Titus Crowe

 Titus Crowe

      Iriisii sits cross-legged on the floor and dives into her mind to rest in her special place. Her body begins to subtly glow and rise up off of the floor to hover about four feet above it. Inside her special place, she sits looking at the fire in the hearth, listening to the winter winds outside blowing their song of snow, cold, and occasional ice. She begins to relax and enters a restful state, then she sends the call to Kthanid to join her.

     It is hardly any time when he walks through the door and sits in the open chair next to hers, both angled to see each other and the hearthfire. 

     Kthanid: "I do enjoy it when you call for me to visit with you here. What can I do for you now, Harbinger?"

     Iriisii sighs and then hands him a mental image of the letter she read from Titus Crowe. As Kthanid reads it, she can sense his emotions starting to circle.

     Kthanid: "What do you intend to do?"

     Iriisii: "I wanted to speak with you about him first. I know absolutely nothing about him. The first I ever knew was when I read that. Since he directly mentioned about being your friend, I thought I should include you in my decision, but I need to know if this is the right thing to do. The only way to know that is to know him, and there is no one else I can speak to about him but you."

     Kthanid: "I thank you for that. At first glance, I would have no qualms about saying to bring him back. But I too wonder if that would be the right thing. Not that I have any issue with him directly, but is it wise to bring anyone back. His mate is gone, and I wonder about how he would handle that.

     I would say that if it was possible to bring him back, then after his help is no longer needed, unite him with Meria in whatever afterlife they can share, then I would not hesitate. His life spent helping us was exceptional. You remind me of him so much in the intensity and strength of your belief in what you are doing. 

     His power as a Great Dreamer was second only to you and Rigmor. He went places no one else would dare to go. Did things no other would dare. And did them not as a God but as a mortal."

     Iriisii: "He used the teaching tools and toys then, to be able to move in those spaces and survive?"

     Kthanid: "Yes. He was particularly fond of the 'clocks', once he discovered one on his homeworld. He managed to open it and began teaching himself how to interface with it and use it. Although he was only able to use its basic abilities, he made great strides in using those to the utmost. It was that knowledge that allowed him to use it to escape his homeworld, when one of the 'others' sent an emissary to collect him."

     Iriisii: "How did he escape Yog Sothoth?"

     Kthanid: "That time almost cost him everything. Yog Sothoth's prison is an artificial dimensional pocket. Within it, he is one with it in both space and time. Titus determined that to be able to escape he had to emulate Yog Sothoth within his own prison. It was the battle for both of them to exist in all spaces and times within the pocket that tore a rip in its fabric allowing him to escape."

     Iriisii: "Then how did Yog Sothoth not escape as well?"

     Kthanid: "I was there when Titus came out, when Yog Sothoth stuck his head out, I hit him with a Great Thought in the image of a Mnarian starstone. It drove him back inside long enough to repair the damage and seal him back inside."

     Iriisii: "I have seen these stones before, why is it that they have such an effect on the Great Old Ones?"

     Kthanid: "When we began imprisoning them, we realized we needed a way to strengthen the bars of their prisons, it had to share both physical properties and mental in order to be effective. We chose the starstones for historical reasons and encoded within the genetics of each prisoner an overwhelming abhorrence for the mere presence of the stones. It is so great that it can override any other desire they may have. They have no other choice but to back away from them. As long as they remained encircling the access ports, there is no way for them to get past. Over many millennia some have been found by minions and pieces carried away, thus allowing some the chance to escape."

     Iriisii: "If I bring him back, how well would he be in taking my orders?"

     Kthanid: "For the most part, I would see no problem. But you would need to keep a close eye on him as he can be impulsive. He means well, but he sometimes does not recognize the dangers of what he feels compelled to do."

     Iriisii: "Like when he found his way into Yog Sothoth's prison?"

     Kthanid: "Precisely."

     Iriisii: "How would he feel about Meria being gone?"

     Kthanid: "I am not certain about that. He loved her more than his own life, in fact, it was in trying to save her that he sacrificed his own. Yet in the end, it came to naught, for she would not leave him to die in her place. And so I lost both of them, a friend like no other, and an adopted daughter that I loved as my own. That was in part why I never sought to find love again, to lose a mate or child once again..."

     Iriisii: "I understand as you well know. But there comes a time when some of us must realize that we are not complete without family. That we cannot be all that we were meant to be without them, even with the risk. For it is that risk that drives us to exceed expectations, to reach beyond ourselves. It is then we truly learn to live, and we leave our past behind us better than it would have been otherwise."

     Kthanid: "You continue to show us the wisdom of electing you to Harbinger. Your words, thoughts, advice, and actions, have spurred us all on to find that source that lies within us and has too often been ignored. To look at things around us in a different light, to consider alternatives to situations other than what we may have otherwise done. It has made us stronger, more compassionate, more merciful, but no less determined. 

     You have brought much more attention to us, and so we have responded in ways that you would look upon us with pride. If you decide to bring him back, I would be there to help with him. He will listen to me and once he sees who you are, he will listen to you as well.

     I would ask how do you intend to acquire the ring? None of us would dare his prison a second time after what Titus did."

     Iriisii: "I will need to call upon some of mine for help. I will need a diversion and I know just who can deliver it. Once diverted, I will use the shadows to reach the ring, no, I will not travel within them, not in his place. But rather let the shadows act in my stead, and bring the ring to me."

     Kthanid: "How can your diversion act on him without being inside his prison?"

     Iriisii smiled, "There are ways, my Ancestral Father, and you will witness it first hand. I believe you will be amazed by it."

