The Silver Sphinx

 

“In the depths of despair, the seeds of hope are sown.”

Elysian proverb

 

 

Third Clerk's Day of Mortis, 126 HR

They had been in this cell in Broken Reach for about a day and a half now - at least, that was Yelmalis' estimate. He could only guess, because their equipment, including his pocket watch, had been taken from them and they couldn't see the sun here in prison. Not that the swollen, blood-red sun of Pazunia was particularly worth seeing. Once, an alu had brought them something to eat, but otherwise they had been largely ignored. Two bulezau guards had been stationed in front of the cell door at first, but they had left about an hour ago. However, it was reasonable to assume that there were more guards not far away and that the area surrounding their cell was well guarded. Garush had been very quiet since her initial outburst and only glanced at the cell door from time to time with a grim look. Lereia was also quiet, but seemed to be thinking a lot. At the moment, she was sitting on one of the cots with her legs drawn up and her head leaning against the wall.

Yelmalis himself had been brooding a lot over the past few hours, thinking about a possible escape plan and about what else might await them here in the Abyss. Since an anti-magic field surrounded the cells, the door was very sturdy and everything seemed to be well guarded, he had quickly discarded the question of an escape plan. A time leap was also not an option. Although his gift had recovered in the meantime and he could have used it again, it had been more than twelve hours since their capture by Red Shroud, and he could not travel further than half a day into the past. There was no way out, so they had to hope for their friends. But were they even still alive? He shook his head. Of course they were. There had to be a reason why Garush, Lereia and he himself had been left mostly alone so far, and he clung to the thought that it had something to do with their friends. He didn't dare think anything else at the moment. Because otherwise the fear and despair that lurked at the edge of his consciousness like dark wolves would take hold of him. Lying in wait, waiting for a moment of weakness and hopelessness, they would tear his thoughts, his feelings, his mind to pieces if he let them get too close. To distract himself, he placed a hand on his robe, gently feeling for the place where he kept something hidden that the guards hadn't taken from him ... a piece of paper. He stood up and went to the door to peek out. Since the bulezau were gone, perhaps now was the opportunity to talk to the others about something important.

Lereia raised her head and looked over at him. “See someone?” she asked quietly.

He watched the dimly lit space in front of the cell door for a while and listened. “No one. Everything is quiet.”

Even the whimpering from the opposite cell had stopped for the moment. A woman was locked up there, apparently injured, but now she seemed to be asleep. They had tried to talk to her, but she had not answered, only retreating to a corner of her cell.

“Isn't it strange that they're leaving us alone like this?” Lereia asked.

“They must have orders from Red Shroud herself,” Yelmalis surmised. “And she obviously puts value on us. She wants something.”

Lereia sighed. “I'm afraid so. I just hope the others haven't done anything stupid.”

“I trust most of them to remain level-headed, at least to some extent,” Garush growled. “If your Harmonium soldier hasn't had another dragon blood surge and your sorceress kept quiet ...”

Lereia nodded seriously. ”I have to agree with you. I also think those two are the biggest elements of uncertainty ...“

Yelmalis turned back to the two women. ”Even if Tarik and Dilae had any reckless ideas, Sekhemkare probably talked some sense into them. Every now and then, this rationality, which usually comes across as rather cold, can be quite useful.”

As if she had read his mind, Lereia now seemed to think of something. “Did they take the transcript from you?”

Yelmalis turned back to the door and peered out. Only when he was sure that no one was watching them did he turn back, reached into an inside pocket of his robe and took out a carefully folded piece of paper. He sat down on one of the pallets and beckoned the two women over, who took a seat to his right and left. Then he carefully unfolded the paper. “This is the passage that Jana, Sekhemkare, Tarik and I copied and translated from the old book,” he explained quietly. “The text starts in the middle of a sentence. I'll read it to you.

