The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into The Synod Debacle

 The Search For Kathea, A Leap Into The Synod Debacle

    After a hearty breakfast, Kintyra is safely in the Fortress, the Throne room trap set and ready to go. Iriisii gets up and walks into the Throne room looking for anything that might alert the Synod. Seeing nothing, she steps up to the throne, sits, and nods to the page at the door to allow the Synod to enter. They place themselves at the bottom of the steps leading up to the throne, as Iriisii addresses them.

     "Members of the Imperial Synod, you asked for this audience with me and so I have granted it. Now, will you inform me of the matter you wish to discuss?"

     One of them steps forth and begins speaking of their attempts to gain entrance to several locations of interest, yet the Lord Chancellor Blackwell has forbidden their efforts until such time as they could approach the Throne and make their grievances heard. The conversation drones on, and Iriisii carefully watching out of the corners of her eyes, sees a pair of Synod members creeping around the edge of the Throne room. Keeping to the shadows they make their way to the steps up to the Royal Quarters behind the throne where she is sitting.

     She lets a yawn escape to lull them into thinking they can get by. She only allows this because she knows what is waiting for them when they step into the quarters and discover Kintyra is not there. It does not take long before two screaming bodies come dropping out of the observation deck above the throne room. The splat they make as they hit the floor, copious amounts of blood splashing from the impact, splattering on the Synod members standing below the Throne.

    Iriisii stands gathering her power if needed to stop whatever they have planned. Some of the Synod turn and attempt to run for the door, but the Feydakeen warriors stepping out into the light forestall any further movement in that direction.

     "It would seem that the trap has been spun back upon the trapper. Know that the one pulling your puppet strings has abandoned your fates to my tender mercies. And I desire to know what it is that he expected to acquire from your efforts?"

     The members of the Synod remain silent.

     "This is truly unfortunate that you feel more afraid of him than you are of me. You are supposed to be men of learning and intelligence, yet you allow yourselves to be seduced by a Daedra with promises of forgotten and even forbidden knowledge. Surely you know of the fate that awaits you in his service? I have seen the fates of two of his servants, Septimus Signus, ah I see you recognize the name.

     He is now nothing more than a pile of ash inside of a Dwemer Lockbox that his master led him to with the purpose of opening it. He was told that it contained the 'Heart of Lorkhan', but I am sure you and I both know that is not possible, the 'Heart' was destroyed by the Nerevarine. As to what was in the lockbox? That was Hermaeus Mora's 'Oghma Infinium'. I have it placed in safekeeping, where even 'He' cannot reach it.

     Now as on to his second servant, he was called Miraak, once a Dragon Priest and also a Dragonborn. He might have even been the 'first' Dragonborn, of that claim I am not certain. But he did turn against Alduin and tried to set up his own kingdom on Solstheim. The dragons nearly brought his temple down around him while he was embroiled in a battle with another Dragon Priest. Hermaeus Mora took him to Apocrypha just before he was to lose his life after being defeated in battle.

     There he stayed, serving Hermaeus Mora for quite some time until his desire to return and finish what he started led him astray. Hermaeus Mora tried to bring the two of us together and claim victory when we did meet. However, it was my decision to go to Solstheim and deal with Miraak. Anyway, I carved my way to the very top of Apocrypha to face Miraak. And after defeating him in combat, Hermaeus Mora killed Miraak, and I watched as his body dissolved into ash. He has still made yet more attempts to have me become his Champion, and I have refused each time.

     For I know what fate lies ahead for his servants when they are no longer of use to him. I also know he blusters a great deal, making all kinds of claims that are very much untrue. Answer me this, have any of you seen what those who abandon life here on Nirn to spend their lives in Apocrypha seeking after his lost knowledge, eventually become? No? I did not think so, for if you did, there is no way you would allow yourselves to come under his influence. It is still possible there may be hope for some of you if you have not given yourselves completely to him.

     I will give you some time to think and reflect on what you have done and whether you still have faith in your master, or if his abandonment of you has soured the relationship. Guards take these gentlemen to their new quarters to rethink the direction of their lives, while they still have their lives."

     The Palace Guards take the Synod members and frog-march them to the dungeons, each to their own cell. Until such time as Iriisii decides if any can be salvaged. Blackwell came out of hiding as the last of the Synod was taken away.

     "Your Majesty! I could not have done better myself, that was masterful."

