The Harvest Moon Consortium

Posted 06/28/07 23:03 (GMT) -- Malkryad

“I’m so sorry to disturb you, my lord, but a rather… strange woman… is demanding to see you…”

Seryne could hear the barely concealed fear in the serving man’s voice even through the closed door he had entered. She smiled slightly beneath her helmet and pushed open the door to her uncle’s study, striding in confidently.

Seryne didn’t begrudge the man his wariness. She knew that she must seem terribly exotic in the fey’ri armor she wore, and the hilt of Amilielia’s beautifully crafted greatsword was clearly visible over her shoulder. Even still, one would think that the serving man would have recognized that her cloak was dyed in House Vail blue and was fastened to her armor with clips that bore the family crest. She had even bothered to tuck her dragon wings under her cloak before entering Mirabar, so as to not cause too much fuss.

She heard a quiet gasp from the right side of the room as she entered, but did not turn towards the noise. Instead she strode directly towards her uncle, who examined her with the critical eye of a warrior even as she quickly sized him up. It had been many years since she had seen her Uncle Martin. His hair had gone almost entirely gray but was pulled back into a neat warrior’s tail. He looked very fit, and was every bit a fighter still. Her eyes flicked to the finely crafted bastard sword that hung over the mantle. It was just a bit too ornate to be the sword he would really use in a fight, but would serve well in an emergency. No doubt his magical blade was stored elsewhere.

“Shall I call the city guard, my lord?” The serving man looked aghast at her impolite entry.

Her uncle remained perfectly at ease. “That won’t be necessary Leonard. You may go.” When the serving man had made his rather hasty retreat, he smiled very slightly. “Hello Seryne.”

Seryne removed her helm. She was sure that in the light of the study, her uncle could see the fine scales that covered her face, but there was no change in his expression at all. She did hear someone’s sharp intake of air from the corner of the room, but again, she ignored it. “Hello uncle. What happened to Krystine?”

“That’s what we were just talking about.”

Seryne nodded as she produced one of the disjunction scrolls Randyl had made her. She quickly cast it on the corner of the office from which she had heard the earlier commotion and almost instantaneously, her parents, Jonathan and Anjaiyi Vail were revealed.

“That’s a neat trick.” Her mother was all smiles and excitement. “Did Randyl make you that? That’s a very powerful spell. When did you become a half-dragon?” She walked over and embraced Seryne as she asked her questions. She then looked at her with a suddenly serious expression. “And more importantly, what are you doing here? And where is your brother?”

Seryne decided to answer the last question first, as she was sure she would have time to answer her mother’s other questions later. “He is still in Lapis. I needed to come and talk to you alone.”

“I see.” Seryne could see the concern in her mother’s eyes, but she kept smiling. She was always smiling.

Her father simply walked over and clasped hands with his daughter. “Nice sword.”

Seryne smiled at his simple greeting. “Thanks. Now, that we are through with the family greeting, can we get to the part where Krystine is missing?” Seryne turned to her uncle, who was staring into the fire.

Her mother answered her instead. “That’s why we’re here, dear. I’m going to do all I can to find out.”

Posted 06/28/07 23:04 (GMT) -- Malkryad

Seryne felt the cold radiating from “Whisp of Air” as she ducked beneath her father’s blow. It turned out that she and her father were essentially useless as far as finding her cousin went, so instead they were sparring in her uncle’s training hall. They fought in the way Amilielia had taught them to train, wearing only their undergarments. It was interesting fighting without the hindrance of armor, not that they were unprotected. As they were both half-dragons, they each had some natural protection.

“This sword is exquisite. Amilielia really outdid herself with this one. I think it may be better than mine.” Her father continued swinging at her as he spoke, Seryne deflecting each of his blows as he did.

Seryne backed off and pointed her father’s sword to the ground as she admonished him. “You know, I think you can compare one of Amilielia’s weapons to any other weapon in the world EXCEPT one made by Amilielia.”

Her father smiled as Seryne suddenly went back on the offensive. “So, are you finally going to tell me why you left your brother behind and came to find us without even telling him?”

She raised an eyebrow as she swung directly at his head. “How do you know I didn’t tell him?”

Her father smiled at her as he easily parried the blow. “I may be getting older but I am not a moron. Your brother would not have let you come alone, if he had known.”

