Allanan released Cor and Ulthok from the magic forces binding them in place. Well, that was good. Now they had their two most senior members of the party able to speak.

Rayne was astonished when Cor suggested destroying the sword. If it was was destroyed, wouldn't that change a big part of the future? Especially their own future? She had, after all, joined them as they began to set out on that mission. Right as they were battling the spirits and the gem, if she recalled correctly.

Though, Ulthok encouraged Allanan to finish the challenges and traps inside the caves. Rayne recalled being killed in the mountains by a corrupted Cor, before being later revived. That was not something she wanted to think about.

However, Rayne would remain silent. Since Cor and Ulthok were the ones who had dealt with Karza's forces the longest, they had the most experience. Should stood still, waiting Allanan's response.

The parchment felt smooth beneath her fingers as she traced the outline of a rune. It was one of multiple meanings, but they all more or less signified sorrow and loss. So oddly poetic that a tome of knowledge would end in such. It's magic had sharpened her mind, increasing her awareness of what was, and what could be.

They had been torn away from their natural time, taken to a world within which they did not belong. It was a shattering loss, yet, within still she felt a deeper loss. Soul deep joy born of peace had been hers. Once, her hand had raised no weapon and she no blood. Siréne had lived in the peaceful service of the Great Goddess. Now, it seemed another woman had danced joyfully in Faerie. She had become the war witch, the hand of the Dark Mother's retribution. Flame and storm followed her call and blood flowed where she now walked. All that had been a needed thing, impossible choices made during difficult time, but deep within she felt sorrow for each death she dealt.

Next to the book lay a dark ring, it's smooth metal cool to the touch as she traced a finger along its edge. It had the power to wash away all this sorrow and regret. She would feel nothing when she killed. Dare she put it on?

Siréne held a hand just above it the ring, hesitating as if hoping for some sign that there might be a way back. The thing both revealed and compelled her, with its salvation it would bring damnation. Was this damnation so different from the one she already lived? She felt the call of Faerie in her bones but it was a call she could not answer. This mortal world had collared her. Would it also tame her?

Another hollow pain had bored its way within her, one that thoughts of taming brought to the surface of her mind. Niamedris had been tamed by mortal banality, Siréne had little doubt that had killed him in the end. The fey cat had allowed himself to be bonded to a human woman. Although Haila had been a considerable mage, she had still been a mortal woman and thus in bonding a cat had tied him to a mortal fate. Even in her death the mages bond had held him and it had only been the bond with Siréne that prolonged his life, if only for a short time.

In the wake of Haila's death, Siréne had taken up the cat's bond, but in truth Niamedris had only accepted her to continue his own life. The pair of them had cared for one another, but Niamedris' true bond would always belong to Haila. That truth had been proven in their journey through time. Whatever magic had hurtled them into the past had also severed the bond between witch and familiar. Lacking bond and mistress, Niamedris had quickly wasted away. Siréne had performed his death rites in secret, not wanting to reveal anything in this alien world. She felt saddened by the loss of a friend, but not the soul deep sorrow that would come with the death of a true familiar. Still, the cat's passing had weakened her. In time her full power would return to her, but until then she felt that lack fully. It was yet another secret she kept from her companions. Holding such secrets from the others pained her, but she was loath to reveal any loss until she knew more of where they were and what they faced. None of their enemies would know her weakened.

In her reverie, Siréne brushed her hand along the cold surface of the damning ring. It promised a release of all these sorrows, but with that, she knew a deeper loss of herself would come. She would not be tamed. And so, the fey witch turned her back on that power and dropped the ring into one of her many hidden pouches. It would be another question for another time.

******************************************

Siréne fought against that magical binding that held her still. it could not have held her at her full strength, but in the aftermath of Niamedres' death, she was helpless against the enchantment. For now, her fate, the fate of them all, would be placed in the hands of Rayne and Lothor.

The pair faced Allanan and spun not a web of silver, but instead spoke the simple truth. That, it seemed, was the right path. With a flick of his wrist, the archmage freed them from his spell. Able to move once again, Siréne joined Ulthok and Cor as they faced Allanan. The pair had been on this quest the longest, and that was enough reason for them to be rash in their desire to see and end to the wretched sword.

Cor proved her suspicions true as he addresses the mage, "Some here believe we should nae do things ta change the future. Me, I believe we already have done enough ta make any talk of such moot. We donna know if good or evil has won in our time for we were magically sent here. If we can destroy the sword now and avoid the rise of evil I say it is a chance we take."

Turning her head quickly to the dwarf, Siréne broke in, "It is a chance we cannot take. Such an act could change the course of more than 1,000 years of history. Will you risk never being born? What if we fail to destroy the sword in this time and usher in an age of darkness? No, we cannot do this here and now. We must return to our own time and see our quest to the end."

