RP:Ladies of the Lake

Part of the What Dreams May Come Arc

Summary: The unlikely but fierce group of women team up again to find the last crystal skull! Talyara uses a spell to exact the location of the artifact and is dismayed to find it in Larket, the notoriously bigoted kingdom that made finding the skulls necessary in the first place! She sends word to Lanara, Meri, and Encara before heading into Larket under the cover of night. After unfortunate hi-jinks and a struggle for the skull between the women and a couple that have dedicated their life to the study of magic, the group is transported to the Shadow Plane. They land in a lake filled with the spirits of mournful dead and the monster that made them that way. After they escape, using quick spells, psion skills, and powerful shadow magic, they find themselves transported back to Larket but behind bars. Talyara uses the newly acquired skull to curse the guards and buy them time enough to escape. The final skull has been collected.

Academy of Magics

Josleen || Last year, the Red Witch Valrae (as per her confession*) destroyed the witchcraft detection radar just prior to Kahran’s attack on Larket, which she confessed to aiding and abetting and participating in.** However, the attack came not before the radar picked up on something peculiar: one bright, constant, blinding white blip unlike any other blips that erupted and disappeared over the radar’s three-dimensional map of Larket. The Fort ordered that the blip be investigated in secret. It was discovered to be buried deep beneath a house ruined by the earthquake. Under the false pretense of reconstruction, the site was excavated and a labradorite skull found. Immediately recognized for its power, the skull was spirited away in secret to the Larket Academy of Magics’ Witchcraft Research Department, where it has been studied ever since by some of the top minds in all of Lithrydel, among them Lars and Marije Kluvver, married just last year after meeting in the very halls of the Larket Academy of Magics. They married late in life, having dedicated their youth to the study of magic and leaving little room for romance, but a steady companionship formed first in the library, then blossomed in the Witchcraft Research Department’s laboratory, where they discovered a mutual knack for anticipating the nuances of witch spells. Last year Marije miscarried, a devastating blow to their hopes to start a family, which soon felt like a mocking twist of good fortune when Larket’s pregnant mothers and their unborn children were cursed, many women and infants dying in childbirth as their survivors age rapidly and barrel towards death. Since then Lars and Marije have become even more obsessed with their study, working off the mutual hunch that this skull holds the key to lifting the curse on Larket’s mothers and children. Tonight, like countless nights before this one, they burn the midnight oil in the laboratory long after their colleagues have left to join their families (or familiars, in the case of the astral cat lady, Professor Muimui; 7 and counting). Lars and Marije are testing a theory that druidic rituals and witch circles share an ancestral link, and thus perhaps the secrets of the skull can be best explained through druidic magic which is better documented than witch magic, and besides if you think about it, the moon-- Zzzz. Nerd talk: it keeps their love alive and the candle burning.

Josleen || ooc notes || *She lied about this in particular to protect the real saboteurs from being arrested, and punished. | **This confession was real.

Talyara poured over the map she had been given by Mayor Uma tirelessly for several days. Ever since Lanara had found her skull in Enchantment, it had been a permanent fixture in the younger witch’s home, Taly taking to staring at it for hours on end as if hoping a small drawing of a skull would somehow manifest to give her the answers she sought. The druidic witch tried to use runes to decipher the location and even went so far as to scry in her black mirror in an attempt to get answers, all to no avail. It was late and Taly rubbed tiredness from her eyes and cast her eyes around her cottage for a spark of inspiration. Those emerald hued irises settled on her magical pack and she quickly stood and made her way over towards it. After some digging, her hand wrapped around a stiff, feathery something—it was Petey, her shared perished parakeet pendulum. Like the great crashing waves on the Cenril beach, an idea broke over the witch and knew what she had to be done. The pendulum was held over the map as Taly whispered a hushed spell to the God and Goddess to help her divine the location of the crystal skull. It did nothing as she hovered over Rynvale, Cenril, Sage, Xalious; however, as soon as she came upon Larket on the map it began to spin. It was an idle, lazy start of moving at first but it soon picked up speed until it seemed to have been caught in a strong gust of wind. Talk’s heart sank—they would have to go to Larket for the skull. After further divining throughout the night which helped the witch pinpoint the location a bit further, the appropriate letters were sent out to those who had agreed to gather these skulls as a group, having of course warned them of the location and her understanding if they wished to forgo this particular task. Truthfully, Taly fully believed that she would be going at this alone. It was time, and Talyara, under the guise of the night, had snuck into the Academy of Magic—it was rather easy which made the witch all the more uneasy about this whole situation, having encountered next to no one as she carefully and, as silently as possible, weaved her way through the halls, trusting her intuition to lead her way. There was a door before her and, continuing her creeping, she crouched down and peered through the window, only to discover two researchers huddled over their desks. Taly cursed under her breath and looked around for something to disguise herself. There wasn’t much in terms of clothing, but there was a mop and bucket in a shadowy corner. Well, she had to get in there somehow right? Taly ruffles her hair to make it look messy, borrows some dust from a nearby corner to add to her clothes and skin, and simply waltzes into the the research lab, whistling and rattling the bucket as she goes. “Oi!” She calls out in surprise when she sees the couple. "Sorry ‘bout dat. I didn’ know anyone else was still ‘ere. Just gotta get some cleanin’ done. Don’ mind me!"