Seryne thought about it for a moment. She hadn’t told him because she had been too embarrassed. Didn’t want him thinking that when the going got tough, she needed to run back to Mom and Dad. That, and she had some questions that it would be easier to ask without him. Besides, she didn’t need to rely on him. “What makes you think he would have been able to stop me?”

Her father simply smiled and said nothing.

“Pardon the interruption, but Anjaiyi wished me to convey the message that, and I quote, if either of you idiots kills the other because you are too stupid to wear armor or use training blades, then she is NOT going to raise you.” Her uncle actually managed to sound amused.

“She always says that,” Seryne laughed.

“Besides,” her father said with just a bit of mischief “you’ll raise us. Isn’t that a sort of paladin duty or somesuch.”

Martin simply shook his head. “Not when it is you, brother. Not when it is you.”

Anjaiyi strode into the hall at that moment, looking particularly exhausted. “Good to see you haven’t maimed each other yet.” She smiled at them, then looked at Martin more seriously. “I’ve done what I can, Martin, and I’ll just tell you the news straight and plain. The good news is that she is not dead. The bad news is that she is also no longer on this plane. She has been… taken… elsewhere, and as far as I can tell there is some intelligent purpose behind it. But that is all I know. I’ll continue to look into it and see if I can find some way to reach her, but I’ve done as much as I can here.”

Martin remained as stoic as ever and simply nodded. “I appreciate your help, Anj. You are, of course, welcome to stay and rest here as long as you like.”

“And let these two tear your house apart with their constant training?” Anjaiyi laughed. “No, I think we can head home. Seryne made enough of a ruckus coming in here and people will start asking too many questions. You don’t want your father knowing we were here, after all.”

Martin simply shrugged. “At this point I don’t know that I care.”

“Nevertheless.” Anjaiyi began casting and a gateway formed that Seryne knew would take them back to Arizel. “It is time for us to go home. I think we have a lot of talking to do, and Mirabar is not the place for us.”

Seryne simply nodded and gathered her things. “Thank you, Uncle. Sorry we weren’t more help.” And then she strode through the gateway.

Posted 06/28/07 23:04 (GMT) -- Malkryad

Seryne spent a long time telling her parents of the adventures she had had with Randyl. She told them of Ammothrawen, and their efforts to rescue her. She told them of Amilielia’s appearance and eventual departure and conveyed the goodbyes that Amilielia had asked her to. And then she told them about Alistair, the painful death he had given her, and her frightening transformation into a full dragon and all the feelings it had brought to the surface in her.

For a time they sat in silence, her mother looking more serious then Seryne had ever seen her. She stared into space, clearly listening but also clearly lost in her own thoughts. Surprisingly, it was her father that eventually broke the silence.

“The important thing is that you are both fine. You’ve certainly dealt with your share of adversity, and it pains me to hear it, but you are both fine.”

“That’s just it. I’m not fine. That’s why I came home. I have questions that need answering.”

Her mother finally looked directly at her, and the pain of what she had heard was clearly evident in her eyes. “What do you need to know?”

“Well, for one, I would eventually like some tips for resisting mind spells. Those drive me crazy. But there are some more important questions I need answered.”

“You only need ask.”

“Mother, I need to speak with the vampire.”

“Seryne!” Her father’s cool façade was gone in an instant. “You can’t… She doesn’t… It’s not…”

Her mother was strangely calm. “It’s alright Jonathan.” She turned to Seryne. “It isn’t really a separate personality, you know. Not really… not anymore…” Her voice trailed off as she became lost in thought again.

Seryne rolled up her sleeve as she spoke. “But that is what I need to know, mother. I need to know more about where Randyl and I come from. I need to know what lurks within. I need to know about our capacity for evil.” As she spoke, she produced a dagger and dragged it across her own wrist. Her father sighed and walked out of the room, though he didn’t go far. She held her arm towards her mother, the blood welling up.

Seryne watched her mother change. Gone was the sweet, ever-smiling woman that was Seryne’s mother. It was a vampire that took her arm and fed. It was a vampire that smiled a feral smile at Seryne after she finished drinking.

“Now, my daughter. What is it you need to know?”

Posted 06/28/07 23:05 (GMT) -- Malkryad

“I hope you are satisfied now.” Her father was obviously displeased. He had never been truly comfortable with the fact that his wife was a magically created half-vampire, though the vampirism was also, for the most part, magically suppressed.