     Kthanid: "Then let us get started, the sooner this is done the better."

     They stand around the crystal sarcophagus, Iriisii and Rigmor at the Head, the sirens on each side, and the foot, Kthanid stands behind the Siren at the foot.

     Iriisii: "We are going to try for the ring first, doing it here by the body will give me a stronger tie to his ring and aid the shadows I will send to acquire it for me. Yog Sothoth will hear the song no matter where he is. We will use the one I sang to Desidarius, but we have slowed its cadence to better merge with the Sirens' song skills."

     She nods to the Siren Leader, "whenever you are ready."

     The Leader bows her head as do the other two, extending their auric senses to each other. They merge their individuality until they become one, and only then do they begin singing. Even as the opening notes and words of the song echo within the giant room. The power inherent in those notes and words becomes apparent immediately. Both come together into a very powerful song that reaches out to its intended hearer.

     Very little is known of Yog Sothoth's likes or dislikes, but this song delves its way into his very psyche. Touching here, caressing there, its resonance finding things in his mind that reflect the song, and the Sirens' personal powers driving behind it. Even the 'One in All, All in One' cannot escape the grasp of it, as it draws him into a vision like nothing he has ever experienced before.

     Iriisii calls upon the myriad shadows within the vast room to come to her bidding, and as they do so, Rigmor taps into Titus Crowe's body to feed that body's memories of the ring they want, into the searching shadows.

     Iriisii opens a bare pinprick into his prison and lets the shadows go to work. They poke and prod, slip and slither everywhere with no obstacle for there is little to no light here. Then they find what they seek. As they come close, Iriisii senses traps so she backs the shadows away and instead moves the pinprick hole to the place they found the ring. She opens to hole just enough to reach through and grab the ring. 

     It is then she feels pulled into Yog Sothoth's prison in no more time than a blink of an eye. But to him, that 'blink' can be stretched out as far as he desires it. while panic ensues outside the pocket dimension, inside things are surprisingly calm. Even as she readies herself to fight there is no attack coming her way. Still keeping her defenses up, she relaxes her offensive stance and waits to see why 'he' has taken so different a path from what was expected.

     Yog Sothoth: "You are very much different from anyone else who has either contacted me or delved into my prison. Why have you gone to such lengths to acquire the trinket you now possess?"

     Iriisii somehow feels the need to be straightforward with him, "I need it to call back the soul of Titus Crowe."

     Yog Sothoth: "An honest answer, one that does not harken to the baser desires. You interest me."

     Iriisii: "That could place you in an unenviable position."

     Yog Sothoth: "Why is that?"

     Iriisii: "The 'Blind Dreamer' will stop at nothing to possess me, nor do I think he would allow anyone else to stand in his way."

     Yog Sothoth: "The 'Blind Dreamer' wants you? I see the nature of your statement of fact, yet he does not possess you at this time. I assume you do not desire this and so fight against his desires?"

     Iriisii: "That is so."

     Yog Sothoth: "I bow to your strength and tenacity. There are few enough that could stand him off. But please understand, he is no friend or ally to me, but rather one who I watch with a careful eye. Even though certain volumes speak of him as a part of myself and my brothers and sisters. He is very much separate from us. For his own reasons, he influenced the writers to add his name as a part of us."

     Iriisii: "That is a conclusion that I share. My experiences with him led me to believe that he shared naught with any of you, that instead, he used that false relationship to shadow his own actions. If it was truly known what he is and where he is from, his actions would garner far more introspection from the powers that exist."

     Yog Sothoth: "Well said. You see truly where many eyes other than yours slide over the truth and see only what he wants them to see."

     Iriisii: "May I speculate on something?"

     Yog Sothoth: "Indeed, I would enjoy hearing what you think may interest me."

     Iriisii: "I am aware of how you came to be in this situation. Could it be that the 'Blind Dreamer' had a role in the events that played out and brought you here?"

     Yog Sothoth: "That is something I have indeed pondered, yet I have been able to acquire nothing to point to his involvement. Do you perchance have something?"

     Iriisii: "Maybe, what I do have is raw data from my own involvement that seems to place me as more than a casual observer in this saga. I would share this with you but would ask that you not use it against me or mine. I still have much to do that could affect your continued existence if I were interfered with."

     Yog Sothoth: "You make an interesting offer. Very well, somehow I think you may answer many questions that have arisen in my mind of late. I give you my word that I will not take action against you or yours in return for the data you would share with me."

     Iriisii thinks to herself, 'I pray my instincts are right about this and I am not about to make a huge mistake.' One of the Ancestral Memories within pipes up and says, 'go ahead, we remember him from before and believe you are speaking to the echo of his true mind. That it could be strong enough to wrest control of him from his alternate is hopeful. Perhaps with your knowledge added to his own, even his alternate side will see the danger posed by the 'Blind Dreamer' and wish to seek redress from him for putting him here even if he only set in motion and directed the acts.'

     Iriisii directs her Ancestral Memories to sift through everything and send to Yog Sothoth all that could be tied back to the 'Blind Dreamer', then waits as he sifts through it, making connections with what he already knows, then reading the results with his dual awareness. And surprisingly both sides come to the same conclusion and agree that he must be stopped.

     Yog Sothoth: "You were close to seeing what I see now, only lacking a few key pieces that I knew. Together his plans are made open to be seen and the implications understood. Both of my current sides agree that he must be stopped. How many of my brothers and sisters would see and understand is unknown, and so if they could not remain his pawns."