     "I have had a very good teacher, but those two made an awfully bloody mess on the floor. It did have the effect I was looking for though, the Synod got the message loud and clear. Now we just need to let them stew for a while and see which one breaks first."

     "Can any really be salvaged?"

     "Possibly, there are signs that I am aware of to look for. Their presence or absence will tell me who can be allowed to live and who we cannot allow living. It is such a waste though, but the way these turned out is a waste in itself. I do not know what it is, I have seen it in other mages as well, not all by any means, but enough to be concerned."

      Suddenly she receives a mental message from the Custodian and asks, 'what has happened?'

     'According to your previous orders, all forces on Tuo have backed away into camouflaged areas or went into stealth. A small fleet of ships of an unknown design has entered the system and is heading to Tuo. You have previously requested to be informed of any activity of this sort occurring. I have activated the 'door' you ordered and placed it there when you are ready to go.'

     'You said the report stated the ships are of an unknown design?'

     'Yes, your agent on the world has specifically stated that you are to be informed of this. She says these are not the same ships that belong to the fleet occupied by the Demogorgon and the Wraiths. That fleet is still coming but not yet entered the system.'

     'Has my agent been able to intercept any communications from this fleet?'

     'Yes, I will play the recording for you now.'

     As Iriisii listens to the recording, she cannot help but feel there is something familiar about it. She sets her ancestral memories to try and translate it or at least interpolate some kind of meaning from it.

     'I am on my way, have a legion of Feydakeen prepared to transport to Tuo on my command. I may not need them but until I know for certain who this is, why are they coming to Tuo, and what their purpose is, I want to be prepared. Send word to any battle-ready ships in the system to quietly power up their systems in case they are needed.

     One more question, what is the physical state of this fleet, is it showing current or recent battle damage, or is it in a capable state, also have my agent keep alert for possible pursuit following.'

     'Sending return message now, state of approaching fleet is showing signs of recent battle damage, gaseous leakage detected from damaged hulls, some drives are borderline operational, scanning for further damage assessment.'

     Iriisii waits for the results to be sent to her.

     'Damage assessment is serious, the fleet must be able to land on the world. The assessment says too risky to use current ships to board and conduct stabilization repairs. Once on the world, drives can be shut down to reduce risk of contamination to an acceptable level.'

     'Can the fleet land safely, or can we assist in that at least?'

     'Suggest you proceed to Tuo and initiate englobement of the fleet in a force bubble, reduce temporal flow rate inside by at least fifty percent, then bring the fleet to a controlled landing. I can remotely initiate drive shut down once they are on the world.'

     'I am on my way, maintain comm link, extend the link to all other ships in the system to be ready to extend whatever additional assistance that will be needed once I am on the world.'

     'At your command, Goddess.'

     Iriisii finds Yennefer on the way to the 'door' in the Royal Quarters, "I have an emergency to look into on Tuo, you are in charge here until I return. The Custodian will keep you informed of what is happening, I do not have time to waste in getting there. Please stay on top of this until I can confirm it is not a part of what just went down with the Synod."

     "How could it?"

     "I have no idea at present, just a gut feeling that several things Hermaeus Mora may have his tentacles into are being played all at once. If it really is him, he has just seriously overplayed his hand and I am ready to cut it off for him."

     "Good luck then, I will be here if you need me."

     "Thanks, keep Blackwell busy with planning an expedition to Atmora. We will tackle that next."

     "I will be careful."

     "Where are you off to now, without me again?!"

     "Tuo."

     "I thought things were pretty calm there."

     "So did I, we have a small fleet of battle-damaged ships coming in. I need to get there and get them down on the ground, fast. I suspect they may have come across the Demogorgon and the Wraiths, so he may be close behind them. But I need to see why they are even there in the first place. I am leaving Yennefer in charge until I can get back, help her all you can will you?"

     "Of course, and thank you for bringing me home. I feel much better knowing I am so close once more."

     "Need any help?"

     "Dettlaff! If you want to come and help, then let us get moving." Iriisii turns back to Rigmor and gives her a kiss, "a down payment on later."

     "I am holding you to that, you too tall, dark, and deadly, bring both of yourselves back safe, ok?"

     "I promise," as he holds Rigmor in a strong hug.

     "Hey now, don't I get a kiss as well?"

     He looks to Iriisii who just smiles, "turn your head, I am this way not over there."