Seryne sighed, and headed for her bedroom. “We’ll talk about it in the morning, father.”

Jonathan Vail simply shook his head.

Posted 06/28/07 23:05 (GMT) -- Malkryad

“There is one more person I need to speak with now. I need to speak with my grandfather.”

Jonathan arched an eyebrow. “Why would you want to speak with him. He’s just a pompous old fool…”

Anjaiyi shook her head at her husband. “I think she means her OTHER grandfather, Jonathan. She means ‘Shadowangel’.”

Seryne did not miss the sarcastic way her mother said the name. Seryne had always thought the name was kind of neat. He had apparently became known by that name many years ago when he had assisted some warriors from Damara in fighting the Witch King of Vassa. They had considered him their “guardian angel.” But he considered himself a part of the shadow they were fighting. Hence the name.

Once again, her father was less than pleased. “No. There is a reason you haven’t met that man, Seryne. Vellin Rokiri is a danger unlike anything you’ve ever known.”

Anjaiyi simply looked thoughtful. “I think she may be able to handle him, Jonny.” Seryne smiled at her mother’s use of that name. NO ONE, save her mother, called her father that. “And besides, he isn’t THAT bad. He raised ME, after all.” She gave one of her husband one of her ‘I’m just an innocent little girl’ looks.

Despite her mother’s casual words, though, Seryne knew the truth. Vellin Rokiri was the one person in all the world that her mother truly feared. That fact alone made him someone that Seryne needed to meet.

Jonathan simply shook his head. “Fine. But you are going with her.”

Both Anjaiyi and Seryne smiled broadly. “Of course.”

Posted 06/28/07 23:07 (GMT) -- Malkryad

Seryne took a moment to enjoy the view of the mountains below her as she swooped through the air with her mother, polymorphed into a dragon, flying beside her. They had used a gate to travel into Damara, but her mother had felt it would be unwise to use a gate to travel directly to Shadowangel’s home. Instead, they flew into the mountains in which he lived, timing their arrival to coincide with sunset.

Anjaiyi suddenly began to descend, and Seryne was confused for a moment. There was a small village below them, but that is not where Anjaiyi headed. Instead, she went for a small valley, nestled near the village. Even from the air, Seryne didn’t see the house there until they were, quite literally, right on top of it.

It was not at all what she had expected. They landed in a clearing in front of what appeared to be a typical country manor house – the type of home that one my expect a minor noble to have. There was a small path that obviously led down into the village, though this place would be a hard place to find if you didn’t know exactly where to look.

“Are you certain we should enter here wearing full armor and our weapons?” Seryne looked at her mother, who was wearing her magical mythril chain shirt and had her rapier at her side. Seryne had never seen her mother actually bother to wear them before.

Anjaiyi smiled broadly at her daughter’s question. “Trust me, Seryne. To come before him anything less than fully prepared for battle would be an insult to him. Come on.”

As they approached the gates, two large golems stirred to life, but after a quiet word and gesture from Anjaiyi, they immediately settled back into place. The gates swung open and they walked into a beautifully cared for garden that led up to the house itself.

“The flowers bloom at night, of course” her mother noted as they continued on their way. When they reached the house, the front door opened, and an old gentleman with alert eyes and a few missing teeth smiled warmly at them.

“Hello mistress Anjaiyi. So good to have you home. Your father is expecting you, of course. And this must be Seryne.”

Seryne was so shocked to see the strange old man, that she simply nodded. Her mother, meanwhile, squealed like a little girl and embraced him.

“Dachel! Still serving him after all these years? Don’t you ever get bored up here?”

The old man smiled warmly at Anjaiyi. “You know that your father is an easy man to serve. So much is done with magic around here, but he still needs me to conduct his occasional business in the village and all. But we best not keep him waiting. He is very interested to find out why you have come. This way.”

The old man led them into a well appointed study. Again, it was nothing like Seryne had expected. She had expected to walk into a lair, but instead found herself in a fairly ordinary house. She had expected the study to be a mess of magical books and scrolls and whatever it was that powerful mages used. Instead, she found herself in a tidy room. One wall was full of books, but they were well organized and placed with military precision. Her mother immediately went to a book shelf, took a book, and sat down on a chair near one corner of the room, seemingly at ease, though Seryne could tell that she was very much on edge.