Siréne then turned to face Allanan "Please, you alone, in this time and in any other, have the power to return us to our own time. I place my fate in your hands."

Alyia swallowed down the fear and panic welling as Rayne an Lothor bartered for their freedom. Alyia knew that Allanan was powerful but she was completely taken aback at his ability to halt the entire party, many of whom Alyia had surmised had far more power at their disposals then she had with her meager magics.

the tension rose as the finality of their cases was pleaded the air seemed to chill. Alyia found herself staring at Allanan the waves of his power seemed to encompass him yet radiate forth. Alyia was slightly grateful for the hold spell as her legs trembled at the power this man brandished. the dragons earlier had made her tremble in nervousness but this man standing before the party was something else altogether... almost demonic or ethereal.

Allanan lowered his cowled hood of his robe. Alyia quickly dropped her eyes towards the ground as best she could not being able to move.

With a flick of his wrist the party was free, Alyia already at the back of the party moved so that she was positioned further behind the party members already in front of her.

Cor turned to Sirene, "A chance we canna take? Are ye serious lass? Ye think we have nae changed events already by being here? We just told this man that he will have a child he was not aware of, we recued one on the battlefield that should be dead, we have told of races that have not yet even come into existence. How do ye come to the idea that we must tiptoe around? What if our being here is the last chance ta set things right before they unravel? None save the gods know the future. ye asked if I would risk not being born ta bring peace ta the entire world. Aye lass, I would in an instant. Would ye not also?"

Turning back to Allanon, "Ye now know ye will have a daughter. If that changes history who knows. Should ye send us back to our own time; I canna say. We all have choices ta make. We seek the same end; a world where evil does not hold sway. If it will help, I can commune with Odin and see if he can she some light on the issue at hand."

"Quickly tell me of this future you came from and its history, from this time to yours"
The first of the party to reply was the dwarf Cor.

"Aye lad, ye have a daughter. Or ye will have a daughter. This time travel makes things a bit confusing. She was with us when we found the very sword ye now hide. Our quest was ta destroy the thing for evil took a firm hold on the land. Some here believe we should nae do things ta change the future. Me, I believe we already have done enough ta make any talk of such mute. We donna know if good or evil has won in our time for we were magically sent here. If we can destroy the sword now and avoid the rise of evil I say it is a chance we take."

Hearing Cor voice his thoughts of destroying the sword she quickly turned her head to the dwarf Knight Cleric.

"It is a chance we cannot take. Such an act could change the course of more than 1,000 years of history. Will you risk never being born? What if we fail to destroy the sword in this time and usher in an age of darkness? No, we cannot do this here and now. We must return to our own time and see our quest to the end."

Siréne then turned back to face Allanan "Please, you alone, in this time and in any other, have the power to return us to our own time. I place my fate in your hands."

Hearing Sirene express her own thoughts caused Cor to turn his attention away from Allanan and towards the Elf Enchantress.

"A chance we canna take? Are ye serious lass? Ye think we have nae changed events already by being here? We just told this man that he will have a child he was not aware of, we recued one on the battlefield that should be dead, we have told of races that have not yet even come into existence. How do ye come to the idea that we must tiptoe around? What if our being here is the last chance ta set things right before they unravel? None save the gods know the future. ye asked if I would risk not being born ta bring peace ta the entire world. Aye lass, I would in an instant. Would ye not also?"

Turning back to Allanon, "Ye now know ye will have a daughter. If that changes history who knows. Should ye send us back to our own time; I canna say. We all have choices ta make. We seek the same end; a world where evil does not hold sway. If it will help, I can commune with Odin and see if he can she some light on the issue at hand."

"You want to know what happens for the next 1200 years?,,..What you need to know is that because of you Trilogy thrived in relative peace,.The absents of the Iron Maiden seems to have severely reduce the strength and threat of Karza,. If that evil thing ever were to return to his hands then the death and sacrifice done here would be wasted."
If the sword had been destroyed then Karza may have lost all that power he poured in it and may never have been able to raise his army again,but then maybe one his minions, the shadow wraiths, would have raised the army,.At any rate, that army has been raised, it is spreading over Trilogy and we need to return,..As for your daughter.. well we don't know how or when that happened. ,and how you spread your seed is known only to you,. So if you don't destroy the sword be sure to complete the challenges you are building in the mountain, only the true in purpose assisted by your heir will be able reach their goal. But even then only your word will allow her to survive."

Ulthok added just as quickly, but it was the Elf Sirene's words that had brought the Valar Mages head up from where it had dropped lost in deep thought.

