Aftermath

A balcony overlooking the Vanishing Isles.
The vast panorama of the Vanishing Isles stretches before this balcony in a limitless expanse of sea
and mist. Only a delicate balustrade of marble and glass protects against the steep fall from the
ivory tower to the world below, which seems at once beautiful and insignificant from these heights.
The water gardens of the Isle of Polaris sparkle enchantingly beneath the ever-present starlight of
this place, as does the bruised ocean, which shimmers like black glass under its quiet light. Every
so often, a distant island can be made out as the veil of mist parts to reveal gold and silver sands
on the horizon, beckoning beyond the temple's safe confines.
You see a single exit leading south.

Walking with a stiff-jointed gait, back rigid, Avaris makes his way over to the
balustrade and places his hands upon the marble with slow, deliberate motions, gripping the barrier
tightly. After staring out across the view for a time, his fingers squeezing tighter and tighter
upon the unyielding stone, he begins to shake - Subtly, at first, a simple quiver that runs up and
down his spine like the trailing finger of a spectral lover, but growing more and more intense until
he is forced to sit, leaning up against the railing as he curls his lower pair of arms about his
knees, squeezing tight. His antennae wrap about his eyes, blocking the world from view, and he
begins to take deep, steadying breaths, striving to master himself.

You think to yourself: The phantom sensation of vines coiling about him, throttling his ability to
move, rendering his struggles a futile, pathetic effort at delaying the inevitable. His lungs
filling with water, murky and warm, choking him as he gasps and heaves, reaching for air that simply
/will not come/. "Fortitude." The sound is faint, a distant, muffled word, distorted by drowning
waves. "Fortitude." Closer, now, a shade clearer.

A subtle light hovers around you, its presence gentle with concern as you feel the warmth of the
Lady Lantra surround you.

The points of his fingers dig into the golden chitin of his legs, sending out a
hideous screeching sound, a cousin to warping metal as Avaris's plating is gouged, the aureate
armour chipping and flaking. The inexorable progress of the trenches slows abruptly, his breathing
growing less unbalanced, his chest hitching less and less. Releasing his legs, he squeezes his
fingers into fists so tight that they creak. In a hoarse voice, so unlike the smooth harmonics of
his typical speech, he asks, "A..A moment, my Lady. Just- Just a moment. I shall be fine."

You think to yourself: The fortress of light, the forged blades of righteousness, is cracked - Not
broken, but dimmed. The rents seep liquid radiance, oozing like slow blood that congeals into
unsightly patches of roughly textured effulgence. The repair is gradual, a sense of grim
determination behind the process, but it proceeds, until all is patched up. Steadied.

Climbing to his feet, Avaris does not turn his head, dusting at the marks in his
legs before he straightens. Clearing his throat, he bows his head and utters a tight, "I am sorry
for that, my Lady. I did not think...I am comforted here, you see, and..." He falters, clenching his
fists, and then breathes. "Forgive me, my Lady. That was unseemly."

Soothing winds blow in with a calming sigh, drawing a veil of water and light that reveals a hazy
figure standing alone in the mist.

A balcony overlooking the Vanishing Isles.
The vast panorama of the Vanishing Isles stretches before this balcony in a limitless expanse of sea
and mist. Only a delicate balustrade of marble and glass protects against the steep fall from the
ivory tower to the world below, which seems at once beautiful and insignificant from these heights.
The water gardens of the Isle of Polaris sparkle enchantingly beneath the ever-present starlight of
this place, as does the bruised ocean, which shimmers like black glass under its quiet light. Every
so often, a distant island can be made out as the veil of mist parts to reveal gold and silver sands
on the horizon, beckoning beyond the temple's safe confines. Hazy mists obscure this veiled figure
from view, her silhouette shrouded in starlight.
You see a single exit leading south.

