RP:A Throne Room Meeting

Part of the The Orb Of Life Arc

Summary: Thea of Enchantment confirms the identity of the Sylvan Sage to Rhocielle, bearer of the first key, and they discuss the possible locations of the remaining keys.

Characters: Thea, Rheven, Rhocielle

Location; Enchantment: The Restored Throne Room

Thea is settled into a chair near the northern window of the room, hearing the heavy door give way to reveal her guest, "Welcome to Enchantment, Rhocielle. Do come in and make yourself comfortable, aye?" The Pixie motions to a vacant seat nearby and extends a hand indicating the table that holds several choices of beverage, "I assume by your correspondence, you found the first of the three keys in the area we suspected?"

Rhocielle strode along the main path into the throne room of Enchantment, unescorted but ever watched by the royal guards. He nodded to the pixie queen as he was addressed. "Thank you, Lady Thea." He took to an offered chair, though a paw like hand was raised to decline the drinks politely. "Aye, I have...," he replied in his husky wolfen drawl, lifting a clawed digit to point to the seemingly unremarkable rusted key that hung on a chain around his neck. "The Sage has left a note for me in the tavern, though I have not yet met him. He is the one we searched for?"

Thea was just about to answer Rhocielle when Rheven's presence is noted. She smiles to the revenant, motioning him to join them, "Aye, Rhocielle..he is the Sage of the Grove. He spoke with me before leaving the message on the board in Kelay. He is the one who told me of the keys."

Rheven appears in a sudden burst of peculiar yet assuredly arcane force, a strange bit of matter shaping into the familiar form of the revenant. Offering Thea a smirk in greeting, he moves to her side while his gaze settles upon Rhocielle, who is more or less an absolute stranger. "...What is this about, dear?"

Rhocielle flicked a canine ear, eyes narrowing at the sudden change to the pixie's expression, then to look towards the newest guest. As the revenant vampire moved along to Thea, the black wolf never left him out of his focus. Nodding to Thea, he resumed their conversation, "Has he said anything else that might allude to the location of the remaining keys?"

Thea was quick to answer the revenant first, noting his obvious concern for the stranger in what had become his home away from home..so to speak. With a gracious smile and extended appendage, the Pixie begins a proper introduction between the pair, "Love, this is Rhocielle. He was at the sight where we found the fragments the other eve? He is also a potential new member of the Guild. Rhocielle, this is Rheven..Lord and Ruler of Venturil. He was also present at the chasm when we initially found the Grove missing." Now offering to answer Rhocielle's question, her cranium moves slowly side to side, "Nay, he did not. He only stated his knowledge of what happened to the first and the need for the other pair in order to procure the artifact. I assume with some rest, perhaps his memory will become more clear."

Rheven places a hand on the small of the druidess' back, a light caress given there while she introduces the pair. The lycan is given a curt nod; respectful enough yet not different from what most other strangers may earn. "So I see. Is it clear, though, what exactly is at stake here? Aside from the restoration of the grove...which, while I'm certain is a pressing matter for those on the island..." The revenant inwardly chews his lip with a pause, "...It does not explain why this Sage would come here to appeal for assistance from others. Surely...something more significant is at hand."

Rhocielle said with a light dip of his muzzle, "Lord Rheven..." His canine face hardened faintly as the Sage could not yet say of the location of the remaining keys. "If this first key was found rusted as part of a dragon's hoard, there is no telling where the other two might be found. They could anywhere...," the Lycan uttered before looking off to one of the windows, "I fear will merely have to wait until the Sage recovers further." The runic muzzle of the wolf scrunched in brief contemplation of the vampire's words, "Perhaps it is because of the higher presence of druids on the mainland, as well as Lady Thea herself, and Liana. Surely if he believed the keys to be scattered across the land, and not just Rynvale, then recruiting help from all would be the best course of actions." Looking to Thea, he asked, "Did the Sage mention anything of the grove's importance?"

