Return to Nymuae's Spire (24 Jan 2002) Agatha returns to visit Nymuae, and another guest drops by as well. Note: Mirari players other than those participating in this log should not read it.

At Agatha's request, Lord October lent her with a young Knightsteed, a dappled grey-and-white filly named Fiona, only recently broken to the saddle, and too young to have bonded with a knight of her own. Small by the standards of Knightsteeds -- perhaps a little over sixteen hands -- Fiona is nonetheless nimble and spirited, and plenty enough to bear Agatha.

Dismounting from Fiona, Agatha pulls her cloak around her against the cold and approaches the edge of the ice. Not entirely sure how to summon the Leviathan, she tries shouting its name across the frozen lake.

"Leviathan!"

Caradoc and the other Forooves exchange glances, shuffling their feet to keep warm. The Leviathan doesn't respond immediately -- but then, Agatha expects it's not lounging around by the lake's edge waiting for visitors, anyway. A few minutes pass, and then she hears a voice from nowhere. "Agatha -- it is good to -- where is Angel?" It's Nymuae, and in an instant her tone goes from welcoming to apprehensive as she notices the blond child's absence.

Agatha looks around for the sorceress ... then recalls how she talked to Morrigan through the crystal ball before. "Nymuae? Ah, Alice is back with October, learning more from his scholars. More than that, I really can't tell you in the open. I've brought back information on the enemy though, and thought you should see it as soon as possible."

"Of course." At this reassurance, Nymuae's voice goes to cool and neutral. The words ring hollowly in the open air, and the effect isn't quite like a loudspeaker -- try as she might, the redhead can't tell where exactly the sound is coming from. "The Leviathan comes. I will receive you in my study, Agatha -- and thank you for coming."

Letting out a misty sigh of relief, Agatha turns to the Forooves and motions them closer. "I don't want anyone left out here, since I don't know how long I'll be with Lady Nymuae. Hopefully she has a way of sending a warning about the Trolls to Lord October faster than any of you can run."

Caradoc bobs in a bow. "Thank ye, Agatha. I don't expect any of us relished being left out in the cold. Though..." He gives an apprehensive look to the surface of the lake, which ruptures into icy splinters as the "platform" of the Leviathan's horn breaks through it. A couple of the Forooves step back, apprehensively. Maybe some of them would prefer being left out in the cold to a trip to the sorceress's lair.

"I don't care much for the ride myself," Agatha admits, "but at least it'll give you a story to tell around the fire, right?"

The others don't look entirely convinced, but no one refuses the ride. They all cluster on the platform, and it sinks beneath the surface in moments. The trip across is darker than Agatha remembers -- with the snow shutting out all light from the sky above, only a golden glow from the edges of the dark horn keeps them from plunging into total darkness. At length, they can make out the glow of the Spire's encircling windows, and then they arrive. A pair of will-o'-wisps wait by the stairs for them, one bobbing up to Agatha, and the other approaching the Forooves.

"I'll rejoin you all as soon as I can," Agatha promises the guard from October, as she hurries after her own bobbing guide.

The Forooves' guide directs them to wait in the top chamber, where Nymuae had received Captain Morrigan last time. This time refreshments are laid for the guests. Meanwhile, the other ball of light leads Agatha down the spiraling escalator and into the study.

The Sorceress's Study
A long curved window gainst one wall shows a view of the dark lake beyond, a reminder that this room, like the rest of Nymuae's Spire, is underwater. Golden light suffuses the chamber, which looks just the way a sorceress's laboratory ought to. Boxes, jars, vials, and cabinets full of oddments line the walls, along with bookcases and cubbies filled by scrolls and books. Tall, but comfortable, chairs with high backs scatter here and there among the long marble-topped tables. Both tables and chairs have a fixed look to them, but whenever Nymuae touches one to move it, it glides effortlessly across the floor to the new position.