Barely discernible in a haze of mist, this veiled figure possesses a feminine silhouette that is at
once here and not, as if her true being is beyond true comprehension. She moves with the mystical
grace of water; at times, her very existence ripples like the reflection of a gazing pool, while
other moments, she blurs like a mirage dancing in the light. Starlight shrouds her in a white mantle
of sidereal radiance, twinkling to reveal countless constellations that form and reform to robe her
in the full panoramic vista of the stars. Within her hands, a single star lotus radiates a celestial
glow, blossoming in eternal bloom.
A veiled figure shrouded in starlight does not even register your presence as a threat.

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "There is nothing to forgive, My Avaris."

Lowering himself to one knee, Avaris does not lift his head to look upon a veiled
figure shrouded in starlight, his hands clasped over his heart - Shifting and fidgeting slightly. "I
should have been able to do more, my Lady."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "And what more would you have done? Even the slightest provocation will cause dry
kindling to spark."

The wings that drape across Avaris's back shift and stir in brief, agitated motions
as he replies, tone hardening, "I should have been able to learn more. I should have been clever
enough to...To learn something that will help You, help show the others what She is."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "Peace. The more you torment yourself, the more clouded your mind shall become in
the wake of Her fury. And is such chaos not what She wishes from you?"

The chanting of feminine voices echoes throughout the Temple of Lantra, distant and beautiful.

Avaris gradually stills, the spasmodic twitches of distress growing steadily less
frequent, until he is as unmoving as a statue once more. At length, he lowers his head yet further
in assent. "You are right, my Lady." A pause, and then, "Ah, I am selfish - I did not think to ask.
Are You well, my Lady? She did not harm You, somehow?"

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "Worry not for Me. Should Li-varili wish to take arms against Me, Atonement and I
shall be ready. Yet the Lady of the Lagoons and I have not spoken since Her return. It is as I have
told My Azula. She evades Us Elders, lurking in the shadows of Her lagoons.

Voice resonating with choral harmonics, you say, "Yes. She avoids confrontation because She is too
weak to face an Elder that is hale. She does much the same with questions, though not as artfully as
She believes."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "You speak of the Lady of the Lagoons as if She means ill against Us Elders. Is this
how it seems to you, then?"

With the utmost of certainty, voice heated with low, simmering anger, Avaris
confirms, "Yes. She will strike against anyone and anything that comes between Her and what She
desires, I feel. She will manipulate mortals that are too blind to see Her for what She is, and bide
Her time until She is strong enough for direct confrontations - Though She will not be idle in the
interim." Looking up, finally, earnest, he urges, "My Lady, I know You abhor violence, but now is
the time to strike. End Her before She causes ruin. Root out the infection before it spreads. You,
or Another. I beg of You."

Rhapsodic hymns emanate from within the depths of the chamber, fervent with devotion.

A veiled figure shrouded in starlight goes still at the words, the mists wreathing Her form shifting
and changing as Her expression remains inscrutable. "I do not doubt your fears," the voice of Lantra
echoes. "And yet, the Lady Li-varili's essence is not warped by the Elixir, as the Traitors have.
She has not fallen prey to the Wyrd, as Viravain has. She has merely returned from an eon of
suffering, and brought those years of anger with Her. I cannot punish one of My cousins on such a
judment alone. Nor is it My place."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "Her threats are like waves that break before reaching the shore. They have yet to
harm."

His gaze is searching upon a veiled figure shrouded in starlight, seeking
desperately to pierce the veil that obscures what lies within - And failing. Avaris's shoulders sag
subtly, a minute lowering, as he nods, the gesture small. "She would have, if given the chance. She
was twisted in other ways, long before the Seat. Even the Divine can be evil, I think, without
Elixirs, or cosmic forces at work." He breathes a heavy, resigned sigh. "They will be a tsunami
before long, my Lady. I can feel it." Lapsing into silence for a brief time, his voice is composed,
steady - Professionally calm, detached. "I will not strive to sway You, my Lady. I ask only that You
try to forgive me if I work against Her, however I can."

You think to yourself: A careful setting out of arms - Knowledge, laid out like cold, polished
steel. Strength of will, tarnished now, but whole yet. A closing off of softer aspects, armouring
himself for work that is grim, but necessary. All the while, at the back of his mind, whispering
doubts that are doggedly ignored, locked behind a barred, solid gate.