     Iriisii: "You do realize it is my intention to return your true minds into your bodies?"

     Yog Sothoth: "Yes, I do. But I daresay, you may wish to reconsider a part of that intention."

     Iriisii: "Why is that?"

     Yog Sothoth: "If you give the madness that currently dwells inside of us to Lord Insanity, how long would he be able to withstand us should he absorb us into himself? And you know that at some time he would in fact do so. What would he become then? Another but far more powerful 'Ravenous Darkness' to contend with?"

     Iriisii: "But what else could I do? I do not wish to destroy you for even so you exist now and so deserve to continue, but you cannot be allowed to roam freely. The damage you would do would undo everything I am trying to accomplish to save the Creations and so ensure their ultimate destruction, including yourselves."

     Yog Sothoth: "You truly are Champion of the Balance to understand all its permutations. There might be a solution to your quandary that serves all, one I have thought about for some time. And yet lacked what was needed to see it through."

     Iriisii: "Tell me then, let me evaluate it, and if it serves better than what I intended, I will undertake to bring it to fruition."

     Yog Sothoth: "It is actually quite simple on its surface. Create for us a Realm of our own. Do whatever you must to see it remains sealed from escape or intrusion, but give us a place where we can be free and completely severed from your Reality. What we do there will be on us, whether we continue or fade away, it will be our decision."

     Iriisii: "And how do you see the others going along with this?"

     Yog Sothoth: "I am the 'Keeper of the Keys', as well as the 'Gatekeeper'. Once I am in such a place as we could inhabit for ourselves, I can bring them over to me, then you may seal the gates for yourself and know them secure.

     I know you do not think yourself ready but you have the power within you to do this now. You even have the knowledge, you simply lack the strength of belief to step forth and create."

     Iriisii: "How do you see that I have the knowledge?"

     Yog Sothoth: "You gave 'Rebirth' to the 'Second Creation', even placing it within another dimension to protect it and ensure its survival. And in doing so, circumvented* a temporal paradox of such immensity that it would have destroyed both Creations. The knowledge of how a Creation works is within you, imprinted within you when you created it anew."

     Iriisii: "You make an impressive arguement."

     Yog Sothoth: "I had no choice but to lay all my cards on the table, you are the only one both with the power to do this, but most importantly the will to do this. Others have the power, the fact we are here in this Creation is evidence of that, but they do not have the will or it would likely have already been done long ago. Maybe this is a test for you, to test the truth of your commitment to the 'Balance'.

     For it is easy to harm and destroy, not so easy to heal and create, yet both are merely opposite sides of the same coin. Only by knowing this inside you and living it are you able to lay claim to that coin. And that coin is the coin by which your future is purchased."

     Iriisii: "And just what is my future?"

     Yog Sothoth: "You do not need me to tell you that, the answer as always, has resided within you. You make your own future, yes, many will set tests before you, to see if you have it within to progress. Or more to the truth, the wisdom to see when you should go no further. But the decision has always been yours to make, the path yours to tread, the life yours to live.

     That you seek to give all that same choice, is what drives you forward, what will continue to drive you forward, until that goal is met. When that will be, only you will know, when the time comes for you to know. Go now, return and do what you must. I will know if we have an accord when you create a home for us."

     The opening that Kthanid has been trying so hard to force through into the prison is now allowed to continue. It opens and Iriisii is snatched out as the hole is sealed once more.

     Kthanid: "Are you all right, after you disappeared..."

     Iriisii: "I am fine, thank you. Quite frankly, I was as surprised by what happened and what I found out as you were to see it happen."

     Kthanid: "What did you discover then?"

     Iriisii tells him everything that was discussed between her and Yog Sothoth.

     Kthanid thinks hard about what she has related before answering her.

     Kthanid: "This rocks every boat in the sea. We never suspected anything like this could be happening."

     Iriisii: "I do not think it is happening with all of them. Only a handful of the oldest, who was the most stable before, and have had the benefit of time and isolation to 'soul search' if you want to use the term. But I do think he has the power and ability to do just what he said. I also think his assessment of the possible threat Lord Insanity could be if he did absorb all the insanities into himself is absolutely correct. And add to all of this, the 'Blind Dreamer' and his fingers in this, manipulating all of these events through his agents, some of which I doubt even know how they are being used."

     Rigmor: "You mean Hermaeus Mora, don't you?"

     Iriisii: "I think he is a prime one, but not the only one. Most of the others we have not yet seen or heard of yet. And I also place Rassillon in this category. You remember the Doctor telling me Rassillon was not always as he is now. I think it likely he changed when the 'Blind Dreamer' got his fingers into his mind, probably through his dreams."

     Rigmor: "Do you think Vaermina is also involved?"

     Iriisii: "In her case, if she indeed is, it will be voluntary on her part. He would rather take a knowing accomplice that could manipulate dreams, much easier to work with in her case."

     Rigmor: "Do you think..."

     Iriisii: "The trouble we went through with her, at the beginning of our relationship? Yes, it makes sense now. If she could have gotten me to cross the line into madness, it would be simple to bring me over to his side. Thank the Nine, you and the others were able to put a stop to it before they succeeded."

     Rigmor: "I promised you that I would protect you as you have protected me. I could do no less, you know this."

     Iriisii: "Yes, I do, but I still need to let you know that I acknowledge what you did for me then. Very few have the strength you showed during that time and it is something that I have valued in you ever since, and I like the way you kiss me."

     Rigmor tries to elbow Iriisii for saying that in front of the others.

