RYE - Recognition

- Reveal the stone to Isendral, and tell her everything you know about it.

- Give her the stone if she demands it.

In Puum’kynzid’s palm rested a smooth, round, pale stone of opaque off-white crystal. It was small and light, no bigger than the skink priest’s hand, and it narrowed slightly at one end, almost resembling a water droplet in shape. A dim, muted glow emanated from its surface, and Puum’kynzid’s scales hummed and itched where it rested, as if filled with static electricity.

Isendral was transfixed by it, standing so utterly still that she could have been mistaken for a frozen image. Her eyes sparked with a deadly intensity, and her features somehow grew more severe, her bones standing out at sharp angles underneath her skin. ”Explain.” Her voice was low but sharp, fracturing the tomb-like silence that had sprung up.

Puum’kynzid explained, reciting every one of the facts that lord Ahi-Mun had painstakingly engraved into their memories. They told her of the stone’s first sighting, hanging from a crude cord around the neck of the Warboss Wurkaz Slashytoof. They detailed the circumstances of the Warboss’ assassination, and the retrieval of the stone – emphasizing that at the time of its recovery, the lizardmen were unaware of Isendral’s presence upon the planet, and only suspected a connection between the stone and the then-uncharted southern continent.

Isendral’s face betrayed no hint of her thoughts – she could have been carved from marble. ”And the intervening decades? What were you doing with it between then and now?”

“Nothing,” Puum’kynzid assured. “It was safeguarded in our vaults while other matters occupied the attention of the slann. We -”

”I need details.” Isendral was suddenly very close to Puum’kynzid, though to all appearances she seemed not to have moved. ”What kept you from bringing this to my attention?”

The air around the Eldar priestess was suffused with an excruciating tension, the promise of violent motion kept tightly chained. Puum’kynzid’s heart thundered like an avalanche as they met Isendral’s eyes, and it was an effort of will to keep their breathing slow and their movements relaxed. Their only reassurance was the feeling of dew on their scales, and the knowledge that Ayotzl was with them. “Our issues were twofold,” they said, managing to keep their voice stable. “The Sublime Communion arrived on this world afflicted by a powerful curse cast upon them by Chaos. Much of their effort was needed to destroy the shackles placed upon their minds. At the same time, it was determined that our forces as they stood would not suffice against the Uax once the time came to purge them. Restoration of our former operational capacity was a necessity if we wished to survive.”

The words hung in the air for a moment. Isendral blinked, once. ”And what changed this calculus?”

Puum’kynzid hesitated, for the slann had not enlightened the skink priest on why exactly they had decided to act now. They began to articulate this, only to abruptly realize they were not in control of their body, and that another voice was issuing from their mouth, one deep and resonant that spoke in self-contained gusts of magic rather than vibrating sound waves. ”The shape of things became clearer as we learned more,” the slann ribbited from within their throat. ”The power within the stone was evident from the start, but its nature was less clear. We were reluctant to allow a potentially devastating artifact loose without knowing it fully. The revelation that the Uax came here via outside interference, along with a knowledge of the stone’s contents, were data points that convinced us that disclosure was necessary.”

Isendral did not speak, instead raising a single eyebrow in an unspoken inquiry.

”We found that the source of the stone’s psychic repository was a soul,” the slann voice continued. ”One similar in scope and breadth to your own. It is sealed within the lattice of the stone, and intertwined with a subtle spell that will cause the accompanying mind significant psychological harm if triggered. The activation trigger on this spell is presumed to be if the seal of the artifact is broken and the soul released. Not a ward, but a trap.”

”I would presume you were prudent enough to not interact with what the stone contains, then.”

"Correct,” came the voice ribbiting from within Puum’kynzid’s throat. ”Proper isolation of variables is of utmost importance when dealing with unknown situations. The Communion acted according to this principle, and accrued as much data as possible before committing to this course of action. We believe that we have learned enough to hypothesize what may have occurred to cause this situation. If permitted, we will elaborate.”

Isendral pursed her lips and furrowed her brow, then nodded sharply. With a flick of her wrist, the flowers growing out of the walls extended and intertwined themselves to form a makeshift throne, upon which she sat. Her face was placid and still, but the vines and stems writhed and shifted energetically as she regarded Puum’kynzid with an unwavering glare. ”Proceed,” she said.

Puum’kynzid’s muscles began to twitch and move of their own accord as the slann took more direct control. More than one of them were watching through Puum’kynzid’s eyes; the quiet rumbling of their thoughts echoed off the interior of the skink priest’s skull. ”Assessing collected data in chronological order of occurrence,” the slann began, ”There are the following points to consider.”

“One: two psychically powerful beings, now confirmed as yourself and Ysumar, arrive on the world and establish corresponding strongholds on the poles. The Ayacmanik are created on the central continent, and some amount of disagreement is had regarding their intended final state. Corroborated by your own admission and Ayacmanik core memories accessed by the Communion ninety solar rotations previously.”

Meticulously-crafted holographic projections issued forth as the slann spoke, providing a visual accompaniment to the explanation.

”Two: You and Ysumar withdraw into slumber to allow Ayacmanik development. During this time, something impacts the northern continent with sufficient force to trigger an earthquake that affects the central continent. Ysumar’s stronghold is reduced to its current state, and he himself vanishes. Soon afterwards, uax arrive on the central continent and begin clashing with the Ayacmanik. Again given evidence by Ayacmanik racial memory extraction.”

