Silverguard Support

Log Info

• Title: Silverguard Support
• Emitter: Cryosanthia
• Characters: Cryosanthia, Serene, Seldan
• Place: A10: Temple of Daeus
• Time: Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 7:15 PM
• Summary: Serene visits Cryosanthia and the little dragon begs her for a hug. Giving one, the Silverguard soon finds her consoling Cryosanthia on her loss. Cryo avoids speaking about Lily for the moment, inquiring after Serene and discussing what she experienced after returning from the Sea of Mana. Seldan arrives, and is welcomed. Cryo warns him about his sword, explains what Eclavdran has done, and speaks of her anger regarding Aya. She shares her discouragement and despair, and both Silverguard tell her she is needed and must fight for her youngling. Cryo assures that she will, and adds that Cesran and Mikilos have a plan although she doesn't know what it is.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=<* A10: Temple of Daeus *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

The temple of the Sun Lord glitters golden beneath the same. Rather than walls, the majority of the temple is composed of what appears at first blush to be a raised round platform made of one of the largest slabs of marble likely in existence. Columns rise into the air as if to hold some massive ceiling, though instead of a normal ceiling, one finds the deep blue sky, studded by a disconcertingly close canopy of bright stars. One should not worry, however, as the rain never falls, and the wind never blows on this particular temple, but for a gentle breeze, whatever the weather outside may be.

Despite the austerity of the columns, warmth suffuses the grounds. A grand, marble statue of the Shining Knight stands a the center, a hand outstretched in benediction. Beside Him, the statue of Althea, their hands clasped in love. The central position of the temple to the others gives view to all of their children, and the two look upon one another with the solemnity of love that has been the center of so many tales and legends.

Masterfully designed mana lamps provide further soft, golden lightning where needed, their pedestals carved in the form of the Dragons of Light, over which Daeus is said to have dominion in His form of Draco Solis. Majesty, justice, and welcome suffuse the temple grounds. Around the central temple are a series of smaller buildings, each with a simple function and form. One houses the sacred book depicting some of the earliest known translations of the Laws of Light, which pilgrims from near and far come to visit. Another houses the well-appointed quarters of the Sunguards, and among all the ground bristle the Sunblades.

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  Appearing, in Order  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Cryosanthia  6'9"     291 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female    A dashingly tall, elegant white-scaled lizard woman.
Serene       6'2"     175 Lb     Eldanar/Charn     Female    Glacier meets granite meets strawberries.
Seldan       5'11"    187 Lb     Human             Male      Ginger-blonde human in armor wearing Eluna's symbol.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

The Temple of Daeus Complex. Cryosanthia's recovery room in one of the side buildings.

It's later in the day. Zeke is taking a nap, Seyardu has stepped out, and Cryosanthia is awake.

Awake, and bored. With one thing she desperately is trying not to think about, and nothing to distract her. She's almost convinced she can see the minute particles that form the wall in front of her. She's stared so hard.

Serene is shown the way to Cryosanthia's room of recovery. Few questions are asked; as much as a person might wish it otherwise, Serene has a certain amount of celebrity power... and it's possible she might be on the list of vetted visitors. Whatever the case may be, she is ushered inside after a knock on the door, assuming Cryosanthia's acceptance, with a warning to keep the noise level down.

"Yes, please come in, this one wishes visitors." Cryosanthia replies quietly to the knock, turning to see who has arrived.

She's lying on a bed, stomach down and covered in a white blanket which has 'Cryosanthia' embroidered on it. She seems... normal.

It's only when she sits up that it's clear she isn't. While still reptilian, her proportions are not those of a Sith'makar. She is more like a large cat, such as a cougar, in size and build. She has wings, one of which appears to be in terrible shape. There's a quiet clunking as several rocks slide off her back onto the bed.

She is a much smaller version of the dragon she was in the Sea of Mana. If one squints, she almost looks like herself. The grin and surprise in her voice are all Cryo, even if she's attempting to keep it down, "Serene! This one is so happy to see you? How are you? Have you recovered? How is... Seldan's other sword?"

"The sword is... safe." Serene grimaces even as she settles in against the wall beside the door. "No, not safe.. but contained. I dared not bring it here." Even so, the paladin doesn't look entirely happy with the decision. With that report out of the way, she gives Cryosanthia a lookover.. her expression betraying little besides grimness, as is her usual. She does tilt her head a little bit, however. "It appears the aftermath of our journey has left its mark upon you."