     Iriisii: "You might want to save that for Shai-Hulu'ud, I understand some of the things we did that were recorded got a little heated."

     Rigmor: "You do not mean?!"

     Iriisii: "I think he had enough sense to stop before it reached that point, but still some of our 'antics' got quite hot before we sought more privacy, those were recorded and he has apologized quite profusely for it too. I told him he needed to apologize to you about that, but he still thinks you would try and 'skin him alive' if he got close enough."

     Rigmor: "Damn right I would!"

     Iriisii: "Anyway, he has given me an alternative way of dealing with the madness entities, that does not involve sealing them away in Mantellas for the rest of time. I do feel it fits into the 'Balance' better."

     Rigmor: But what about the inhabitants of that Realm?"

     Iriisii: "No one said there had to be inhabitants there, just a new Realm created for them, but I would include any and all of their servitors to be sent there with them. Otherwise, who knows what mischief they would get up to."

     Rigmor: "What about Hermaeus Mora, Molag Bal, Mehrunes Dagon?"

     Iriisii: "I can make a case about Hermaeus Mora, as for the others, no, I do not think they are working for him. Even Sheogorath would not do that, of that I am certain."

     Rigmor: "I will withhold judgment about the others then, but if it is proven!"

     Iriisii: "If it is proven then we will look at it, no need to bite off more than we can chew in a single mouthful. Now let us prepare to bring Titus Crowe back from wherever he is now."

     Rigmor: "So you are sure his soul is not in some afterlife somewhere?"

     Iriisii: "No, it is not. It is in safekeeping with the 'Dragons of Lornea', whoever they are and wherever they reside."

     Kthanid: "I may be of help there. It has been an exceedingly long time since I heard of them. But they have ever been an elusive group, only being seen when the direst and terrible of events occur."

     Rigmor: "Any chance they were involved?"

     Kthanid: "That question has been asked far too many times without an answer. But I do not think so, at least I have never detected a trace of involvement from them, rather I think they watch and pass word of what they see to others, beyond the scope of our understanding."

     Rigmor: "Then how do we contact them?"

     Kthanid: "You do not, they choose whether or not to reveal themselves. But I would imagine summoning the soul of one in their keeping, will without doubt garner their attention. The question is, do we really want to attract their attention?"

     Rigmor: "If we intend to bring Titus back, then we have no choice."

     Iriisii: "I agree, we were brought to this for this express purpose. Someone, somewhere, feels we will need him, and also possibly that he needs us."

     Rigmor: "Needs us?"

     Iriisii: "His mate has passed on, while he languishes without her. Would you wish for that for yourself?"

     Rigmor: "You know I would not, I would devastate the Heavens and the Hells both to bring you to my side."

     Iriisii: "And I for you. So I will bring him back as recompense for his help. I will reunite him with his love, and send them through the Final Gate, where they can be together for eternity, with a new life that they can make whatever they desire. Pickman, do you have the Gemstone?"

     Pickman: "It is deeper down into the necropolis, sealed into a vault in the oldest parts. I will take you to it." 

     The two of them, with Rigmor, Dettlaff, and Elric in tow, move toward a circular ramp going down deeper into the necropolis.

     Rigmor: "Hey, wait up, I am coming with you! You are not leaving me behind this time!"

     Iriisii and Pickman wait at the top of the ramp for Rigmor to catch up. Once she has joined them, the three start downward.

     Rigmor: "Why is this a ramp instead of a stair? They did not use animunculus like the Dwemer did, did they?"

     Pickman: "What are these animunculi?"

     Iriisii: "Metal constructs, animated by soul gems. Small ones use the soul gem for power, and larger ones use steam. Some had ball-like bases to allow for easy moving but needed ramps to move up and down."

     Pickman: "I see, no they did not use constructs, rather some of the entities that lived here were too large in physical size to use steps."

     Rigmor: "Too big for steps? How big were they?"

     Pickman: "Some of the religious carvings show them as large as your dragons, and some larger."

     Rigmor: "Oh. There are not any around still alive are they?"

     Pickman: "They left here many millennia ago. Why? The carvings do not say."

     Iriisii: "What can you tell us of the Saurians that once lived here?"

     Pickman: "Some scholars who came to translate the religious carvings, before they stopped working and left after they approached the deeper areas, said that the Saurians did not build the city or necropolis, in that they did not design them. They were either slave labor or created by the designers for manual labor. The Saurians worshipped them as Gods."

     Rigmor: "I take it by your voice, these Gods were not of the Light?"

     Pickman: "By your standards, even those you call 'Evil' were of the 'Light' by comparison. The Saurians were not just slave labor. They were used for entertainment, experimentation, even food by their creators."

     Rigmor: "Kinda like what the Dwemer did to the Snow Elves."

     Iriisii: "Only the Dwemer did not go nearly so far as what happened here, as I understand what they did. Oh, and if you want to keep your lunch in your stomach, do not look at the carvings on the walls."

     Rigmor: "I will take your word for that."

     Iriisii: "Do not say that I did not warn you."

     Rigmor: "That bad, huh."

     Iriisii: "You have no idea, and really do not want to have ideas that bad running around in your head."

     Pickman: "The Goddess is right. The entities that ruled here did not know or understand good and evil as you do. They took a different path altogether."

     Iriisii feels pulled to the stone walls that have changed as they went deeper. Now the walls are formed of blocks, instead of large carved panels. As she touches them with her fingertips, she can feel the residual energies that were absorbed into them before they were placed down here.