... which may even date back to the time of Arendur. The ancient tome ”Deus Machina" by Tolumvire suggests that the so-called God Machine is a machine-like mechanism that is directly integrated into the architecture of Sigil. The book contains a comprehensive theory of the Deus Machina, and one of the last copies is said to be in the Archives of Arendur, in the Library of the Keeper. According to Tolumvire, components of what could be the most complex dream machine in the multiverse still exist, embedded into the ancient architecture of Sigil. If activated, it could alter and shape space, time and all reality. The presumed components of the God Machine are described below. Primary components - The Wheel: The Wheel is a network of ley lines that connect all other components of the Deus Machina. In this way, all Pillars and God Stones are linked together. The Wheel is often used as a synonym for the Deus Machina. - The Four Pillars: The Four Pillars are the nodes or axes of the Deus Machina. They channel the energy of the God Stones through the Machine. The Pillars probably shape the raw energy of the God Stones into something constructive. The Four Pillars are CADE (body), MENO (mind), ANI (soul) and FATI (fate). - The God Stones: They provide the energy that powers the Machine. Each God Stone is linked to a specific moral concept. It is therefore assumed that the God Stones serve as a kind of moral compass for the God Machine. In this way, the God Stones determine the intention and feelings behind the changes in reality brought about by the Machine. The number of God Stones is ...”

Lereia frowned. “Yes?”

“That's the end of the translation,” Yelmalis explained, lowering the piece of paper.

“That sounds complicated ...” said Lereia. “Arendur was a city similar to Sigil, wasn't it?”

Yelmalis nodded. “Yes, the Axial City of the last cycle, according to the Prophecy. And Tolumvire was apparently a wizard of unimaginable power who lived in Arendur a very long time ago.”

“Yes, I remember.” Lereia frowned thoughtfully. “The God Stones ... could that be us?”

“Us?” The thought surprised Yelmalis. “I hadn't thought of that ... To be honest, I have no idea.”

“Most certainly, we are no stones!” Garush growled discontentedly.

Yelmalis couldn't suppress a brief smile. “That's more of a metaphor.”

Impatiently, the amazon waved it off. “That's not really my thing.”

“The text explicitly mentions the number of stones,” Lereia pondered. “It seems to be significant.”

Yelmalis nodded with a sigh. “Unfortunately, I wasn't able to write down the number.”

“You don't remember either?”

Regretfully, Yelmalis shook his head. “It would have been on the next page, but we couldn't turn the page. Without Kiyoshi's words, the book had started to become unruly again.”

“I see,” said Lereia. “If we make it out of here, we should ask the Keeper about her library.”

Yelmalis noticed that she used the word “if” and not “when,” but he let it pass without comment. Just don't let the wolves get too close ... “I'm just confused that it says it's supposed to be in the Archives of Arendur. Arendur doesn't exist anymore, does it?”

Lereia nodded, frowning; the question seemed to confuse her as well. “Perhaps ‘archives’ refers to all remaining books and writings, rather than Arendur as a place. Perhaps Arendur is a thematic section in this library.”

The air genasi watched as a light blue butterfly landed on the sleeve of his robe. “But as I understood it, there are no records from that time. Very strange ... Did the Keeper mention a library to you?”

“Not that I remember,” Lereia replied. “Maybe she doesn't know yet?”

Garush, who had been listening silently the whole time, now let out an annoyed snort. “That wouldn't surprise me.” Then she stared back at the cell door, clearly not in the mood to continue discussing the Prophecy and the God Machine.

Lereia, on the other hand, twisted a strand of white hair around her index finger, deep in thought. “Could it be that remnants of Arendur still exist somewhere?”

“I've wondered that myself,” Yelmalis explained. “At least, Factol Hashkar hasn't found any records of it. If they do exist, then such ruins must be very well hidden and secret.”

“We should definitely talk to the Keeper,” said the weretigress. “Maybe she has a clue. Or we could focus on the city. Who knows, maybe there are archives hidden somewhere.”

The air genasi looked again at the densely written sheet of paper. “I find it very interesting that the God Machine is not a single object, but embedded in the architecture of Sigil. That also implicates certain difficulties.”

“Indeed,” said Lereia, raising her eyebrows. “Who knows if we would even recognize it. Perhaps we already know some of its components and just don't realize it.”

Yelmalis nodded. “Yes, that may well be. And that makes it difficult to control it, I suppose.”

Lereia also looked at the text and seemed to read it once more. “The God Stones power the Machine ... What was the explanation about the Chosen? I mean, in the Prophecy. What role do we play?”

Yelmalis thought hard, but then shook his head. “If I remember correctly, the Prophecy only mentions that the Chosen have awakened. And that it begins when the Chosen awaken.”

“We've thought about that too,” said Lereia. “Perhaps the Machine can be activated by us, or rather by the energy of our gifts.”

“That’s possible,” Yelmalis replied. “The moral compass aspect is interesting, isn’t it?”

Lereia ran her fingers across her forehead. “Moral compass. Hmm ... Could that refer to alignments? We know that all gifts relate to the soul.”