     Before he has a chance to do just that, Rigmor grabs the back of his neck and pulls him down to her into a kiss that promises the world, then pushes him away, 'you have to get going. No time to play right now." And as he turns to go to the door where Iriisii is waiting, Rigmor smacks him on his butt with a sharp 'crack' of sound. "Ooooh, I like the sound of that." Dettlaff looks back at her with a 'just you wait until I get back' kind of look. To which Rigmor replies, "I will be looking forward to that, trust me."

     Iriisii shoves him through the 'door', "move it before you start something you can not put off." Then turns back to Rigmor, "I will bring him back in one piece, I promise. I want to see what you do to deliver." And strides through closing the 'door' behind her. 'Hmmm, maybe I should go and speak to 'Desidarius' just in case.' Walking off in search of Ilyria.

     On Tuo, "calm yourself and let us see just what in Oblivion is going on."

     "What do you know right now?"

     "There is a small fleet of ships getting close, been through a hard fight, seriously damaged. Too dangerous for other ships to dock and carry out emergency repairs so I am going to raise a force bubble around them, then slow time within the bubble, and bring them down to the surface. The Custodian will shut down their drive systems once I have them on the ground. Then I need to see to emergency needs, and find out who they are and why are they here. Also, keep an eye out, whoever hit them may show up to finish the job, and no, we have nothing solid on who it was."

     "Reinforcements or just the two of us?"

     "I have a full legion of Feydakeen standing by if we need them."

     "Whoa, a full legion, that is some heavy reinforcements!"

     "Being if I do not know if either group involved are friendly or not..."

     "Don't take unnecessary chances, got it."

     "Have you fed recently?"

     "No, are you volunteering?"

     "Anytime, anyplace, just don't take much. Have no idea what it is going to cost me to bring those ships down safe."

     "Understood, wrist or neck?"

     Iriisii offers him her wrist, he seems disappointed but accepts her offer. He barely gets his teeth into her wrist before the power in her blood is searing its way through him. He takes a mouthful and seals the punctures.

     "Are you close to another rung on the ladder?"

     "Maybe, why?"

     "The power level in your blood is off the scale. One mouthful and I have never felt this charged before. I thought you were almost at the peak."

     "So did I, then I was informed there are more that no one has reached before, so we will be breaking new ground. Look up there", as Iriisii points to a cluster of moving points of light. As she contacts the Custodian, she asks her ancestral memories if they have been able to make sense of the message.

     "We can not make sense of it as it is encrypted, but we can translate any message you wish to send or receive so that you can communicate with those who sent it."

     "Good, I see them above heading this way, I will need to speak with them before beginning to bring them down. Dettlaff are you ready for this?"

     "As ready as I will ever be, where you are concerned."

     Iriisii chuckles, "very well. Damaged ships above Tuo, if you can hear and understand, I am Iriisii Dovahkiin. I know the trouble you are in and am prepared to assist you. It is too dangerous to dock and repair, I will need to bring you down to the planet's surface. When you are close enough I will form a force bubble around you to absorb any shock or turbulence as I bring you down. Once down your ship's drives will be automatically shut down to prevent any further damage. You will be under my protection while you are on the surface. If the one who damaged you comes forth, he will have to get by me to get to you, and I do not think he has the power to do that no matter what he thinks."

     She senses deep but quick conversation between the vessels of the fleet. She understands how they must feel in the current circumstances, but survival is what they desire most now, and that means taking a huge chance that she can do what she says she can do. And she just might be who they were sent to find. She creates a force bubble between her hands and ties a tether to it, then sends it out to where the fleet is moving closer and closer.

      It only takes a minute to arrive, it moves to the center position between all of the ships and then expands as Iriisii pushes power through the tether. Once it has expanded to encompass all of the ships she lets go with the 'Slow Time' shout empowered by 'Evocation', and sends it through the tether as well. Once it arrives at the bubble, time is slowed down inside the bubble. She then directs the bubble to move quickly onward into the atmosphere, and she brings all of the ships to land in a very large grassy plain. Once all are solidly on the ground she dissolves the force bubble, slow time releases the ships, and the Custodian shuts down the drives.