     Iriisii: "It is no wonder once the dead arose that they did not return here to rest once more. These stone blocks..."

     Rigmor: "What about them?"

     Iriisii: "These blocks were used as sacrificial altars before being put down here. They are still full of the pain, misery, and terror of the sacrifices that were committed upon them. Each one used for hundreds of lives taken, any and all means used for the ceremonies. Their memories of how it was done, what they experienced, etched into the very spaces between the grains of stone. Even the Daedra are nowhere as near depraved as those who lived here once."

     Rigmor: "I think I should have stayed up above."

     Iriisii: "Too late now, no way do you want to try and find your way back. Get lost down here, you might never find your way back."

     Rigmor: "You would come and find me wouldn't you?"

     Iriisii: "Of course, but what would this place do to you before I found you? That is the unanswered question and I hope it stays that way."

     Rigmor: "So do I, so do I."

     Soon they come to an end of the blocks, now the material used to form the walls is... different. It is smooth to the touch, blood warm, with a soft texture, but if you rapped on it or slapped it with your hands, it is harder than stone.

     Iriisii: "What do you know of this part?"

     Pickman: "Nothing."

     Iriisii looks at Pickman hard, trying to tell if he really does not know anything about this part.

     Pickman felt her gaze on him, "I have never been this far before. It dates back to before those who created Irem came here. It was buried by the sands above for eons before they came. Even they could not understand this part. All that is suspected is that the pillars were built according to a pattern found down here. Why? No one knows for sure."

     The knowledge Iriisii absorbed from the First Ones, is almost frantically screaming at her to turn around and go back. She has to make a definitive effort to bring it back under control. And she wonders just what could cause such a reaction, and whether she really wants to know. For now, she avoids touching the walls, as her mind slowly returns to balance.

     Iriisii wonders about that pattern, where in here was it displayed, and whether that vision she saw when she first laid her eyes on the City of Irem, has a story yet to be played out. 

     Iriisii: "Where is the pattern down here that the pillars were built to mimic?"

     Rigmor: "You are not thinking of going to find it are you?"

     Iriisii: "Only if it is on our path, I saw some kind of vision or dream memory of the city when I first saw it. Of some kind of ritual, the Saurians performed, involving sacrifices to the pillars."

     The Pickman stops and listens to what Iriisii has said.

     Pickman: "Would you tell me about what you saw?"

     Iriisii reiterates the dream memory that she experienced while searching the Pickman's face for any trace as to what he was thinking.

     Pickman: "You need to see the pattern, perhaps you will see clearly what happened to the Saurians. And why you do not want that repeated."

     Iriisii in a gestalt moment of clarity, "are we still in the Dreamlands, or are we in the Waking World?"

     Rigmor: "What are you saying? That we transitioned while walking through this place?"

     Pickman: "We are in both and in neither. I do not know the words or concepts to explain any further."

     Iriisii: "That is okay, I think I understand."

     Rigmor: "Well tell me then, just what is going on and where we really are."

     Iriisii: "This is a nexus point, a place where dimensions, realities, the past, and the future of everything comes together and touches each other. From here you could literally go to the past or future of any of the dimensions and realities that are touching here. And I will wager the Gemstone of Dark Desires is at the exact center point of all of this."

     Rigmor: "Like Sigil?"

     Iriisii: "Similar to Sigil. In Sigil, doors were created to access the different ways and directions. And the 'Lady of Pain' guards those doors jealously, keeping them safe from all who would utilize them for their own purposes. And in doing so, cause untold amounts of damage. This is another such point, but this one reaches farther. I think it is one of the greater crossroad points."

     Rigmor: "What do you know of this, truly?"

     Iriisii: "Not much, the knowledge of the First Ones is feeding me with what it knows of this even as I am speaking to you. Even it is not completely known what happened here, who controlled it when this was all built out of the sands. But it does make sense, that the ones that came later, created the Saurians, and built the Pillars as a way to control and access the power of this place."

     Rigmor: "And they lost that control somewhere along the way, and somehow the Saurians remembered enough to try and access it, then something happened to them as well."

     Iriisii: "Yes, I think you have the right of it. Now we need to see how the Gemstone figures into this, and if we use it to return Titus will it also have some unforeseen consequences that will have to be dealt with."

     Rigmor: "The story of our lives. When did all of this get so complicated? Things used to be so simple, go here, kill the bad guys, loot the bodies, sell the loot, repeat."

     Iriisii: "Actually, it has always been this complicated, we just never saw it until we climbed up the ladder high enough to see it."

     Rigmor: "Well, I am beginning to think we made a mistake in climbing so high."

     Iriisii: "No, you don't, not really."

     Rigmor: "And why not?"

     Iriisii: "Because we are in a position to make the changes that we have seen that need to be made to make things better for everyone. If we had not climbed high enough to do this, who else would have and what decisions would they make. What would the consequences of their decisions be on all of us?"

     Rigmor: "Somehow I knew that would be what you would say, and I cannot fault your logic, much as I might want to. Because I realize that everything has happened as it needed to happen, to bring us together. To bring us to this point, so that we can see that it all does not come to naught."

     Iriisii: "You do begin to see this as I see this. I know it is not easy to let go of how we thought about these things in simpler times. But when the opportunity comes, we have to grab hold of all that we are worth. So we can have a say in what may come. And through us, all of those who believe in us, who have placed their faith and belief in us. They will have a say as well."

     And somewhere, far, far away, a voice Iriisii knows well. A voice belonging to one watching this moment in time and space, and so many more who have come, wanting to know who she is, and what did she do for them, are watching as well. They hear the words she speaks and they know gratitude for her, for all the things she endures not only for herself but for all of them as well.