"This one is hoping it's not a permanent mark." Her scales are a dark grey, still white in places, but having the appearance of being slowly consumed by the mana that still fills her. As it was in that place, but at a slower rate. Her scars, her markings, all of them have a blue glow where before it was only when she casts.

She sits up on the bed, hind legs folded, resting on her haunches, torso raised with her hands... talon-claws, forepaws, pushing up. As the blankets slide away further, one of her wings looks completely black and withered, as does much of her tail.

Her voice is quiet, "This one is not evil, Serene. This one is herself. I... saw the look you gave me. I would never hurt you."

"Could you... give me a hug?"

Serene gives her head a small shake. "If you had turned to darkness, Cryosanthia, I would know." She isn't boastful. It's more of a statement of fact. And a hint of a promise. Then she shakes her head again. "I am not one prone to displays of affection, either," she tells dragonformed sith. Then closes her eyes for a moment, as if part of some great, internal struggle. Then she relaxes fractionally, pushes away from the wall and approaches the bed. "I will make an exception, this once." A pause, then adds, "And you will never tell a soul." Then she spreads her arms.

Cryosanthia reaches with her arms, like a feline wanting to be picked up, and embraces Serene. She's strong, very strong, and her scales are like armour against the paladin's. She holds on, holds tight. A shudder rocks through her, another.

Heaving breaths, accompanied by a long, mournful whine. A cry of despair, a call that will never be answered.

Cryo holds onto the strongest person she's ever known, the paladin who never smiles, borrowing what strength she can. She needs Serene to be her tower.

"She's..." Her words choke her, saying them makes it real. She doesn't want it to be. "She's gone." A squeeze, another long, quiet moan. All the things she's been holding back and hiding, covering with a cheerful veneer come out. "He took her. Killed her. Turned her into a demon. And I couldn't do a thing, I can't do a thing."

Some people are good at hugging. They have some natural instinct that tells them what just the right amount of pressure is, the right amount of warmth to give, the right amount of time to give. Serene.... is not one of those people. At best she is awkward at it. But then, even the best of huggers might find it awkward to hug while wearing armour, embracing a figure whose build is quite unlike their own. But Serene, having made up her mind, is undaunted, and does her best to convey some measure of comfort and reassurance as her arms circle around, best they can, the winged Cryosanthia.

Once the white sithmakar reveals the source of her deeper anguish, however, something clicks inside the paladin and her arms tighten, just a fraction, in response to Cryosanthia's grief. If she questions either who 'she' or 'he' is she doesn't press. Probably easy enough to guess either way. So she just holds.

And Cryosanthia holds on. The makari do not have tears, but her cry, her gasping breath, her difficulty with words, the tightness of the embrace. They all speak to her great grief, the despair that fills and crumbles her.

She manages deeper breaths, holds them, tries to grasp composure, cover what she feels. There is a moment, another, her arms relax, she no longer leans so heavily on the paladin, instead sits glumly in place.

"Thank you. There is hope. Aya, Mikilos, Cesran, others have said they will assist." Her head raises, shaking slightly, "it is not what I hoped to greet me when we returned."

When she feels Cryosanthia relax, Serene does as well, then lets her arms fall free as she steps back and regards the sith. "The darkness is ever a threat and touches those who stand against it more often and more viciously than those who hide from it. And it often strikes where we are most vulnerable. But there is always hope. I will do what I can as well, Cryosanthia. We shall save the ones we can, and avenge the rest."

There are footfalls in the hall outside. A familiar cadence, an armored step, steady and even, but slow, as one seemingly hunting for something. Voices from the door drift outside to Seldan, and he pauses, then taps on the door. "Cryosanthia, is it you?" The paladin's steady, even tones sound much, much better than when he'd left.

Cryosanthia pulls at the bed, watching Serene and nodding. She glances over at the corner, stares at it for a moment, then returns her attention to the arch-paladin. Her cihuaa remains asleep on the other bed in the room.

"It's all we can do. Thank you."

"Yes!" She hisses quietly, with some excitement. "Seldan, please enter. Zeke is sleeping. Also... this one is... messed up."

Serene steps out of the way to ensure she isn't blocking Seldan's view of Cryosanthia when he enters, for of course she recognized his voice as the sith makar did.

Seldan looks - normal. His usual stoic, steady self, armored and robed as is his usual wont. Both will remember him having been in great pain and very poor shape when they'd returned, but there is no trace of any of that now. The one difference is that the thin, silver headband is replaced with a much more complex, gem-encrusted one, one that seems to have no dominion whatsoever over the unruly shock of ginger-blonde hair that has escaped the leather thong that had sought to bind it, to little effect.