"The Elf lady is correct we cannot destroy the sword in this time as the only place that it can be destroyed is the place where it was forged, Mount Doom. Even now the remains of my brother's armies flee back to Cirath Ungol, the numbers making it almost impossible to travel there, even on the backs of dragons. No we have a bigger problem and all of us now, myself included, must find a way back to your time. You keep telling me of a daughter I do not have and never will have. You see I cannot have children, none of the Valar could, the penalty of having been gifted with a greater life span. Whoever this person you continue to call my child is, she is not my daughter.........."


(DM OOC: Sorry for the day late post but was in a state of semi-shock yesterday and was in no mood to finish this and post it. Baring any unforeseen drama next post next Sunday the 27th.)

"The Elf lady is correct we cannot destroy the sword in this time as the only place that it can be destroyed is the place where it was forged, Mount Doom. Even now the remains of my brother's armies flee back to Cirath Ungol, the numbers making it almost impossible to travel there, even on the backs of dragons. No we have a bigger problem and all of us now, myself included, must find a way back to your time. You keep telling me of a daughter I do not have and never will have. You see I cannot have children, none of the Valar could, the penalty of having been gifted with a greater life span. Whoever this person you continue to call my child is, she is not my daughter.........."
They had a valuable new clue on how to destroy the sword, but Mount Doom? But Ulthok felt much better when he heard Allanan say "We", even though he was referring to the problem. The mage was hoping the others also heard that Allanan intended to return with them and that could really be a problem. Ulthok decided not to address that now.

Instead he would try to learn more of Allanan's relationship to the one claimed to be his daughter. "You say you could not have a daughter. But do you know of a Valar known as Althena Sunblayze? Can you tell us about her?"

"Well lad, ye say ye can nae have children. Is that with those of your own kind? I mean no disrespect but could this lass be a half-breed? All we know is she came to us claiming ta be your daughter and she was able to handle the sword with no ill effects. Perhaps it is a riddle we will answer in the future. Have ye any idea how ta get us back home"

Siréne pursed her lips in thought. The valar claimed fathering a child was not possible for him. It was a strange thing, this price for celestial immortality. What did longevity have to do with progeny? The faery folk knew an immortality of sorts, but they could bare children as easily as any mortal. Her people were as tied to the earth as they were to the stars, and perhaps the answer lay in that. It was a philosopher's question, one she would ponder in another lifetime.

Allanan's promise of a return brought a smile to her lip. For whatever reason, they would be living this prison in the past and returning to their own time. It was true that their very presence brought forth some change to the flow of time, perhaps is leaving now they would avoid utterly shifting the course of 1,000 years of history. It was a small hope, but that was all she could hold onto.

Nodding to the great mage, Siréne began, "Allanan, we thank you for your aid in returning us to our most urgent quest. If the demon blade must be destroyed at Mount Doom, then we shall see this done. I know not any magicks that can send us back through time, and so I place our fates in your hands."

Pausing, Siréne pressed a finger to her lips. With time, her full power would retrun to her but time was a luxury they did not have. She had kept her diminished strength a secret but dare she reveal it now. Could she place herself even more fully in the Valar's hands.

Meeting the mage's gaze with her own, Siréne continued, "This flight through time has sapped me of my strength. In time, that power will return to me, but I fear we do not have that time to wait. I must ask another boon of you, help me heal faster and return to my full self. For that, and all you have done, I will be forever in your debt."

Being surprised that Allanan could not have a daughter was an understatement. Rayne had know Althena for a while, and had even fought beside her. Not once had she suspected that Althena had been hiding something that large from them. Maybe she was an adopted daughter? Could all Valar carry the sword without being corrupted? Or only Althena and Allanan?

Fortunately, Allanan seemed to have decided that everyone would go to the future. This meant that he had decided that they were not going to try to steal the sword to give to Karza. Feeling a surge of relief, Rayne asked Allanan, "As you said, we have to get back to the future. Do you have an ideas what we would have to do to get back?"

Lothor was pleased to hear that Allanan was going to help them - even to the extent of returning with them. His little speech must not have been too bad. But it also made him think about changing history again. He wondered when the others would realize that taking Allanan out of the past might be an even bigger change then putting themselves into it? It didn't really worry Lothor - there were simply much bigger issues to consider. But he could almost see the panic when they realized . . .

But Allanan's statement that Althena could not be his daughter made him pause in his consideration of time travel panic. Who was she? He wasn't normally inclined to stick himself into a conversation between mages, but he couldn't help it. "She can't be your daughter? But she can hold the sword. What exactly determines who can hold the sword? That would seem to set the limits as to who she could be."

He wasn't used to stepping on the toes of mages, but he was used to commanding men. He felt oddly well suited to the discussion.

