical power, Lurel, while you are doing this. I do not think I can tell you more that will be of use to you but before you leave remind me to tell you about Anromainyus's other advisors. There are three of us."

 

She looks at Midge again. "Do you need more from me?"

 

OOC> I was going to PM this but it seems better to add here. All of you except Siffli have heard of Riff although none of you has met him. He has been interreacting with a different group of your colleagues. For the purposes of this RPG confine the knowledge to the fact that he is alive, in the dimension of Bashkher, and he appears to be your enemy (he has kidnapped two of your colleagues for reasons you don't fully understand). Riff has no part to play in the RPG unless you can use this info with Anima. She is on your side at the moment so don't alienate her.

[Switch]

Ford looks to Lurel and blinks.

 

"You know the leader of the undead? How did that happen?"

 

After everyone has rested and Anima is finished explaining things to him he looks pondersome.

 

"Well... thanks for the information. That certainly makes things clearer..."

 

He waits for Lurel or someone else to speak before he says anything more.