Nymuae rises from her chair, before a large crystal ball on a stand, as Agatha enters. "Welcome back, my friend." The words sound heartfelt, but also tired. She looks thinner than Agatha remembers, and despite the youth of her features, she has careworn eyes that make her look as old as she claims to be.

"Have you been sleeping at all, Nym?" Agatha asks as she removes a book from her pack. "I have something for you from Lady Yseult of October, but more importantly, did you feel or see anything odd a few days ago?"

Nymuae nods to the first inquiry, and gives a slight frown at the mention of Yseult's name. "A few days ago?" She holds out her hand for the volume. "Such as what? Many strange things are afoot in Mirari now, and all too few of them good."

Agatha hands over the book, with it's collection of legends and stories of the Year's End. "Well, Alice and I both experienced ... I'm not sure how to describe it. It's as if the world froze and went flat, like a painting, just for a moment, and rippled like a flag in the wind. Nobody else saw anything, but a tree-boy said that he felt he'd just lost somebody he once knew."

The sorceress frowns, disturbed by this news. "Where did this happen?" she asks. "I ... I knew nothing of it." Uncertainty creeps into her confident voice.

"The two of us were standing in one of October's halls at the time, near late afternoon," Agatha explains. "There were plenty of other people around, but aside from the boy, nobody reacted. I think we've figured out where Lord Mel is being kept, also. We've even been there, on Ainigton's side of reality. The old mines. That's where we found Angelique's mirror and Alice cast a spell to disperse the Jruuh."

"That would be good news, if you could find the Lord Protector," the sorceress says. She caresses the cover of the book from October absently with one hand. "Early evening, a few days ago..." She frowns, setting her mouth in a thin line. "Most distressing. Could October have...?" Her voice trails off.

"It was the day before the flashy sunrise, if that helps," Agatha offers. "October was pretty certain that Alice is really the presumed-dead Princess Angel, and Kuon is working on a way to smuggle her into the Palace to meet with the Queen. I've made Alice promise to not let the Queen make any announcement about her daughter being alive, though."

Nymuae nods soberly. "That was wise of you, Redmane. Ah, so the evening before the last Dawn." She sits back in her chair, touching a hand to her chin, looking deep in thought. "The trolls started moving that morning."

"We passed some sign of them, and I need to go to the Green Hills to see if they're mobilizing there," Agatha says, finally sitting down herself. "Redmane vanished there before, but it looks like Ahearn, her partner, might still be alive. If I can find him, he might be able to tell me just what happened, and how people from Mirari ended up reborn in Ainigton. I'm half tempted to imagine some sort of Siege of Souls down in the mines, since so many others disappeared there."

"A Siege of Souls?" Nymuae blinks a few times. "Ah ... let me think on this a moment, Agatha, and look on what you've brought me. I think I need a moment to gather my thoughts." She opens the book in her lap, flipping at the pages.

Taking the moment to relax after the long ride, Agatha sinks into her chair and gathers her own thoughts. The Destroyer always returns in a different form. Maybe there really is a Siege that leaves your body behind but sends your spirit through to inhabit a new one. The Destroyer could hide out in Ainigton while Years pass in Mirari, then go back through the Siege to get a fresh body and identity here.

While she's thinking, Agatha lets her eyes wander over the walls. She notices along one wall a large selection of photographs -- and after a moment, she recognizes many of them as ones she took, and Nymuae developed. There's the strange panorama of Ainigton, mixed with overlaid landmarks of Mirari, and the pictures of the gang -- here, Tom with the image of the Explorer superimposed behind him, there, Alice looking all princessy, and Simon, looking like himself, only a bit taller and more confident. Then, Agatha, with a woman in plate armor blurring her features. The scenes from Anastasia's bedroom are all there, too, and the ones of Souhait -- it looks like Nymuae just tacked up all of them.

But in addition to the ones Agatha took, there's also a selection unfamiliar to Agatha: a couple of photos of Rebecca -- one where she's overlooking a cliff, another where she is against some forested backdrop. A few more of her parents, with her, without her. Other images -- Lord October, Yseult, Morrigan, a man whose image mixes with that of a wolf, a photo of House October looking as it might at the height of autumn, with all the leaves ablaze in reds, golds, and oranges.