     And that voice says, "well spoken, daughter of my soul. You embody the hopes and dreams of uncountable numbers, and they in turn give you the power to be their voice. Remember them, when you take your seat at that gameboard when the story of all the Realities is made by the moves that are made on that board, you are the one chosen by the multitudes to be their Champion. Do what you know and feel is right, the multitudes will stand by you."

     Pickman: "Come, it is not wise to tarry long in these halls."

     They continue to move ever deeper, ever downward. Not seeing the reflections of the flickering torches gather into eyes. Eyes watching their progress as they move on toward their immediate goal. They progress for a short while and Dettlaff makes a comment to Iriisii.

     Dettlaff: "We have eyes watching us, but only 'eyes'. I can sense no physical bodies to go with them."

     Iriisii: "I know, I sense them as well. As long as they only watch, I will leave them alone."

     Pickman: "They are part of the Guardian of the Tomb, and were here when we first arrived."

     Iriisii: "What more do you know of this Guardian?"

     Pickman: "Only that I have never seen it act like this."

     Iriisii: "Anyone else ever make it down here?"

     Pickman: "Before we came, possibly, since we arrived, no."

     Iriisii: "Why is that?"

     Pickman: "Any who came while we were here, never asked our assistance. And without our assistance, it is impossible to enter the way down here."

     Iriisii: "Is that a natural thing or are you a part of the security."

     Pickman: "Perfectly natural, the Tomb is in the Waking World, it takes one of us bringing you to access the way down. As far as I know, the entrance is sealed from the Waking World, so one must come through the Dreamlands and have one of us take you there."

     Iriisii: "How did you come to be here? Were you asked, or what?"

     Pickman: "After you freed us from the Moonbeasts in Inquanock, we began looking for a new home, knowing they would return when they felt the need for fresh slaves. We know you had much more to do and could not stay to watch over us, so we wandered about looking for a new home. This place seemed well suited when we stumbled across it, and so we settled in.

     We only learned of the Tomb and the Guardian later, when adventurers came looking for the way in. After ignoring us as we ignored them, they could not discover the way. They left for better pickings. Their speech concerning the Tomb and the Guardian was what told us of what lay here. It was only after others came and went, that I figured out how to gain passage.

I did not even go this far before the Guardian stopped me and asked for my cooperation."

     Dettlaff: "What did he want from you?"

     Pickman: "Only to not reveal the way to the Tomb to any who came, until The 'Mother of Dragons' would come searching for the Gemstone of Dark Desires. Then I was to bring you to the Tomb."

     Iriisii: "Do you know anything of it, this Gemstone?"

     Pickman: "All I know is what those who came searching said of it. And as I am certain you know, they likely knew nothing of the truth of it save stories and tales made up by those who should know better."

     Iriisii: "Thank you for being honest. Whatever happens, I hold no disdain toward you for this. I am sure my coming was foreseen and desired. Anyway, we shall see what transpires."

     Soon enough they begin to feel the weight of the land above them. They are very deep below the surface of the Dreamlands.

     Dettlaff: "We won't drop through the bottom and endlessly fall will we?"

     Iriisii: "Is that what you think is going to happen?"

     Dettlaff: "Not really, but it just popped into my head that it may happen."

     Iriisii: "We must be getting close to the end then. The aversion wards are beginning to wake up."

     Dettlaff: "Aversion wards?"

     Iriisii: "Wards designed to give feelings of fear to drive unwanted visitors away. You are only feeling the edges of them as their fields have been parted to allow us passage."

     Dettlaff: "How do you know that?"

     Iriisii: "Because you and Elric are not already quivering piles of flesh lying on the floor trying to crawl back up."

     Dettlaff takes a few moments to follow what she said.

     Dettlaff: "These wards do not affect you."

     Iriisii: "They have been tuned specifically not to affect me, but anyone else would get the full brunt. Even you and Elric would be affected, anyone not as strong as you two would either lose their mind to insanity or die of induced fright."

     Dettlaff: "What about...?"

     Iriisii: "The Pickman? He has seen more horrors than even I could imagine. I doubt there is much hold fear would have on him."

     Dettlaff: "What is he, then?"

     Iriisii: "Once he was a man, as human as I was before I ascended. How he became a ghoul, I am not certain even he remembers. But his strength of will is tremendous for he still retains a part of that humanity even now. Usually, the ghouls eventually lose their humanity completely, becoming completely ghouls, nevermore remembering their past life. His name is perhaps one of the few threads of his past that he remembers."

     Dettlaff: "His name? Pickman is part of his name?"

     Iriisii: "His full name was Richard Upton Pickman, a painter of...well the kinds of things you have seen in this part of the Dreamlands. He ran out of his house one night, to see into a noise he heard outside, and vanished never more to be seen. And so here he is, as to how I know? He helped Randolf Carter in his adventures. The Grand Sage in Ilek Vad told me of him, recounting the stories he had heard from Randolf. You can trust him, for I do."

     Dettlaff: "That is good enough for me."

     Iriisii: "Come, we grow close to our goal." 

     As they walk into the chamber holding the Gemstone, Iriisii sees it on what can only be an incredibly ancient altar. The equally old blood stains covering the altar are so thick she can visibly see it like a thick spongy covering on top, with the Gemstone resting in a metal stand. Three prongs extend upward with the Gemstone securely held within them.