Thea looks on Rheven briefly, brow furrowed a bit as she turns to offer answer to both the revenant's and lycan's questions, "Restoring the Grove is not only important to those on the island, love. It's a representation of all Druids and what we hold sacred, not to mention its connection to the ancient Sylvans. Its restoration is necessary to preserve that culture, for a start. And I believe he came here seeking assistance for the very reasons you state, Rhocielle. He knew there were those here who would sense the connection and offer aid. I've personally had many encounters with him during my visits there..and just as with his kind, hold the Grove sacred as a Druid." She looks once more on Rheven, realizing he held little understanding for this side of her to no fault of his own. "We must find these keys and restore the Grove. If it can happen to that one, it could happen to the Eternal Tree or any of the other sacred trees..", It is only with the last of her words the Druidess comes to a realization to be shared with the pair later.

Rheven raises a hand to stroke at his chin, a soft hum of thought leaving his lips. "...I suppose that is true. My magic is not tied to such, but I can understand the potential calamity were something to happen to the Xalious tree or any other number of arcane centers of importance..." Dropping the hand away from his chin, the archmage places his pallid fingers on the table before them. "Then, I suppose it is imperative to find the Sage again or wait for his reappearance. The last thing we need is the keys falling into the hands of one of this lands many addle-brained rugrats..."

Rhocielle inclined his wolfen head slightly to the pixie, "The other Trees...? Would this have any relation to the sudden growth of Eternal Tree?" It had been some time since the massive roots of the tree tore portions of the Kelay Road. That event was never quite explained, to the best of his own understanding. His clawed digits rose to smooth out the runic symbols dyed into his muzzle, "Hrmm... If the Grove is like the other Trees, with regards to Druidic magicks, could it not be thought that perhaps the keys might be hidden near them? I do not claim to understand nature anywhere near your own strength, Lady Thea, but it... could the Sage have entrusted the keys to the care of the other Trees?" Any rational individual might have discounted the Lycan's logic to pure ludicrous, but he had seen enough odd occurrences to put some faith in the strange and improbable.

Thea considers the probability for a few moments, "But the Grove is unlike the others for several reasons. Which I just thought of actually..", Thea recalls the dream she had, wondering still if it was the warning that this was to come. She opts to share this vision with the two in her midst, "You see, the roots of the three sacred trees are in-fact..connected. Adjoined at their very core, in magick and life. It was during my meditation at the Trembling Tree here in Enchantment recently, that I had a..dream..or rather a nightmare. The trees seemed angered. Something was trying to impart a warning of sorts to me..and perhaps it was to this very incident. I know not, but I do know that the trees in the Grove, while ancient..were not as yet tied to the others in the lands. I must question if that is the reason for it's ability to be removed as it was." Chewing on her lower lip as thoughts continue reeling, the Pixie looks at each of them once more, "I really have no answers any better than your own as yet, Rhocielle. As for the keys being near the other sacred trees, I suppose anything is possible, but given the location of the first, I can only assume they were put in similar places with a protector of sorts. Killing that dragon was no easy task, after all."

Rheven 's brow furrows in concern as the druidess shares the details of the dream; such druidic details and intricacies are foreign and unrelated to the magic he holds, but the base concern is certainly understandable to him. "...Mm, I see. Angered at what, though, exactly? Do you know?"

Rhocielle nodded slowly, lost briefly in thought to imagine the three sacred trees merged into one singular bulbous core deep beneath the surface. His head canted and the wolfen male interrupted the last thing spoken by the pixie, "If it was indeed purposefully placed there... The key is rusted and was amidsts its hoard and nest of eggs. Perhaps the dragon merely found and considered it valuable enough long ago to consider it treasure." Clicking his tongue softly, he added afterward, "You mentioned that the grove is tied to the ancient Sylvans. Perhaps we, and the Sage, should seek out Ryeanna in Vhys. Answers might be found at the school there..."