He enters, quietly closing the door behind him, but _stops_ in shock at Cryosanthia's appearance, blinking several times as if to ensure that his eyes are not playing tricks on him. "My brother's worry is not idle," he murmurs quietly, half to himself. "Peace upon your nest, and Her light upon your path. I trust you fare - as well as can be expected." From his sober, sad expression, he knows at least some of it."

Cryosanthia shakes her head slowly, and then sinks to lie on the bed. "Thank you, for visiting. This one hoped to see you. I'm glad you've recovered."

She closes her eyes, breathes slowly. It grows colder around her. Each time she says it, it's a little easier, though she has no wish for that.

"Lily... " She pauses, swallows, her hands grip the bed. Inhale. Exhale. "... is gone. He took her."

"Aya, Braelnoir, could not save her. This one was comatose. At the Tarrace." Her eyes are open, her pupils wide, but she seems to be maintaining control.

Something in Seldan's expression grows - reserved. Wary, almost, at the mention of Aya, but he only nods, in the way of one who knew. "So I was given to understand." The words are at once grave and gentle. "I am told that his evil works in my absence extended far further. Would that I had known." His eyes lower, but that does not last long, and he turns to Serene. "Well it is to see you as well, Serene, and see you hale. There are things of which I would speak, but not here."

With that, he turns back to Cryosanthia, the sober, gentle gaze deep with sadness - and something carefully controlled beneath it. "There are not words enough to heal this hurt. Naught but action shall serve. What of the others?"

Serene's head tilts to Seldan.. first in greeting, and then again in acknowledgement to his words to her. She's had her chance to speak with Cryosanthia, so she does not intrude on the reunion with words. But the ice in her eyes and the stoniness of her expression show plainly her own thoughts on Cryosanthia's plight.

Cryosanthia looks up at Seldan, oddly herself and otherworldly at the same time. Different enough it's hard to overlook, similar enough it's easy to forget. "Cesran is healed, Merek has been restored. Aya... is. This one does not know of Karelin or Kravar. Griva is well enough to call a meeting."

"This one..." She shakes her head.

"Mikilos, Sabina, Cesran, Aya, all say there is hope, that she can be reached and restored." The words come with little of that in them. "Zeke and Seyardu tend to this one, almost to their detriment. The nethercite is working slowly. My wing and tail... hurt."

"I'm holding myself together Seldan, because you need me, we need to... not fall apart." Her head shakes, "I wish. I had died in her place. I wish I had been there. This one will not quit but she wants to get off the stage. The agony is too great."

"Had you died in her place, there is naught you would be able to do to aid her now," Seldan points out in very low tones, almost unconsciously assuming a parade rest before the doorway. A protective stance, really. "Hold yourself not together for my sake, Cryosanthia, nor for the sake of revenge - but for hers. For others like her. For the town of Maridran. For those he may yet overcome and sweep away. You stand not alone, nor do you stand without hope, but without you to fight for her now, she stands no chance at all."

A brief inclination of the head towards Serene, in acknowledgement of her as well.

"It is unlikely either of you know, but I have a daughter," Serene breaks her silence. "She is full grown, by now, but does not know me. I have not seen her for many years. And yet.." The cowled head tilts towards Cryosanthia again. "And yet I would not hesitate to trade my life for hers. So I have some sense of what you feel, Cryosanthia. I also know I would move the heavens themselves to save her. Hold on to that. It is a mother's place to be strong for her children. And as Seldan says, there are many who need the likes of us to be strong for them."

"I am hollowed out Seldan. I've lost another foundling. I despair. The Egg-Watchers trained me to fight, protect the nestlings for others. It's..." The whitescale shakes her head. She can't explain. She does not have the words.

She looks at Serene, listens, understands that she understands. This helps. "This one has to, and will find the strength somewhere, there are... many, that need me."

Sensing, somehow, that he is the odd one in this conversation, Seldan inclines his head, but defers the speaking to Serene, turning his gaze towards her and nodding. "I shall not sire children, and so shall I not fully know the pain that you bear, but Serene speaks truly," is all that he says.

"I do not doubt that you will, Cryosanthia. Your spirit is not one easily quenched." Serene then turns her head, regarding Seldan. "I am heartened that you have returned. I trust your convalescence is complete, or near so? It is time we deal with this problem once and for all." A pause, then a scowl. "I never should have let it slide as I did."

"Please don't end up in your sword, Seldan." Cryosanthia says, exhaling slowly. She looks at Serene, focused, nodding slowly. "Cesran... is determined."