Those must be from Rebecca's camera, Agatha thinks. No pictures of her transforming into Nymuae though, and that one with the wolfish shadow could be December. Interrupting the Sorceress, Agatha asks, "How hard is it to send one of those bird messengers? The other Houses need to be told about the trolls, and a copy of this information should be sent to House December, so Thomas can get it."

"I sent word to October and September already, about the trolls. I have a pair of peregrines remaining, however, and -- " A chime sounds from vicinity of the crystal ball, and Nymuae frowns at it, then makes a gesture towards it.

At this moment, a lone figure on horseback approaches the lake, then slowly turns the animal towards a spot near the frozen edge where the prints of other horses and people can be seen clearly in the snow, but go no further. Casting about helplessly, as if not knowing what else to do, the figure throws back the hood of its gray woolen cloak to reveal the face of a teenaged girl. Then, in a loud voice she calls to the empty air, "Lady Sorceress Nymuae? Can you hear me? I come on official business from the Golden Hawks, seeking entrance into your domain!"

"A Golden Hawk?" Nymuae casts her gaze toward the ball. "Agatha, do you know this girl?"

Agatha leans closer to get a better look. "She doesn't look like Rachel, and that's the only other Hawk I know of aside from Tom."

"Curious. Two callers in one day...." Nymuae nods to Agatha, then makes another gesture. "I am the Lady Sorceress Nymuae of the Lake, Golden Hawk," she says, "and I can hear you. Kindly tell me your name, and the nature of your business."

Leaning back into her chair, Agatha watches the girl in the crystal.

On closer inspection, one can see that the visitor is a tall girl, with hazel eyes and short auburn hair. The locks of hair closest to her face are pushed behind her ears,revealing slightly pointed ear tips. She wears a long-sleeved tunic of dark green, tucked into a black split skirt for riding horseback. The tops of her black boots disappear into the wide legs of the skirt. Around her waist is a plain leather sword belt from which a rapier hangs, encased in a black leather scabbard with silver fittings on either end. Draped over all of this is a thick cloak of dark gray wool, which is closed at her neck with a golden brooch that is stamped with the image of a hawk. She calls, "I was told that a certain Lady Redmane visits with you. I have come to deliver letters to her from the Lord Explorer Thomas!I am Hannah, of the Golden Hawks, milady."

"Thomas is here already?" Agatha blurts out, leaning forward again to look at the faerie.

Nymuae lifts an eyebrow at the message, glancing sidelong to Agatha, then nods, smiling faintly, when the girl finally introduces herself. "I think we'd best see her," she says in an undertone to the redhead. The sorceress makes another gesture, and through the long window, in the gloom of the lake beyond, a great shape stirs, then moves away, towards the lake's edge.

Hannah starts at hearing this new voice from out of nowhere, but she recovers quickly. "Aye, the Lord Explorer is indeed in Mirari once more, but he is out of our reach for the moment," she calls in reply.

"A letter?" Agatha wonders, then shakes her head. "Out of reach ... meaning he's probably taken off on his own without telling anyone."

Hannah smiles at this response, as if it is something she might have heard about the Lord Explorer before. "Believe it or not, this once, Lord Thomas gave us plenty of warning about the journey he currently makes. I can tell you more about all of this if I am allowed entry...?"

The sorceress gives a wry, knowing smile to Agatha and nods. "You may enter my Spire, Hannah of the Golden Hawks. Step onto the platform," Nymuae instructs, as a great flat expanse of dark horn ruptures the surface of the Lake before the young woman, startling her horse. "It will bearyou to my 'doorstep', and a will-o'-wisp will lead you from there."

Agatha clenches and unclenches her fists. "If Tom left Destre all alone at the Manor," she whispers, "I'll put a saddle on him."