An image of a crystalline spire mirroring Isendral’s was obliterated by an incoming fireball, and the view zoomed out to display the slann’s simulations of the geographic upheaval such an impact would have caused. A smoothed-out translation of one of the early Ayacmanik memories faded into view, of the oversoul watching from the trees as an army of orks crashed their boats into a shoreline.

”Three: The balance of power remains stable between the Ayacmanik and the Orks for several centuries. This is disrupted by our arrival, and you are awoken. Notably, your awakening was facilitated by a geological event of intensity similar to that of the northern impact, which you were not awoken by. Upon examination of the stone, evidence is uncovered that it contains an entity similar in scope to yourself, and is sealed with a hidden enchantment set to go off if the entity is released. In the process of investigating the wreckage at the northern pole, we uncover evidence of a third Eldar’s existence, subject ‘Lauvanel’, referred to as a Shadowdancer. Subject is inferred to have employed Uax mercenaries to eliminate an unknown target.”

An image of the ork kaptin, taken from Gravex’per’s memories, bloomed in the air - a swarthy, boisterous figure, tricorn hat perched atop his head and an indistinct glowing item clutched in his hand.

”Until exact identification of the entity inside the stone can be conducted, the answer cannot be determined with certainty. In the moment, however, the Sublime Communion’s conclusion is definite - the circumstances on Mochantia were altered by an outside party, highly likely to be subject Lauvanel. They lured the Uax here, and facilitated the presence of the stone this body now holds. It is probable the enchantment woven into its sealing matrix is also a product of their interference. The Communion also considers it possible that you were kept in slumber as the aforementioned acts were taking place. Factors such as motive cannot be determined without further evidence.”

Isendral drank in this information with the utmost focus, her only reaction being a minuscule narrowing of her eyes. The slann could feel her thinking, digesting the information that had been presented to her, and felt the gears of fate clicking into a fixed configuration.

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Isendral’s Considerations:

+ 6/10 Trust

+ Familiar Faces (Consistent interaction every available turn)

+ Full Disclosure

+ Unmarked Stone (Didn’t meddle with the stone before showing her)

+ Mercy Freely Given (Have not taken excessive aggressive actions against the Ayacmanik despite being granted permission)

- Sanctity Breached (This is a deeply personal topic)

- Decades Unanswered (Despite suspecting a connection for decades, refrained from informing her until now)

Breakpoints: 10/20/40/60/80

Roll: 99/100: Compassion’s Recognition

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A smile crept across Isendral’s face, and the looming atmosphere of tension dissipated with the surety of the dawn breaking the night. All of a sudden the Eldar looked very weary, and slumped back in her throne of vines. ”You have my thanks for bringing this to my attention,” she said, her tone softer than before. ”I’ll have to take some time to come to my own conclusions about what may have happened here, but for now, know this - Lauvanel is a name I am familiar with. He and I have crossed paths across many lifetimes, and though he is as erratic as any Shadowdancer of Loec tends to be, I have only ever known him as a friend.” Her expression darkened. ”Why he’d go to such an elaborate conspiracy as to make me believe my husband was missing … I don’t know. But I will find out, and it begins with this.”

She gestured, and the stone floated out of Puum’kynzid’s hand, hidden sigils highlighting themselves in stark red upon its surface. ”Properly unwinding this trap without triggering it would be possible for me, but my gifts are not inclined towards the intricacies of mental artifice, so it would take time. If it is Lauvanel that has done this, he will almost certainly know once it has been meddled with, and it will not be long before he arrives to investigate. I shall require the assistance of your Communion in order to free whoever is within this Tear in a timely fashion. I will not make a formal demand, for your people have been nothing but forthright and have become involved in this through no fault of your own. If you wish it, I will arrange passage offworld to an uninhabited planet of your choosing, someplace where you can grow in safety, and leave my troubles to me.”

The offer hung in the air, devoid of any sense of aggression or malice, yet somehow heavier than any declaration of war.

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In recognition of your efforts to be truthful with her, and your consistent demonstrations of respect for her property, creations, and planet, Isendral extends an offer - she will bring you to a planet free of opposition, suited for lizardmen habitation and situated in a galactic neighborhood that would allow the safe growth of a modest interstellar power. You will not be pulled any further into the destructive intrigues of the Eldar, and leave her to resolve her predicament with the information you have given her.

Do you accept?

[] Accept the offer (The quest, as it is, will conclude after this turn. There will be a series of votes to choose the planet, sector, etc of your starting point in the next arc. Any hanging plot threads will remain unresolved, and come to a conclusion independent of lizardmen interference. You are guaranteed a limited duration of time where the Eldar Dominion will ignore your existence in the next arc.)

[] Decline the offer (In the following turn, Isendral will ask you to donate a currently unknown, but significant portion of slannpower in order to unravel the insanity enchantment around the stone before whoever wove it comes looking. You will have a limited amount of time to prepare for their arrival, and the chance of being caught in the crossfire between Dominion Eldar is moderate. You will be allowed to remain on Mochantia, and see the situation through, come what may.)

A/N: Y'all got so goddang lucky with that roll. Which is to be expected of the dice, I suppose! And here I am trying to make Isendral intimidating.