At that moment, Vellin Rokiri strode into the room. Seryne was so used to being shocked by now that she wasn’t at all surprised by his innocuous appearance. He was a handsome man who looked younger than her father. He moved like a fighter, not a mage, though he wore a mage’s robe. An elegantly crafted katana hung at his side. And yet, Seryne could see why her mother was afraid. The man radiated power.

“So nice to finally meet you in person, Seryne. I have, of course, been watching both you and your brother for some time. Have a seat.” He gestured to one of the two chairs in the middle of the room. When she had seated herself in one of them, he sat in the other. “So, what can I help you with, my dear.”

Seryne decided to get right to the point. “I want to talk about what you did when you created my mother. I want to talk about the magic you used to suppress the vampire in her and I want to talk about how it might affect my brother and I. I need to know if evil lurks in us.

Her grandfather smiled, revealing his pointed canines. “You don’t mince words, do you granddaughter. Of course, the first thing we need to do is separate in your mind the concept of vampire and evil.”

Seryne shrugged. “I know that technically, a vampire does not have to be evil, but you can not argue that the nature of their… condition… tends to have them lean that way.

Her grandfather chuckled slightly. “Well said. But tell me - you’ve come all this way just to discuss the nature of good and evil?”

“Who better to discuss it with? From what I’ve heard, you were once a very good man, even if it was almost a thousand years ago. Then you were turned into a vampire and were directly or indirectly involved in the murder of thousands. Later, you helped prevent the death of many more. Seeking what? Redemption? You have been both good and evil in your long life, and who even knows what you are now? If you can’t help me work this out, then no one can.”

Her grandfather smiled again. “You know, I once knew a man who argued that good and evil were nothing but words. Labels that the weak used to justify themselves when they sat up at night, alone with their thoughts. He would say that there is no good or evil in ourselves. He would say that there is no light or dark. Only shades of gray. Only shadows.”

“I’ve heard that argument before. Usually from evil. It rests on a faulty assumption, however. Of course “good” and “evil” are labels. All of language is a label.” Seryne stood as she spoke. “If I say that I will ‘swing my sword’, then you know that is a label for this…” With one smooth motion she drew her greatsword and swung it within inches of her grandfather’s neck. He didn’t even flinch. She re-sheathed the sword and sat again. The fact that ‘swing my sword’ is a label for that action does not give my action any less meaning.”

“Ah, but I can see you swing that fine sword of yours. Good and evil are not something anyone can see.”

“Oh please. Just because a concept is abstract, does not mean that it doesn’t exist.”

Vellin Rokiri simply nodded, and for the first time acknowledged his daughter sitting in the corner of the room. “You don’t need to watch over us like a worried mother hen, Anjaiyi. I will not harm this girl. I have the feeling we are going to have a most interesting evening.

Posted 06/28/07 23:07 (GMT) -- Malkryad

In fact, Seryne and Anjaiyi spent several days with the fascinating vampire. Seryne could see why her parents considered him so dangerous. The man had an agenda all his own. He was smart, he was powerful, and he was seductive. But he gave Seryne some of the answers she needed.

She sat perched near the top of one of the mountains above her grandfather’s home, looking down into the village below, alone with her thoughts.

“What are you doing here, little dragon.” The words were spoken in draconic, and Seryne looked about to see who had spoken, spotting a small silver dragonling sitting nearby, watching her curiously.

“Who are you calling little?” Seryne replied in draconic to the little beast.

The dragon ignored her quip. “Are you still lost? You’ve wandered very far in search of answers. But maybe you’ve been asking the wrong questions.”

“I think I’ve run out of people to ask, at any rate.”

“You could ask the gods. You could ask the god you say you serve.”

Seryne frowned slightly and looked off into the distance. She had never thought about it. She considered herself a follower of Bahamut, of course, but she was hardly very devout. She never really concerned herself with the gods. Mostly because she figured the gods never concerned themselves with her either.

The little dragon sighed. “Bahamut directly sent you a warning about the events that led you on this little soul-searching crusade, and you think your god is not concerned with you? Go home, little dragon. Your brother needs you now.”

When Seryne turned, the dragon was gone. Seryne shrugged and went off in search of her mother. It was time to go home.