     The Gemstone itself is casting a tremendous amount of light, striking the walls which are of the same stone as the outside corridor. But here the light makes the stone walls take on a liquid sheen, enhancing the chiseled engravings of unknown runes, sigils, and glyphs, embedded in those are bas reliefs, scenes of rituals and actions that draw Shivista like a moth to a candle flame.

     Shivista: "Will you look at that one!? I never thought that could be done! And that one, I have to try that! And that one over there!"

     Iriisii: "Tone it down Shiv, you are letting yourself get carried off!"

     Shivista: "Why not? You never let me have any fun!"

     Iriisii: "If you want to try anything you see here, do it in your own body, not mine!"

     Shivista: "Now how am I supposed to do that?!"

     Darkstar: "Shivista, you know full well she would make you a temporary body to inhabit if you simply asked her. She is well within her rights to ask that you not defile her body by using it to do some of the things portrayed here."

     Shivista mentally shivers, "but if she did, would she let me come back? I do not want to live separately from the two of you."

     Iriisii: "Shivista, have I ever denied you, threatened to evict you out into the Void? Send you packing out on your own?"

     Shivista: "No, no you have not."

     Darkstar: "And so she will never do that unless you cross the line and hurt her. Then I will send you packing!"

     Shivista: "But this is all so overwhelming. I never knew anything like these scenes could ever be experienced."

     Iriisii: "Shiv, my love, you are being manipulated. This is reaching into who you are, trying to gain a foothold into you and thus into me. Yes, the scenes are real, they were in fact a part of the worship given to this Gemstone if that is truly what it is."

     Shivista: "What do you mean?"

     Iriisii: "Remember on that rock off the southeastern coast of Solstheim, Innsmouth, I think it was called, barely big enough to support that village. That gem that the priest had, what was it? Oh, yes, a dodecahedron. Do you remember the dreams and visions that came to us in our sleep after touching it, sleeping so close to it? This is like unto what happened then, but much, much, more powerful."

     Shivista: "I remember, I was still not fully conscious of myself then. I think it was after that time, I began to wake up, to think of myself as a separate being inside of you. I remember seeing Darkstar as well, already fully conscious of herself, but just riding along with you, never interjecting herself in your actions or thoughts. Sometimes she would nudge you in one direction or another if you needed it, but she never went beyond that."

     Darkstar: "I never wanted to impose myself. I knew I was a fractured part of her. But she worked tirelessly to deal with what created me. And when they came crashing back into her life, she dealt with them and never flinched. She has always seen me as an equal part of who she is, not just a shard created from bad, drug-induced memories and paranoia."

     Shivista: "How can you speak of yourself like that? You are far more than memories and paranoia. You are my sister, you are a bridge between me and Iriisii."

     Darkstar: "And I feel for you as well. Together, we are so much more than we are apart. I sometimes wonder about living apart from the two of you, and the more I consider it, the more I do not think it is for me. If something had to change, I would like that we meld together, become one complete whole, rather than separate."

     Shivista: "Not to change the subject..."

     Darkstar: "Then why do it?"

     Shivista: "This could be important. Look at this panel here."

     Darkstar: "So, he is flaying the skin off of her back with a bladed whip. Not the worst of what is on display here at any rate."

     Shivista: "Yes, but look closely at him, is he not familiar? Does he not ring any bells?"

     Iriisii: "WHAT IN OBLIVION?! HOW! CAN IT BE?!"

     Darkstar: "Forgive me for being obtuse, but what are the two of you seeing that I do not?"

     Shivista: "That is 'him'! In his true form, how Geralt saw him that one time in the mirror of the fountain water. It has to be!"

     Iriisii: "Yes, I agree. I saw him change form when I pierced him with the blades Desidarius forged. That is 'him' for sure, now we just may have solved the mystery of his origin."

     Shivista: "Uh oh!"

     Iriisii: "What?"

     Shivista: "Look at what he is doing! He is not only flaying the skin from her back, but he is also eating that skin! And look closely at her, is it not...?"

     Darkstar curses so bad, the power of those curses threatens to break her voice.

     Darkstar: "How could I have missed the connection?"

     Iriisii: "Because she never told us exactly what he did when she confronted him for creating her. She merely said he cast her aside, she said nothing about this."

     Darkstar: "It is why I had doubts about her. Why she went to so much pain and trouble to get those swords forged, it did not make sense if all he did was cast her aside. But by doing this to her, then I could understand the making of those swords for her revenge. Indeed, I would have done the same in her place."

     Iriisii: "Ever since I have sometimes wondered if I did right by what I did. Now I wonder if I could release him just to do it all over again and if it would help her, this time letting her wield the blades."

     Shivista: "Perhaps that is best left as it is. If somehow he should ever escape, then see if she would take part in bringing him down a second time. There is no reason to take the chance of something going wrong and his getting away."

     Iriisii: "You are right, what is done is done, best to leave it as it is."

     Darkstar: "Will you tell her what you have learned?"

     Iriisii: "I have to, I will not keep secrets from her. She needs to see that I understand why she did what she did to make those swords. That I hold her blameless for it all, even if they took Darius's life back in that cave. Had he done as I told him to, but perhaps it had to be that way? To bring us to the path we needed to follow. Gods, I am so tired. But there is no rest for us, too much rides on our actions. I dislike saying this but we need to look at the rest of these panels and see just what story they tell. Maybe this will all make a little more sense."

     Darkstar: "You do not really believe that?"

     Iriisii: "No, but I can hope."