Hannah nods once in reply. "My thanks, Lady Sorceress." She then guides her horse carefully onto the strange bridge that has risen before her, making her way towards Nymuae's home.

Much to Hannah's surprise, the horn isn't a bridge, and starts moving almost as soon as she steps onto it. The two watching her in the crystal ball do not get to see much of her startlement, as she is soon borne out of sight, beneath the lake's surface.

Some minutes later, the door glides silently open, and awill-o'-wisp leads Hannah into the sorceress's study. Nymuae, a tall, slender woman with long dark hair, clad in raiment of green and white, rises at the other's entrance. "Welcome to the Spire, Hannah of the Golden Hawks," she says. "I am the Lady Sorceress Nymuae." An aura of quiet power and age projects from the dark-haired woman. She glances to her companion, a redhead, but lets her introduce herself.

Agatha stands as well, clad in the green and gold clothes and cloak that Nymuae originally provided for her. "I'm Agatha, a friend of Thomas's," she says, and offers her hand to the faerie.

Hannah still looks a bit shaken out-of-sorts by her odd journey into Nymuae's home, but she rouses herself at the others' introductions. She bows formally to Nymuae, then steps forward to take Agatha's hand. "I am honored to meet you both ... although I assume that 'Agatha' is how you were called in the mortal realm, Lady Redmane?" she asks, giving her a quick, lop-sided grin.

The corner of Agatha's mouth twitches, but she nods while shaking hands. "Yes, I'm Redmane, according to most evidence. I just don't remember much yet."

Hannah nods. "The Lord Explorer says very much the same thing about himself, truth be told, so you are surely not alone in that feeling."

Nymuae glances between the other two, but only nods, not offering further comment on that subject. "Please, have a seat, Hannah," she offers, gesturing to a chair, which obediently glides to join the pair gathered near a crystal ball on a stand. The sorceress re-takes her own seat, sinking into it with a soundless sigh.

"What's this about a letter?" Agatha asks as she retakes her seat.

Hannah raises an eyebrow at this, but does as Nymuae asks,unfastening her cloak and sword belt and placing both beside her own chair before she sits. Then she reaches into one of the copious pockets of her skirt and pulls out a small, sealed box. This she hands to Agatha, saying, "Lord Thomas asked that I place this directly into your hands. As far as I know, it contains a few letters addressed to you. Possibly some other items, but I am not sure."

"Where did Thomas run off to? The mines to the West?" Agatha asks as she warily opens the box.

"I see he has lost none of his suspicious edge," Nymuae remarks approvingly.

Hannah flicks a glance in Nymuae's direction, then rests her gaze again on Agatha. "He has since gone on to the West, yes. He is also accompanied by Rachel, another member of the Golden Hawks, and his friend, Simon. But I'm sure you know who they are, already," she chides herself and smiles faintly.

"On foot, or did he bring a horse named Destre with him?" the erstwhile Knight Redmane asks.

Hannah looks at the red-haired girl quizzically. "I do know that he was riding a large roan gelding when I saw him last, but as to the name of his mount, I honestly cannot say."

"A gelding?" Agatha asks, sounding distracted as she reads through the letters. "Doesn't sound like Destre then."

If Nymuae is impatient to see the contents of the box herself, she does not show it. Instead, she asks Hannah, "What other news have you of the Explorer? Has he gone to the West to seek the Lord Protector? Have you any other news of him?"

Agatha silently hands Nymuae the map that came with the letters. "He knows about Simon, at least."

Hannah gives Agatha a few minutes to peruse the contents of the box while she looks about the chamber, her brow furrowing. She then looks to Nymuae and answers slowly, "Yes, milady. I believe Thomas promised Lord December that he would seek out the Lord Protector if it was within his power. I was sent ahead with these letters for Lady Redmane, since he much preferred that she receive them sooner than later."

"He's gone off after the Destroyer again, with Rachel and Simon," Agatha says, after she finishes reading the letters. "It'll be up to Angel to rally the Houses I think, when the time is right." The redhead rubs her forehead with the fingers of her right hand in thought.