“Somehow, I think.” Yelmalis pointed at the passage where the God Stones were mentioned as the moral compass of the Machine. “What I'm thinking is this: if each God Stone is linked to a specific moral concept, and they together form the moral compass of the God Machine, wouldn't that mean you can not do with it whatever you want?”

“That gives me a headache,” growled the amazon.

Lereia sighed. “I'm afraid not just you, Garush. I'd say it sounds like it can be operated or controlled. If it's something mechanical, it doesn't work on its own or of its own free will.”

“Right,” Yelmalis confirmed, unimpressed by the half-orc's dark glances. “And it says: In this way, the God Stones determine the intention and feelings behind the changes in reality brought about by the Machine. So the God Stones determine that, and not the user? Fascinating thought ...”

“Unless the stones are the user,” Lereia interjected.

“Exactly!” Yelmalis felt the excitement and enthusiasm of academic research well up from deep down. “But in that case, they would be determined by their own nature and have ... no real free will?”

Lereia rubbed her temples, and he could see that these theories were gradually becoming a bit too much for her as well. “Unfortunately, nothing is known about the user or users ...”

“Who are you, anyway?” Garush suddenly interrupted, the question apparently directed at the weretigress.

Lereia looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Garush smiled slightly, for the first time in this cell. “Each of us has a name in the Prophecy, don't we? I am the Huntress.”

“I see.” Lereia nodded and smiled a little too. “The Creator.” Then she looked questioningly at Yelmalis.

The air genasi bowed slightly. “The Thinker.”

“Oh, that's fitting,” Lereia said with a smile. “The Thinker was also mentioned by the voice when we were in the house for the first time.”

Garush bared her tusks with a grin. “Yes, Yel's name fits like a glove. And mine kind of does too. But what do you create?”

The air genasi decided to ignore the unwanted shortening of his name and shook his head a little reproachfully at the amazon's overly direct manner.

But Lereia didn't seem to mind and sighed a little. “I'm not entirely sure. It seems I can transform fragments of a soul into matter.”

“That sounds complicated,” Garush said, impressed.

Yelmalis nodded. “And very exciting.”

“I find it rather eerie,” Lereia admitted. “At first, I could only perceive signatures that seemed to mirror a person's soul. Then I managed to transform these signatures into matter ... to weave them, as the Prophecy says. But it also says that I could weave future and destiny from matter. I don't quite understand that yet.“

”To be honest, I can't imagine what that means either,“ Yelmalis said thoughtfully. ”But it sounds pretty important.”

Since they had started talking about her gift, Lereia seemed a little more downcast again. “I learned in Elysium that one day my gift could decide the fate of the Chosen. I'm not really the kind of person who likes to influence the fate of others ... And testing my gift is proving to be difficult. My convictions do not allow me to experiment on the souls of others. And you? How much do you already know about your gifts?”

“Factol Hashkar has encouraged me greatly to explore it,” replied Yelmalis. “Which I did, among other things, by studying the otherwise forbidden school of chronomancy - with special permission, of course! Now I can consciously and willingly travel through time, up to twelve hours into the past or future. I can even take someone with me.” Of course, he couldn't help thinking about the events in Excelsior when he had traveled through time with Factol Sarin to prevent the assassination of Archbishop Juliana. When he had pushed his gift to the limit to change a fixed point in time. When he had enabled the factol to use part of his destiny as a pledge. As relieved as he had been about Lady Juliana's rescue, he was still uncertain about the consequences of this act. He had explained this to Sarin. But the paladin had wanted to save Juliana at any cost - only too understandable as he obviously loved her like a mother. And so he had allowed fate to take its course ...

Lereia, who had been there at the time, seemed to sense what was crossing his mind, for she smiled encouragingly. “That's impressive. And certainly one of the most efficient gifts.”

He waved it off, a little embarrassed by her praise. “It can be quite helpful at times.”

“I have the feeling,” Lereia said thoughtfully, “that your gifts are somehow ... more active.”

Yelmalis swayed his head. “It depends on the gifts, I think – but perhaps also on how far they are developed. What Kiyoshi does with his words in the Old Tongue, for example, seems to have great potential.”

“That's true.” Lereia nodded. “I think we need to practice more and explore them. I've been a little cautious lately, though.” A certain uneasiness was evident in the young woman's words. Even though she didn't say it directly, it seemed as if she had had a bad experience with her gift.

“I think that's understandable,” Yelmalis replied sympathetically.

