india ♔ cut the bonds with the moon and let the dogs gather

[sirsolace]

♬ The Moon - Swell Season

WHO || Faye, Andie, Scout, Solace, Riddick, Nessa [closed]
WHAT || The Knights try to find their way into the Temple to see the
WHERE || Khajjiar, India, near the Temple of the Moon
WHEN || Sometime last week, afternoon
HOW || Actionspam

The Knights have spent the last week or so gathering supplies and intelligence in the town close to the mountains where the elven sisters have sequestered themselves inside their temple.   And what they've heard has been disturbing:  tales of the fanaticism of the sisters' followers seems to run contrary to everything Solace has to tell them about the usual clergy of Sehanine Moonbow.  These people are dogmatic to the point of violence, and the temple has been sealed against entrance by anyone at all as the sisters seek to complete their 'ritual', which is meant to seal the Veil from the Shadow World and prevent anymore incursions of Shadowkind, monsters, or objects.  

Finally, the Knights take the long journey up the mountainside to approach for themselves.  The road up is dotted with wagons and tents, and when the temple finally rises up out of the fog above, silver and gleaming, it's clear that even reaching the doors could prove difficult.  The steps are obscured by the massive amount of tents and people moving about.  There are probably hundreds barring the way, camped together so tightly that moving between them seems an invitation to trouble, given the supposed lynchings that have occurred when others dared to try and break in.

Solace halts the group at the edge of the crowd, with one hand held out slightly to the side.  He frowns as he looks over the faces of those gathered, none of whom look exactly friendly... or even hopeful.

Comments

[wildmind]

[ nessa's eyes flick upwards as she places a hand against the doors there, and then gently pushes them open. ]

Cool it, ladies. [ there's a soft light illuminating the halls within, dark wood and simple architecture unbroken by any visible art or decoration. the hall stretches out before them, and the top of a set of steps leading down is barely visible at the far end. ]

[reallywicked]

[Faye heads behind Nessa, looking around the dimply lit room.]

Down? [She mouths to the others while pointing at the stairs.]

[asap]

[Andie shrugs, glancing back at the others for a moment before cautiously starting forward.] Seems like our only option. [She whispers over her shoulder.]

[wildmind]

[ nessa moves silently behind them (17), ghosting down the steps along with the girls. the area below is clearly a temple, carved in almost all light blue, which gives the entire room the strange appearance of being gently moonlit. the only other light comes from a few flickering candles set around an altar in the middle of the room, where two figures sit, facing one another. they both wear long flowing dresses, embroidered with images of the moon, and their hands are joined between them, eyes closed. both girls sport wild blonde hair and a close eye (spot 16) can see the elven ears peeking out of their curls.



also visible on the lap of the left handed sister is a wicked looking knife whose blade appears to be carved out of glass. they're both intoning something quietly, a whispered prayer perhaps. ]

[reallywicked]

[Faye creeps (move silently: 15) along but doesn't seem much (spot: 10). For how much trouble everyone has gone to in order to make sure that no one would get in, she can only wonder if there's people guarding from the inside. So far they haven't seen anyone, but... there's always that chance.

She tries to edge closer and strains to listen (natural 20, so bat ears are a go, I guess.)]

[asap]

[Andie tries to creep, but in a sudden display of moving too fast for even herself, trips and falls with a loud smack (move silently nat 1 whoops). But at least she notices the ears (spot 16)!]

[wildmind]

[ as one, their heads turn directly towards the noise. it's too late to hide, and nessa motions for them to stop moving as the girls stare at them for a long moment. they look as if caught in a very emotional moment, more frighted than angered by an intrusion. the right handed sister asks a question, in a language the girls don't understand... but nessa transmits a translation to their brains.

"Who disturbs our ritual?" ]

[reallywicked]

[Faye freezes, but not before shooting Andie a harsh look. The nonsense babble makes her eyebrow raise, but then Nessa's translation follows. She decides to just assume this is a two-way radio and thinks back.]

Can you talk to them? Tell them we were looking for the bathroom or something?

[asap]

[Andie scrambles to her feet, looking wide-eyed and embarrassed.] Sorry! Sorry! [Whether she's saying it to the sisters or the group is unclear. Probably both.]

[wildmind]

[ either way, it seems to catch their attention further. the girl speaks in a thickly accented tone:

"You speak Common." She doesn't sound surprised, but the distrust in her voice is clearer. "Who are you?" ]

[reallywicked]

You speak English. [Faye answers in a flat tone.] Well, that makes this easier...

Hi. Yeah. So we didn't mean to crash your party. We're just big fans.

[Bluff check 23, because why not? She's not even really sure what they're supposed to be doing at this temple thing. She coasted through through most of the mission briefing.]

[asap]

We're here to, uh, talk? [Andie glances back at Nessa, then looks at the girls again.] We're not here to hurt you. [Diplomacy check: 15]

[wildmind]

[ the girl with gentler features looks back at them as well, looking visibly more distraught.

"You shouldn't be here," she cautions, though she sounds almost afraid. "The ritual must take place away from the eyes of others, if the goddess is to reveal herself. If your eyes saw her in her true form, you would be blinded - or killed." ]

[reallywicked]

She sounds swell. [Seriously. Not any Goddess that Faye wants to hang with.]

[wildmind]

[ nessa looks rather solemn as she glances between the girls, eyes riveting onto that knife ]

What matter of ritual does one use to summon a goddess?

[

"A ritual of truest sacrifice," intones the soft-spoken girl. ]

[asap]

[Andie frowns.]

...maybe goddess summoning isn't such a great idea, then. I'm sure she's great! But not... worth your life great?

[wildmind]

[

"Our lives are worth nothing next to what we would accomplish in Her Honorable name." Her insistence sounds sad, but unshakable. "We do not do this to meet her Grace, but to allow her to mend the worlds." ]

[reallywicked]

Mend? How exactly is she going to mend them?

[Okay. Faye is officially nervous here]

[asap]

[Religious nutcases don't always have the same idea of what's mending as other people do. Andie bounces up and down anxiously.] I don't think anyone that wants blood sacrifices is gonna make things better...

[wildmind]

[

"This isn't about what she wants, it's about what is needed. It takes powerful energy to enact magic of this magnitude: our Lady of Dreams wishes to bind the tears in our world that have threatened to merge the Shadow Lands with Earth. There is no energy so potent as the sacrifice of the faithful: the ultimate sacrifice." ]

[reallywicked]

[This concept is just leaving Faye dumbfounded. Also, for being charismatic, her diplomacy skillz are in the shitter.]

Are you crazy? You have no idea what will happen!

[wildmind]

[

Her hand tightens around the blade and her brows furrow. "Not knowing is the grounds of belief. You have faith, not guarantees. What we do, we do willingly because we believe in our Lady."

Nessa takes one step forward tentatively but the girl moves instinctively closer to her sister, raising the knife slightly, and Nessa halts. ]

I'd never heard anything about Sehanine being a large supporter of sacrifice.

[reallywicked]

[Faye looks from Nessa to the girls.]

See? Let's just stop with the knife and sacrifice talk.

[asap]

Seriously. How about putting the knife down so we can talk about it, kay? [Andie smiles. Nat 20 diplomacy check she is CHARMING.]

[wildmind]

[

The girls meet gazes, seeming to have a silent conversation and nessa holds her breath as they seem to come to a decision...

and the knife falls from the right-most sister's hand, clanking onto the altar, as they both fall into each other's arms. tears spill down their cheeks as they choke on their attempts to talk. ]