      She then waits to see who will come out of the lead ship, for she needs to see to heal any injured, and then she has questions that need answers. She hears the gush of pressure-equalizing and a hatch door begins to open, once fully open three figures only one of which is even vaguely humanoid walk out. Of the other two, one is shaped like a large insect, walking on two hind legs with six more folded against its hard chitinous shell. The third looks reptilian but not like the Argonians she is familiar with. This one has no legs but moves side to side moving forward.

     She walks forward with Dettlaff at her side, as she approaches she asks after any wounded needing attention on any of the ships. The insectoid chitters and clicks toward her, her ancestral memories translate as she calls for the Custodian to transport healers from her ships scattered about the system.  A 'door' forms out of thin air with crystal framing, as it opens a full contingent of healers come through. Iriisii instructs where they need to go and opens small portals to the more distant ships for the healers to get to their patients quickly. 

     The three look at the 'door' in amazement, wondering what kind of new technology is this, or perhaps something from those they once called the Ancient Ones. Beings that came and went as they pleased, some simply watched as the lessers went about their lives, and others stayed for a time teaching and mentoring. Still, others came to trade, to take, to enslave. 

     They learned over time to gather their knowledge and learn its uses, both for peace and for war. The Great Ancients had all left long ago, those others also left for a time but came back. And once they returned they did not find those living on the other side of the 'gates' they erected to be the same weak, pliant, peoples. Devastating wars were fought, and whole worlds died, only now bringing new life back unto their surfaces, their caverns, their waters. 

     They look upon this shining female, different from those they know but strangely the same. They then think of the words of he who sent them out on this journey, who gave them the course to follow in their starships. He did not lie to them about the dangers or it seems that also about the gains that could come, and the allies they would meet. Allies to help them fight against the return of an enemy they had thought driven from their places in the vast Realm they know as Mundus.

     Could she be one of the 'Lost Ones' or at least descended from them? People were taken from their homes in the blink of an eye, never more to be seen or sensed. Their worlds are still whole, but fallow. Once all of the healers are dispatched, she turns to the trio and asks, "who did this to you, and do you know why? Then I need to ask why are you here?"

     "We came from our homes and traversed a hole in space/time, once we came out, we were attacked. We had never before met the one who attacked us, he answered none of our calls. His ships simply pounded on us with their weapons. A few were destroyed, our own did not seem powerful enough to do more than minor damage to them. And so we ran, following the course laid out for us by the 'Prophet', this was what he asked of us to call him by. We do not know the meaning of this word, but we do know he has never lied to us. So when he told us we needed to make this journey, we did not hesitate to make ready.

     It was just before we left that the 'ones who enslave' returned from the 'gates' that have been thought to be extinct since they were driven off long ago.

     "You say they came back through 'gates', can you describe those 'gates' to me."

     "We were told by he who instructed us to come here, to show this to the one we would meet."

     The first of the three, human-like, but with longer arms and legs, with more joints than the humans Iriisii knows. Also, their faces are different, eyes wider apart, ears shaped flatter to the skull, and no hair but a semicircular ridge of bone around the crown of the head. He hands her a simple, plain scroll, and she senses something familiar about it. It looks like any other scroll one would find in a Library, but as it passes to her hand. A glamour around it fades, this is what she felt. Probably placed around it as protection so it would not be recognized if found by any unintended. 

     The more she looks at it, the more she is certain who its author is, but that is impossible, for he has supposedly passed through the 'Final Gate' into the Great Beyond. There is now nothing more she will learn until she opens it. Dettlaff sees the concerned expression on her face and looks at the now ornate scroll in her hands.

     "Is that what I think it is? And if so, I thought he had passed beyond."

     "I did too, but I believe something happened or someone changed his plans for him."

     "There is more to this though, I felt it come over you when you first saw them. You felt a sense of familiarity with them though we both know you have never before met."

     "That is in part what concerns me, who attacked them is another part, and what is in this Scroll is the rest."

     "We could always heal their wounded, repair their ships and let them go on their way if you want."

     She gestures to Dettlaff with the Scroll, "as much as I agree with you, this says otherwise. I cannot ignore what this may say, and you know all too well how right I am on this."

     "Yes, you are right, I do. If it did come from him, he would not have sent it or them to you unless there was no other who could deal with it."

     "And I cannot put this off any longer, I will not know the extent of the problem until I see what is written." And so she unfurls the scroll to see a single, simple image drawn on the medium used in the Scroll, a symbol she knows all too well, the symbol of the 'Realms of Oblivion'.