     They finally complete the story told in the panels, even as Iriisii has begun to translate the runes, sigils, and glyphs abounding on the walls. The story as she understands it is sordid, somewhat frightening, and totally disgusting, and these really do not do justice to how depraved, at least to her sensibilities, the life that was led by the Saurians was, both as slaves, and later after they were abandoned by their enslavers.

     Who their enslavers were is not mentioned, in truth, the Saurians had no conception of who they were. All they knew was that they had been created by them and so they owned them. They were put to every conceivable use and some inconceivable. Those usually involved the blackest of the magic that would later evolve into the Necromantic Arts. The worst aspects, luckily, were undiscovered by those mages who later searched out what they could from the sources available.

     But in Iriisii's case, the missing lore was right here on these walls. She is astounded to discover that the 'masters' not only knew how to utilize the very blackest of necromancy, but they also knew how to circumvent the laws of life and death in using that magic. And did so without the costs that current Necromancers sometimes pay dearly for.

     The runes, sigils, and glyphs are totally different matters altogether. The knowledge bound up in those is raging through her mind, making connections between concepts that she had no idea could be connected. Opening doors to possibilities, that before now were thought impossible.

     To her, of prime importance, she sees the relationships between the soul gems that she knows of, and mantellas, how mantellas could be constructed and have in the deep past been constructed to hold almost infinite amounts of power. It shows her a possible solution to the 'power sink' being faithfully maintained for her at the Great Library. And as well as how to lock a mantella used for that purpose to prevent anyone else from accessing it.

     She thinks for a few moments and with mixed feelings, she places her hands directly and fully on the wall. Then starts drawing all of the symbols engraved into the wall into herself, leaving the wall surface clean and smooth.

     Rigmor: "Why?!"

     Iriisii: "Because the information portrayed there is too dangerous if it was found by others. Even with the best of intentions, it would corrupt them utterly and loose upon the Realities such a plague..."

     Rigmor: "What? Something has just clicked in your mind, what is it?"

     Iriisii: "We have wondered what happened to cause our Creation to begin a long slide away from balance and into destruction."

     Rigmor: "Ok, what does that have to do with this place?"

     Iriisii: "If the knowledge stored here somehow found its way out and into the Realities,

and the practice of it was started."

     Rigmor: "Was it the Saurians?"

     Iriisii: "I think so if it had been any others. It would have spread so much more quickly that the damage would have accelerated the fall. We would not even have had time to get this far before the end."

     Rigmor: "Then why did the Saurians not use that knowledge to rule the Creations?"

     Iriisii: "The dream memory I saw may hold the answer to that. Think on it, the greatest desire they would have had in discovering this trove of knowledge would be to use it in revenge against their creators first and foremost before anything else."

     Rigmor: "And in doing so, they let loose something that destroyed them?"

     Iriisii: "Something like that, I am not sure exactly what happened. But I believe that was the catalyst that began the slide that we are now trying to deal with. Their understanding was very poor, to begin with. I think they basically mimicked what they saw their masters do when accessing the magic. Maybe it got away from them, maybe they did something wrong, or the cause could have been nearly anything. But it happened, and we have been chosen to clean up the mess."

     Rigmor: "What exactly did you see in this dream memory?"

     Iriisii: "I saw them conducting a massive sacrificial ritual using the pillars on the surface. Power started accumulating around the pillars, then traveled from one to another gathering it all up. Once it reached the center, it turned and extended into the sky. Another power beam dropped down from the sky and when the two met...well that was when the memory ended."

     Rigmor: "And you do not want a repeat of that possibly happening?"

     Iriisii: "Exactly."

     Rigmor: "Why not destroy the pillars?"

     Iriisii: "I have no idea what might happen if I did that. Maybe nothing, but they were used in that ritual and I feel better leaving them alone. With the knowledge of how to conduct such a ritual removed from the walls, no one is going to be able to do it again. All of the Saurians were destroyed in what happened here."

     Rigmor: "Except for you know who."

     Iriisii: "There is that, but we have him securely in the Krang. And I have no intention of ever letting either him get loose or letting anyone else get to him. As to what I ultimately do with him, I am keeping those cards close to my chest. If I am the only one who knows, no one can pry it from anyone else. And If anyone tries using any of you to leverage me into divulging it...well, I will scorch the ground under their bare feet until it is molten and watch as it slowly consumes them."

     Rigmor nods her head in agreement with Iriisii's sentiment.

     Rigmor: "What is next then?"

     Iriisii: "I need to look into this Gemstone if that is actually what it is."

     Rigmor: "What else could it be?"

     Iriisii: "Quite a bit really, practically anything to be truthful, but I will not know until I examine it. If I am going to use it to summon the heart of Titus Crowe, I had better have a good idea of what to expect, don't you agree?"

     Rigmor: "You are thinking something other than his physical heart?"

     Iriisii: "If someone were to 'summon' my heart, what do you think they would be talking about?"

     Rigmor: "I see your point. But is she not supposed to be dead?"

     Iriisii: "Yes, but with certain passages of what I read, especially concerning revenants, it could be done."

     Rigmor: "I assume that was one way the 'Masters' circumvented 'Death'?"

     Iriisii: "Yes, and I want to know exactly what the rules are about doing this. What should happen, what could go wrong, what is needed, all the details that often get glossed over, and truly awful things that result from it. I need to know if 'why' I want to do it affects how it is done, and what the result will be. Anyway, delving into that Gemstone is the only way I can find out."

     Rigmor: "Ok, I guess, you know we will watch out for you while you do this?"

     Iriisii: "I would not have it any other way."