"Ah, that Simon is Sir Lefallon?" Nymuae glances to the photo of the boy, looking like a young man, posed with the double-imaged Agatha and Rachel, mounted on the wall. Something odd passes over her face, then is gone. "That is as well." She looks to the map Agatha gave her.

"There's no mention of going after Lord Mel in the letters. He was supposed to find him and return," Agatha grumbles.

Nymuae hisses under her breath. "What does he write of, then? May I see?" she asks.

Agatha passes over the two letters wordlessly.

Hannah's expression indicates that she also knew of where the Lord Explorer was to travel, but did not want to mention it before Agatha. She looks to Nymuae at her words, then her eyes widen as Agatha passes over the letters to her. However, she blanks her face as quickly as possible.

Reading them, Nymuae shakes her head. "And he accuses me of vagary," she grouses. "What is this, of Lady Cherise? And the origins of the king? Fah. He has gone to seek out his old nemesis. You were o'ermatched by him fourteen Years ago, Thomas, why think you that you can handle him now, when you've forgotten all that once you knew?" She clenches her fingers around the parchment, crumpling it, her face lined by anger and worry.

Agatha continues to tap her fingers against her chin, and notes, "Thomas didn't exactly trust you, Nymuae. As he said in the letters, there's more to it.... he just would rather tell me in person."

"I suspect the Bandit Queen is ... a side effect of our actions in Ainigton," Agatha says. "I played the part in a mock quest for Simon, who was seeking the Holy Grail."

Nymuae glances up at this, blinking. "Ah ... and this is what he meant, by the Grail still being where Lefallon had left it -- in the game."

Agatha nods. "We can change the rules, if we do it from the other side of reality."

Turning to Hannah, Agatha asks her, "How much of a head start does Thomas have now?"

The sorceress smoothes the parchment flat with her fingers. "Perhaps the game is only a reflection of our memories of the truth. After all, Lefallon had found the Grail long before you played the game to re-enact it. That was ... many Years ago."

Hannah stares from Agatha to Nymuae at this, apparently confused by this talk of "games" and "changing the rules of reality." After a few moments of thinking, she asks, "Pardon this interruption, but what you speak of -- does this have anything to do with the legends of old that seem to be repeating themselves of late?"

"But the Bandit Queen appeared suddenly, according to the rumors I heard at October," Agatha notes, then nods to Hannah. "Yes, repeating. And in repeating, I think, lays a trap."

To answer Agatha's question, Hannah says, "I began my journey here as soon as Thomas left for the West, so two days' head-start, at least."

"If these events repeat themselves," Nymuae says, suddenly, "then Thomas is surely walking into a trap -- the same trap that he went into fourteen Years ago."

Hannah frowns at this, but keeps her thoughts to herself for the moment.

"We're supposed to break the cycle, not repeat it," Agatha declares, smacking her fist into her other hand. "Nymuae, can you show me where this map fits into the larger picture of Mirari?"

Nymuae nods, setting the map onto a table and smoothing it out with her fingers. "Here," she says. "If this is Elysia, then ... this little bridge here would be the one south and west of us. Yes. The Lake flows into the River of Tears, here." She goes to one of her shelves and pulls out a larger map, of the heart of Mirari, to show Agatha.

"Alright, I'll leave from here for the Green Hills and try to see if Ahearn has also returned," Agatha says, looking over the map. "From there I can cut across the Wild Lands and try to cut off Thomas at the Icejaw Pit, if that's the way to get to the Destroyer's Keep."

"The River, at least, will be frozen solid, so you need not worry about where you ford it." Nymuae glances, worriedly, to Agatha. "You must beware of spending too much time seeking Ahearn, if you wish to catch the Explorer. If I know him, he will be moving swiftly, now that he has chosen his destination."