Garush's question, on the other hand, was direct and to the point. “Can you use your gift on anyone?”

“At first, I couldn't sense any signature on the Chosen,” Lereia explained. “But since the Keeper and the Proclaimer revealed the Prophecy to us, I can sense one on us as well. With Yelmalis, it's gently falling snowflakes that float down slowly and silently. And with you, Garush, I sense black sand surrounding rocks of steel. I don't know if this weaving matter thing would work, though. I tried it once in self-defense, but I couldn't concentrate enough at the time.”

Yelmalis smiled as Lereia described his soul signature. It sounded peaceful and beautiful, and he thought it suited him well.

Garush also nodded, apparently quite satisfied with how her soul was perceived. But then the amazon had a thought. “Wait a minute ... You've only been able to sense a signature on the Chosen since the Prophecy was revealed?”

Lereia nodded. “Yes, when Elyria and Lorias told us who we were, I perceived the Chosen's signatures for the first time. And since then, I can also sense yours.”

“As if we got a soul only then?” Yelmalis asked, frowning. “That's strange.”

“To be honest, I don't understand it either,” Lereia admitted. “Maybe it was some kind of ... protection before?”

“I find that really creepy,” Garush growled. “And that rarely happens to me.”

“Creepy?” Lereia looked at her questioningly.

“Sure,” said the amazon. “Does that mean I was born without a soul? That's grotesque ...”

“Unfortunately, I still can't perceive anything on myself,” Lereia explained. “But at the meeting with Elyria and Lorias, I had the impression to sense a fresh wind, as if something that had been gone for a long time and that I had missed had returned to me. But I can't really imagine that we didn't have souls before. Maybe a kind of veil that had been covering them was lifted.”

“Crazy ...” Garush muttered. “But the feeling you describe ... we all felt that when the Prophecy was revealed. By the way, I couldn't use my gift against Factol Mallin. Not that I seriously wanted to. It was just for practice, but it didn't work.”

“It was the same with Sgillin,” Lereia reported. “He can't do it with everyone. I did the same thing ... practicing with my factol ...” Her expression darkened and she lowered her gaze, looking downcast. “I wish I hadn't been able to use my gift.”

Yelmalis nodded gently. So he hadn't just imagined that the young woman had had a bad experience in this regard.

But she was already straightening up again, obviously unwilling to pursue the subject. “Do you know why you couldn't use your gift, Garush?”

The amazon shrugged. “No, not really.”

“But I suspect it has something to do with the nature of souls,” Yelmalis interjected.

“That some souls are more receptive?” the weretigress asked.

Yelmalis nodded. “Perhaps, yes.”

“At least I don't think it's because of how close you are to someone,” said Lereia. “But we haven't found a real explanation yet, and ...” She paused and nodded gently towards the cell door.

A cambion entered. They had seen him before when he had picked up a prisoner who had probably been sold as a slave. He glanced briefly at them, then shrugged and headed for the opposite cell. It was the one where the wounded woman was locked up. Garush immediately stood up and stepped to the barred door, watching the cambion warily. He pulled a set of keys from his pocket, unlocked the other cell and went inside. He laughed and said something in Abyssal.

“Don't touch her!” Garush struck hard against the bars.

Lereia peered anxiously at the door. “What did he say?”

“My Abyssal isn't very good,” the amazon growled. “But I'm sure it was something stupid.”

Yelmalis also stood up and looked over at the other cell with concern, a bad feeling in his stomach. It was hard to see clearly because of the distance and the dim light, but the cambion seemed to be opening his belt buckle ... Yelmalis swallowed hard and saw Lereia's eyes widen.

Garush, however, struck violently against the bars again. “I'll kill you!” she yelled wildly. “You're dead, you filthy demon!”

Yelmalis pressed his lips together, furious at their helplessness.

The cambion looked over his shoulder at Garush. “Shut up, amazon. I'll be happy to come over afterwards and have it off with you if you really want me to.”

He grinned lewdly before turning back to the woman lying on the floor. Garush hit the bars once more. But Lereia suddenly tensed, seemed to focus on the cambion ... She closed her eyes, apparently concentrating. Just as Yelmalis was wondering what she was up to, the demon flinched and cried out in pain. Lereia stared down at her hand, and when the air genasi followed her gaze, he saw that she was holding two thistles. His eyes widened in surprise. Had she just ripped out a piece of the cambion's soul? Garush hadn't noticed in her rage, but Lereia and Yelmalis now held their breath and looked tensely at the other cell.

