The Plane of Shadow

KAI

"Most definitely. What do we have to do to leave?"

Rysmarin

He retrieves a tiny wooden ring from his belt pouch, holding it up for his companions to see.

"With this. It's a gate ring that will let all three of us return if we're holding it. All of us have to be holding it when it's activated, however. The magic will crumble once we're back on our home plane."

The ring grows into a decently sized hoop with a single command word in draconic, and Rysmarin holds it out to the others.

"It'll activate once I speak the command word, so please grab the ring quickly so we can go home!"

Shardonnae reaches out and grabs hold of the ring.

KAI

With a quiet sigh, Kai firmly grabs the ring.

Rysmarin

Rysmarin speaks a command word in draconic, and the ring begins to glow. A moment later, there is a bright azure flash as the Kai, Shardonae, and himself are transferred home. The ring, now apparently burnt, cracks into several pieces as Rysmarin lets go. Dusting off his hands, he grins at his companions.

"Welcome back to the material plane! Feels good to not feel out of place, doesn't it?"

Kai recognizes the area Cas told him he would return to.

KAI

"Indeed. It feels good to be back. How far are we from the elven enclave?"

Kai will take a look around to see if he recognizes where he is.

((Did the spells tied to Kai end when he returned? I just want to know so that I use the correct character sheet))

((Yes, they did))

Kai does recognize where he is, finding the door Cas told him to re-enter through easily.

KAI

Kai turns to Rysmarin.

"Again, I must thank you for aiding us in returning here. Did Cas instruct you to enter through that door upon your return?"

Rysmarin

Rysmarin nods and looks over to Shardonae.

"That he did. And while we're at it, we may as well see what he thinks about our friend, if she intends to stay with the elves or come with us for a time. Or even if she doesn't... I'm certain the elves would prefer to escort her out if she would leave."

KAI

"I'm inclined to agree."

Kai gestures towards the door.

"After you."

Turning to Shardonnae.

"Shardonnae, if you will please come with us, we can introduce you to the elves of the enclave."

Shardonnae appears uncertain, but follows the group.

KAI

Kai will wait for Rysmarin to enter the door and will then gesture for Shardonnae to proceed. He will follow the two of them through the door (assuming, of course, that Rhysmarin enters first).

Rysmarin

Rysmarin chuckles.

"Excellent. This aught to prove thoroughly entertaining."

He steps forward and enters the room.

"Cas? I've brought your friend back... and then some!"

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((Sorry if my posts are off. I'm pretty sick at the moment, heh...))

KAI

Kai will follow the two through the door, eyes taking in his surroundings as he does so, looking to see who is present.

Cas' workroom is empty, although the group can hear music not far away. Before the companions have a chance to move, Cas enters, relief etched on his face.

"Oh thank Ilian you have returned. I almost fireballed myself when I realized I hadn't told you the key words to return from the Plane of Shadow. Thankfully Rysmarin showed up to pay his respects as he passed through, providing me with an excuse not to travel to that cursed place again."

Coming closer to Kai, he asks, "How did it go?"

KAI

"The trip was successful. The Nobur was... disturbing, but was fair enough in his dealings. It is definitely someplace that I am in no hurry to return to. I even managed to do a little good while I was there, freeing this young lady from captivity. Some sort of goblin tribe that resides there was holding her in a cage."

Kai turns more serious as he continues, speaking in low tones to Cas.

"Again, I must thank you and your people for all of the assistance you have provided to me. I spoke with the Nobur and the price you paid for the assistance you provided me is likely more than I will ever be able to repay, though I am more than willing to try."


As he continues, Kai gestures towards Shardonnae and speaks at a more normal volume.

"Let me introduce you to Shardonnae."

Cas brightens at Kai's words, but darkens at the mention of the Nobur. When Kai introduces Shardonnae, Cas politely shakes hands and turns back to Kai. Whispering, so only Kai can hear, he asks, "I assume it was necessary to bring her here? The king will not be happy either way."

Cas turns to Rysmarin and states, "Well, you found him, for which you have my thanks, again. Your help over the past few months has been invaluable on multiple levels Rysmarin. Did you have any trouble in the Plane of Shadow?"

KAI

In reply, also in a whisper, Kai replies.

"I can't speak about whether or not it was necessary, but I could not bring myself to just leave her in that place. Beyond bringing her out of the Plane of Shadow, what she does or how she interacts with your people and King is on her. If she proves to be trustworthy, she has very formidable skills at stealth."

In a normal voice,

"Months? Please tell me that Rysmarin was helping you prior to me leaving and I have only been gone for the day or so that it felt like."

Nodding at Kai concerning Shardonnae, Cas chuckles at Kai's concern.

"Yes, Rysmarin has helped us for months before you ever arrived. Although he is not part of our community, he has earned the right to come and go as he pleases. Luckily for you, he came when he did."

"Now, you have been gone two weeks, Rysmarin for a couple days. Time is distorted in the Plane of Shadow and I expected something of the sort to happen."

KAI

Kai looks relieved as Cas clarifies that he has not been gone for months.

"Two weeks, huh? How is Vrend's recovery going? Is there anything I can do to help with the refuge's recovery?"

Rysmarin

He hakes his head in response to Cas' question.

"Other than the shadows and feeling well out of place? It was actually quite pleasant for me. Apparently, Kai caught the brunt of the planar differences for me."

Rysmarin laughs a bit, nodding with respect and appreciation to Kai. As Cas explains his presence, he chuckles and jokes in the elven language,

"Ah, yes. My civilized brothers DO need a bit of the wilds now and again, don't they? My arcane talent is fine and good, but the hand of a tribe is what truly matters."

He smiles and winks, making a light-hearted joke of what might normally be a point of contention between a high elf and a wild elf.

KAI

A momentary flicker of a smile passes across Kai's face at Rysmarin's words.

"Well, you are both back, which is what matters, and ... um ... fully ready I suppose. Good, cause we need you more then ever."

Cas nods to Shardonnae. "Miss, would you like to rest, I am sure you have had a terrible ordeal."

Shardonnae nods at Cas. "I would. I haven't slept right since I was captured."

Cas leads Shardonnae away (who gives a nod back to her temporary companions) with a half kidding "Don't touch anything!" and returns shortly thereafter.

"Good, now that she is situated, we can begin. Rysmarin, you already know some of this, but Kai doesn't. We have been attacked since your departure, more then a couple times actually, by more undead. Although it's not the level of undead that you and your friends fought, Kai, it has been almost constant. Every couple days we get some minor undead attacking from the south and west. They almost always fall, as we have been careful with our guards since then, but we have lost a few unsuspecting elves."

"We have to protect this last bastion of our society. Keeping away from the site of the Army of the Red Scorpion is hard enough, but we don't have the manpower or the will to fight off these attacks."

"So I have been commanded by the King to bring you to an audience with him upon your return. I must obey."

KAI

Kai firmly suppresses the grimace of distaste before it shows.

"It is the least that I can do for the hospitality that I have been shown by your people. I am ready when you are."