"If Ahearn is there, he'll find me," Agatha assures the Sorceress. Looking to Hannah, she asks, "How fast is your steed, and have you ever fought trolls?"

Hannah, now stirred from some deep thoughts of her own, nods at Nymuae's words. "My father gave Thomas and his companions fresh horses and supplies for his journey, so he will be moving fast at this point, yes." She then starts at the other girl's question. "Chanticleer is as stout a horse as you will find, but no Knightsteed, Lady Redmane. And I must admit that Trolls are not something I have faced before.... Why do you ask?"

"Because they may have moved in behind your tracks by now," Agatha notes. "I'd hoped you could somehow catch up to Tom and tell him to wait, but I don't think you'd make it now."

"You have two messengers left at your disposal though, don't you Nymuae?" Agatha asks the Sorceress.

Hannah looks intently at Agatha now. "I take it you're proposing that we chase after the Lord Explorer together, is that correct?"

"I do," Nymuae answers. "And other methods of delivering messages, if the need arises, but none so simple and reliable. I may be able to get a peregrine to Tom before he arrives at Icejaw Pit ... but I wonder if there is anything we could say which would dissuade him. Where I have warned in the past, it seems to have only whetted his appetite for risks."

"Unless you wish to stay here?" Agatha asks the girl. "Youare a Golden Hawk, after all, and I could use your help." To Nymuae, she suggests, "The message I would send to Thomas is to wait. If the Destroyer is trying to trap us into repeating the past, it must mean he has a second plan waiting in the wings. An army of trolls led by dark Knights or Vyglari raised in our long absence, perhaps. Remind him of your first vision, of two warriors facing the Year's End standing beside the Lord Protector."

The sorceress laces her fingers together, and nods. "Perhaps you had best send him a message with mine. He may be more inclined to listen to both of us, than just to one."

"I'll need to send a message to Angel in October as well," Agatha goes on after nodding. "If she can reach the Queen, she has to convince her to mobilize the Houses against a potential invasion. I wish we knew which Houses we can't trust, though."

Hannah's face is settled in grim lines. "Lord Thomas is wholly committed to finding the Lord Protector, if he can. I do not think any warning from you, Lady Sorceress, will dissuade him. He seemed to me to be quite firm on that point. As for what we can say..." She shakes her head. "I had told my father, Lady Redmane, that I would not accompany Thomas on his travels to the West, but if he is in such danger, perhaps my own journeys are not quite finished, after all."

"I need to retrieve my lance, and then I'll be ready to move on," Agatha says. "I don't how many of the Forooves will be willing to come along though. Let's write those messages first. Who knows? Maybe I can scare Tom into actually thinking for a change."

Nymuae stands, the skirts of her dress swaying with the motion. "Still, we are obliged to try. Even if I cannot make him hesitate, perhaps he may find use for the information we have for him." She looks to Agatha, sorrow in her face. "I feel that I should go with you. And yet ... I have a foreboding that I will be needed, here or elsewhere, very soon. I dare not leave the Spire at this time, not with so much coming to a head." She shakes her head.

Hannah grins wryly. "If messages are to be sent, then one must certainly go to my father at House November, to tell him of what I will do now. Thankfully," she adds, "I will not be there to personally witness his reaction!"

Previous Log: A Second Letter to Lady Redmane	Next Log: Meeting in the Chapel

Thread Links
	Previous Log: The King's Huntsman Next Log: Ahearn, King of Horses		Previous Log: The King's Huntsman Next Log: Meeting in the Chapel
	Previous Log: On to October Next Log: A Meeting with Nymuae		Previous Log: A Second Letter to Lady Redmane Next Log: Meeting in the Chapel

---

This site serves as a chronicle of sessions in an online roleplaying campaign moderated by Conrad "Lynx" Wong and May "Rowan" Wasserman. The contents of this site are (c) 2001, 2002 by Conrad Wong and May Wasserman except where stated otherwise. Despite the "children's fantasy" theme of this campaign, this site is not intended for young readership, due to mild language and violence.