Thea 's wings shudder at Rheven's question, the words seeming to have stirred something within her, "Everything was void in the end!" She exclaims after a paused silence, "Everything! It -was- the warning for this..the dream..." Trembling now at the recollections, the Druidess goes on, "it was as if something were ripping me..and the trees, all of nature really, away from the earth with a thousand blades. It was painful, their anger..so blatant..then it was all black." She brings a hand to remove a tear now straying from her right eye, "The Sage said the ones who hid the keys did so to insure no others would be able to unlock the orb. But he witnessed the actions in his own visions..he saw where they put the first of the keys. It was indeed done purposefully." Swallowing back the remainder of her tears, her wings furl around her and she settles back against the revenant's arm, "We can certainly seek out Ryeanna in Vhys...I will notify the Sage."

Rheven nods in agreement, lightly digging the tips of his fingers along Thea's back. "Don't fret, dear. Dreams are not definite premonitions all their own; it can be resolved, certainly so." Gripping her shoulder now, he slides a glance between Rhocielle and his lover, speaking mostly to the latter, but still with the intention of the former to hear, of course. "That can be done. Ryeanna can be contacted with relative ease."

Rhocielle frowned at the sudden outburst from the pixie, though the concern for her was evident in his grey eyes. Her recounting of the nightmarish visions she experienced were frighteningly too similar to those experienced by his High Elf. Nothing was said, lest he accidently invoke any other troubling memories in the pixie. Resting now his armored paws on his knees, he solemnly stated, "Hrmm, if it that is the case, the first key was placed there on purpose..., it would be a fair use of our time to seek out the most dangerous of creatures in equally dangerous places..." He knew of plenty, having traveled the far reaches of the known lands and committed most to memory. "I'll begin preparations with the Fold to have scouts begin searching. If we come up with any possible locations, I will send word to you and Sage at once. Is there anyone else that I should alert should we come up with anything?" He would be true to his word, as already a possessor of Key of Soul, there was nothing to be personally gained for him since he could not touch another of the cursed keys.

Thea could not think of anyone else just now who needed notifying. Several were present at the chasm, but really the most important thing at this point was recovering the keys for the Sage, "Nay, not that I know of, Rhocielle. Might I ask a favor though..that rather than putting your entire clan on alert of this situation, it be kept between us for the now? I understand they are your clansmen and women..but I fail to hold the same trust of them as yourself and I do not know what my reaction would be if these keys were to end up in the wrong hands, given the closeness of the situation to the Druids. If a search is to take place, I will personally go. There is not a beast that I have yet to encounter at least once in all of Hollow. I know their habits and dens better than most. In the meantime, the Sage has asked that you seek him out with the first key. Perhaps if you speak with him before myself, you could share with him what we have discussed to this point and arrange a time to visit Vhys?"

Rheven nods in silent agreement. The archmage has little else to share on the subject, and as such he says nothing. For now he merely remains at the druidess' side as he would during any other moment, trying or not.

Rhocielle grunted softly, but nodded in understanding agreement to her concerns. A warder of the Light though he was, he understood better than most the dangers of having the wrong ears catching wind of things better left private, even if well intentioned at the time. The smaller the group, for the time being, the better. "Of course, Lady Thea, though I did not mean to involve the entire clan." It was left at that. Slowly he rose to his feet, believing their discussion to have reached its conclusion, "I will speak with the Sage as soon as possible." Dipping his canine muzzle respectfully, he uttered his farewells to both, "Until we meet again, Lady Thea. Lord Rheven.

Thea delivers a respectful nod to the lycan, "You have my thanks for that, Rhocielle. I will seek you out on the morrow, aye? Perhaps one of us will have had a chance to speak with the Sage by then. Be well in your travels."

Rheven simply dips his head in a parting nod, remaining silent as the meeting comes to an apparent conclusion.

Rhocielle nodded in silent affirmation to her request, leaving the throne room afterward.