The cambion gasped, pained and confused. “What was that? Damn, I should take less of that stuff ...” He rubbed his forehead, but then leaned over the woman again ...

Lereia snorted angrily and focused on him again. The demon groaned in pain, and Yelmalis could see that the weretigress was biting her lower lip as if to maintain her concentration at all costs. Then she held red sand in her other hand, which trickled through the fingers of her clenched fist.

“Ouch, damn it!” The cambion cried out again and writhed in pain.

Lereia quickly stepped back to the cot, sat down and placed both hands behind her, holding sand and thistles.

“What kind of witchcraft is this?!” the cambion shouted angrily, now staring at them. “Was that one of you?”

Yelmalis also stepped back a little while Garush rattled at the bars. “Come here!” she growled. “Then you'll find out!”

“I warn you!” hissed the demon. “Even if you are valuable to Red Shroud, don't carry it too far!”

Garush craned her neck so that her tusks protruded more clearly from behind her lower lip. “Didn't you want to come over? Well, what now? Don't feel like it anymore? Not so manly, after all, huh?”

Yelmalis flinched. “Garush, damn it ...” he whispered.

Lereia also gave the amazon a warning look, but the half-orc paid no attention. She was focused solely on the cambion. He was now actually coming over to their cell – unfortunately not without leaving the keys on the table in the middle of the room. Damn ...

Then he stepped up to the bars and looked Garush straight in the eye. “Who do you think you are, you slut?”

“We're tired and at the end of our tether,” Lereia said quickly. “It's normal that someone loses their temper.”

Garush didn't answer, but the moment the cambion got close enough, her arms shot through the bars, grabbed his head, and with a quick, violent jerk, she broke his neck.

“Garush!” Lereia jumped up in horror.

“He won't abuse any more women.” The amazon spat through the bars and onto the corpse.

 

 

Yelmalis had flinched, but he wasn't really surprised by Garush's actions. He had known her for a while now, and the cambion had tempted fate, without realizing it, of course.

“I am a Mercykiller and a daughter of Varuskias,” the amazon declared proudly. “No court in this cursed place would ever convict this scum. Therefore, it is up to me to administer justice.”

Lereia nodded slowly, though she was still a little pale. “I ... cannot disagree. Even if I am afraid of the consequences.“

”I understand,“ replied Garush. ”But justice must always prevail and stand above all else.” She explained it as matter-of-factly as if she were simply stacking a pile of wood.

Yelmalis hoped that they were more important to Red Shroud than the cambion Garush had killed and that there would be no retaliation. That was probably the case, as simple prison guards were surely just interchangeable figures to a demon princess. By contrast, there had to be a valid reason why they had not been hurt or tortured yet. They stared silently at the corpse for a while, then Lereia seemed to think of something.

She raised her hands, still holding the thistles in one and red sand in the other. “What happens to the soul of a fiend after it dies?” she asked.

“The soul becomes one with the plane itself,” Yelmalis explained.

Lereia nodded. “These are fragments of his soul, I think. Perhaps we can observe what happens to them?”

“That's a very good idea,” said the air genasi. “I'm not a cleric, but from what I know, a soul only returns to its plane of destiny after two or three days. I don't know how it works with fiends, who are manifested souls. And besides, he was a half-fiend.“

”Then I'll keep an eye on it.“ Lereia carefully placed the thistles and the red sand in a dark corner under her cot. Then she looked over at the other cell. ”At least I was able to save the woman from something really bad.”

Garush nodded to Lereia with approval. “Yes, that was very good. You are a proud fighter. Impressive in your tiger form, but also determined and brave when it comes to your gift.”

“Thank you very much.” Lereia smiled slightly at Garush's praise, but then became serious again. “I don't want to hurt anyone if I don't have to. But when it comes to protecting someone weaker, that's a different matter.”

Yelmalis smiled. “Aha, it almost sounds like I'm here with two amazons now. Should I feel safer or scared?”

Garush grinned. “Both would be appropriate.”

With a short laugh, Lereia shook her head. “I can say with certainty that you can feel safe, Yelmalis.”

“Good to know,” he replied with a warm smile.

He had to admit that the presence of Garush and Lereia did make him feel better, much safer than if he had been sitting here alone. Of course, it was terrible that they were also trapped here – but at least he wasn't without friends in the cells of Broken Reach.

 

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played April 19, 2013