As Allanan once more listened to the parties thoughts he waited for all to quit respecting them to finish speaking.

"I cannot have or ever shall I have a daughter it is not in any of the Valar's DNA to reproduce. As for any Valar known as this Althena Sunblayze, no there was no Valar named this as there was only the circle of 12,
Karza, Kaladrial and myself at the forefront. The other nine as your history has written did indeed become the Shadow Wraiths as you call them. Karza created this sword as a Valar though one filled with hate and evil and so only a Valar may carry it without harm.
Of the nine I can only think of one that could carry such a masquerade off, that being Soulcatcher. It would be very like her to gain what Karza sought only to tease him and not return right away, even going so far as to seem to fight against him. Call her a bipolar lover of him. For sure she would give it up to no one other then the Dark Lord himself so this incident on the bridge makes sense. What if the other Wraiths did not know of this task, what if only Karza between them knew." A tired sigh escaping him and a breath taken Allanan continued.

"Too many questions with no sure answer. In your history you say it states that I took the Steel Maiden and secreted it away before disappearing myself. I think you are the reason I disappeared, as if Karza truly does live, then I must travel with you to your place of time to stop him. With the sword possibly returned or about to be I am the only one strong enough to counter him. As for the sword it is already contained within the mountain and will have to remain until you come to free it. I will also leave the note you found, perhaps it will give the one claiming to be my daughter a moment of surprise and lasting thoughts of its true nature. To change too much of past actions , right or wrong, good or bad, or even as small as leaving that note is risking to much change in your future. Also your histories state I disappeared while off hiding the sword and I feel strongly this is why returning you and I to your future."

Pulling a large wine skin he took a drink then passed it around to the now seated of kneeling party.

"Though it is clear I disappear it is not clear if to the future I do return us. The question becomes how I might do so, and that becomes difficult, as I do not myself have that kind of power. No one of this time, not even Karza, has that amount of power. There are certainly items holding what we need but which would work the best is going to take a bit of research. It is close to night I ask that you set a more permanent camp and allow me time to check and see what I might find by morning."

Standing he turns to move towards the open entrance and stops seeming to have forgotten something.

"Oh one more thing my dragon, Majesty, shall be returning soon so try not to shoot her as she is the only one near" With somewhat a mischievous grin on his face he entered the mountain and was cloaked in shadow once more.........

(DM OOC: Ok new post up and ready enjoy and next post once more same time next week)

Oh sure, thought lothor, "don't hurt the dragon" he says. Any who is going to tell the big beast not to hurt the little people? Maybe he could take a knee again?

But it made him smile. Worrying about a giant, hopefully friendly dragon, seemed like an improvement over being fried by an arch-mage or being stranded in the past. His life had certainly turned out to be more interesting than a simple farm boy had ever expected.

He looked around the ledge a bit, wondering if there was any firewood. "Anybody got anything we can use for a fire? It seems we have a little time to wait for Allanan and his dragon to return. I'm not against sitting around talking about these strange new circumstances in a bit more comfort than windswept ledge. Allanan seems to be making plans, which is good, but do we have any plans to make beyond simply accepting his?"

((OOC: I'm not quite sure what "mountain ledge" exactly means in this case. If there is a more sheltered place, presumably not in the door, he would indicate that as a place of rest. The ledge must be fairly decently sized. Also, if there is any firewood available he would collect some.))

Alyia sat fiddling with the pebbled an dirt before her iddly drawing patterns in the dirt before her, as she listened the the back an forth of the conversation.

looking down absentmindedly as the conversation paused Alyia started a bit an quickly wiped away the half formed summoning circle she had unknowingly doodled.

Alyia took the wine skin as it was passed around, but did not drink.

At the mention of dragon Alyia sighed in defeat. Doubting she'd be little like the pretty little perri was. Allanan's smirking grin irritated Alyia visibly.

"yes don't shoot my dragon, how about you tell your dragon not to fry us into little crunchy bits." Alyia half hissed in annoyance under her breath to herself.

As Allanan left Alyia looked around at the ledge as the party was left to their own devices.

"Donna worry lad, we will nae hurt your wee beastie when it comes. Dragons scale armor is not really a look dwarves appreciate." Cor laughed. "If our only problem was if we would hurt the dragon or it would hurt us I'd be much happier."

...try not to shoot her...
Siréne laughed at the thought, "I just wonder what will happen when a clan of exhausted companions comes face to face with an angry dragon. It's anyone's guess, really."

A mischievous light filled her eyes as her gaze fell on Ulthok. Pressing a finger to her lips, she laughed and met the halfling's eyes, "Perhaps we can appease this great dragon with a new delicacy. I doubt she's had the pleasure of halfling flambé..."