"I will heal and stand with you, but if I have not and there is a chance, do not hesitate. I trust you completely, Serene, after what you, Mikilos and Kira endured, all doubts regarding you vanished."

"After what we went through in the Void, we shouldn't be afraid of anything." The whitescale gazes at Seldan, "This one... is incredibly angry at Aya, but we have to get past that. She was vital in the Sea, we can't afford to fall apart."

"What does Master Cesran mean to do?" Seldan does not move while Cryosanthia, indeed stiffening when her name is mentioned. "I shall not end up in my sword, Cryosanthia," he adds with the faintest of smiles. "The decision brings me no pain. I was more deeply touched by the plague and its effects than most knew," he explains. "Do I sire a child, I risk sullying my family line." He leaves it at that, instead hardening his gaze when Aya is mentioned. "Tell me what troubles you, about Aya."

"The shadow warrior." Serene, too, seems interested in hearing what Cryosanthia has to say regarding Aya, and what the sith might have to say regarding Cesran's intentions.

"This one asked her if she had a pact with the Demon Duke, directly, and she evaded, and she did. It may be broken, she killed him in the shadow lands, but he likely will seek revenge." Cryosanthia says, "and she was there."

"This one is sorry, that adventures have cut short your lineage. This one worries they ruin hers as well." Her head shakes, "that much magic." The rest of her thought goes unsaid.

"Cesran has plans, but would not share them where they might be scryed. To bring Lily back, to end him once and for all. Seek him, Sabina or Mikilos. They will know more."

Her voice is an angry grumble, "When I have healed, I will ask him to use me whatever way works best."

Seldan listens quietly, impassively almost, and does not speak until Cryosanthia falls silent, but when it is done, shakes his head, with a small smile. "My cousins carry on the family name. It has been accepted by all, and I am free to do as I must. "That shall I do, that I might learn more of their plans." _Perhaps aid them, perhaps not,_ is left unspoken. "As for Aya - then it was as I feared." His demeanor and bearing become once more as the alabaster pillar. "I would not further divide us, but neither shall I place my trust in her." There's something he isn't saying.

Serene's frown grows steadily, if fractionally deeper. "Do remember that while these... pacts... are entered willingly, as I believe they must be, one such as He is quick to use coercion. Sometimes the choice is... not much of a choice, and to choose against this one is something few would survive."

"This one is aware, Serene. Death or in service to him. Both for..." Cryo's voice chokes again, and she shudders, staring at the corner and focusing on her breathing. Her claws clench up. Little head shakes. Deep breath.

She glances at the tea service on a side table, "Would... one of you make tea? This one... can't manage. There is one with a strong sedative."

She exhales, "This one has been having many dreams, with Eluna and all sorts. I am sure they are just imagination, they only tell me what I already know. I had hoped to share and speculate, but they are more mirthful things than I can manage right now."

"Aya cared for her too, Seldan. She and Braelnoir are..." Cryosanthia gives up on their defense for now.

About to speak, Seldan hesitates, then shakes his head. "Forgive me, I shall return presently." Without explaining, he turns and departs the room, letting the door close with a click behind him.

Serene takes it upon herself to prepare the requested tea, though it takes her moments to familiarize herself with the options. "Dreams.. sometimes they are from the Goddess," Serene admits while she works. "Other times they are simply our souls attempting to make sense of the knowledge we have gained. Puzzles being assembled while we sleep, our minds free to shift them around into different narratives."

Cryosanthia nods, stretching out on her bed, inhaling the scents as the tea is made, "That smells about right. There's a straw."

"This one... hoped for a happier return. To not have a wing I can't use, or my tail feeling like it's falling off. I'm glad you're okay, Serene. I'm sorry you have to bear Discord and... I wouldn't be any help."

Her talons curl, "I felt... just so good, when we won... and then it's like it's unravelling anyhow. I don't think she's sending these dreams. I think it's more the other thing, the making sense..."

"I wish... I was more like you. Although I'm the last one back this time, so... that's something."

When the tea is done, the paladin brings it to Cryosanthia, shaking her head as she does so. "It was good to win, Cryosanthia. This.. what is going on here, does not change that. What we did was important. Whatever comes next, you made a difference. And will again. And being more like me... I would not wish the price I have paid to be paid by anyone else. I cannot see all of the things you see, nor hear all of the things you hear. To be more like me would be to give much of that up, and I think that would be an immeasurable shame. Now.. sleep. We will talk more when you are recovered."