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "Perhaps. What knowledge We have gleaned is troubling, to say the least. I do not
doubt your intuition. And yet intent alone is not worthy of Divine punishment, but action. Would
that Raezon could be held accountable for His crime in fashioning the Morokeche Seat. Would that
Drocilla could be held accountable for placing Li-varili there. In the time of the Triumvirate,
there were many more of Us, bonded together against the Soulless. Now, precious little unites My
cousins beyond the city of Light and I, save for the threat of Kethuru."

Lowering his gaze to the floor, Avaris stares at it for a long while, before
speaking in a quiet voice, devoid of any true expectation. "Can a Triumvirate not be called?"

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "On what grounds, My Avaris? Fear?"

Avaris's upper right hand frees itself, only to curl its fingers into a fist, then
loosen, over and over. "She sought to take the Elixir. She is a Traitor, as much as the rest of Them
are. If not Her, then the Enchantress. Surely She has earned judgement once more."


Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "Her crime agains Li-varili was punished long ago with banishment to the Void. There
are those who would believe that justice already served."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "And Li-varili, however misguided, did not partake in the Elixir. Many may have
desired it in those years, but never admitted so in the wake of the trials."

"I am not one of them. Many good and innocent Elders suffered the same fate, by
necessity." Avaris utters, faintly bitter. Lifting his hand, he tugs at the largest of his right-
side antennae, frustrated. "I will not argue with You, Lady. Your good heart is why I love You so. I
should not seek to darken it to the dimness of my own." Bowing lower, still upon his knees, the
immense kephera nearly prostrates himself before a veiled figure shrouded in starlight. "I am sorry,
Lady. I will not trouble You with this matter further. I should not have in the first instance."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "More view Her as an object of pity than of danger. Were I to strike Her as you
suggest, such an action would not be deemed a heroic one." There is a pause, a flickering in the
veil of mist as the Goddess registers your words. "You do not trouble Me. Do not mistake My
statements as disagreement. It is merely the reality of the Havens. There is much to be wary of with
the Lady of the Lagoons."

A nod, a slight, jerking up and down of Avaris's lowered head. His tone is
respectful, but firm - Cool and flat as a blade. "As You say, Lady. I cannot do as You bid, however.
I will not pity Her. She is a danger, and I will not allow my sight to be clouded. Not now. Not
ever." Straightening to a more regular kneeling position, still with his gaze cast to the floor.
"You need not coddle me further, Lady. I am sound once more. Thank You for sparing Your time, and
Your energy. I know You have more important matters to attend to."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "There is no need to pity Her. Li-varili has proven She has fire in Her, even in Her
current state. I would advise caution and wariness."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "And though I do not expect to take arms against Her, I do not intend to be ally
Myself with Her, either."

Voice resonating with choral harmonics, you say, "I did not think that You would, Lady. I dearly
hope that You are permitted to remain neutral in this."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "As the years pass Me by, I become less and less neutral, and My convictions more
unwavering. Whatever ensues, I anticipate My reaction will be strong as ever."

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "But it is a matter for another time, and events as of yet unknown."

Avaris dips his head in acquiescence. "As You say. I would ask what You would have
me do, but..." The faint suggestion of a smile enters his voice, along with a paltry smattering of
motes of light within his eyes. "You trust is my Wisdom, and for me to use my own judgement, yes?"

Mists of water and light shimmer about a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as a calm, feminine
voice whispers, "You are learning, My Avaris."

A gentle rain whispers into existence, bearing with it a passing veil of mist; when it vanishes, the
shimmering figure is no longer to be found.

Lantra, the Empyreal has bestowed Her divine truefavour upon you. It will last for 5 months.

"Slowly. Too slowly." Avaris murmurs, to himself, before saying more loudly, "Thank
You, Lady." Rising, he does not spare the vista behind him a parting glance, instead striding
purposefully off, the blades of his talons striking a grim rhythm upon the floor.