Lanara had received a letter this morning, naming this location as the meeting point, and so she arrives in Larket, a mixture of caution and curiosity. The penmanship was easily recognized as being her sister’s, though the note was covered in drool from the feline courier, and the signature torn at the bottom. Were the letter from anyone else, she wouldn’t have ventured to this part of the realm, primarily because of the history of this place, regarding witches, like herself. Lana’s long hair has been pulled into a ponytail that sits in the middle of the back of her head, and she wears black runed leggings, a sky blue corset, and knee-high boots. A backpack sits between her shoulder blades, and a utility belt is secured about her slender waist. All in all, she looked prepared for whatever situation should arise, and she feels an almost ominous warning as she stands before the research facility. Couldn’t Talyara have chosen a safe place for such a meeting? Lana had her doubts that the skull they sought would be in a location such as this, but then again, it’s usually the least likely of places where the object that you seek most is often found. The night was in full swing, and thus far she hadn’t been discovered by any stragglers in the streets, so as she reaches the door, she is surprised to find it unlocked. Linking her hands through each strap of the backpack, she slips through the doors, and her silent footfalls help her in exploring the circular room, undetected. The building is dark, though a dim light emits from the center of the room, where a couple is absorbed in their studies, and seem to be involved in some sort of experiment. The witch grows uneasy, not liking this one bit, and she narrows her dark hues on each small office that extends from this main room. One by one, she sneaks up to each door, slowly twists the doorknob, and peeks in, coming up empty on her first three tries, though as her fingertips grace the fourth knob, she smiles. The rune tattoo on her inner left wrist begins to tingle, and she knows with a certainty that her sister lies beyond that door, so without further delay, she enters the room, only to find that it’s empty. She scowls, knowing that she must have missed her Taly by mere seconds! Chewing on the inside of her right cheek, she muddles over what to do next, as she couldn’t just wander through each room and hope not to be discovered. And that’s when she sees a white lab coat, hanging off the peg on the back of the door, with a pair of goggles tucked into the pocket. A stroke of sheer genius enters her mind, and she slips the large coat over her form, fixes the glasses to her face, and walks into the next room. Nearly colliding with the ‘janitor’ her eyes widen in recognition, though the couple also notices the two newcomers, eyeing them with intrigue. Thinking fast, Lana points to a slightly ajar door across the way. “My office looks like it can use a good cleaning. I spilled some corrosive agent on my desk… Here it’s better to show you, this way, Janitor.” Taking her sibling by the arm, she leads the way and the sister’s slip into an observation room.

Meri received word from Talyara as to where she believed the next skull was going to be located at. This location has a reputation and it was one that Meri was familiar with, so she was not too happy that not one but two witches would be venturing their way into Larket's academy. Of course it would be here it would be here of all places. When this team made their expedition to Enchantment, Meri had taken the time and effort to make sure she was properly armored in case they have any mishaps. The same effort was given tonight, and then some, for Meri has deemed it worthwhile to take measures to try and mask her identity. So beneath her black armored vest is a layer of chainmail with sleeves along enough to cover her sleeves fully, when combined with the bracers worn to protect her forearms. Gloves are a must for Meri's tattoos go all the way down to her knuckles, her art was a dead giveaway. A black hooded cloak is also worn, along with a black bandana that Meri wears tied about her face, covering her nose and her mouth. It was the same bandana that Meri wore to a certain protest in Larket, one that had some inaccurate media coverage. Much like Talyara, Meri used the cover provided by the night time hours to her advantage. It was easy to blend with the shadows given the dark attire that Meri wore, and the journey from her home in Larket to the Academy would be a short one. There was this hope that Meri would find Talyara, Lanara and Encara waiting for her so that they could infiltrate as a team...but Meri would soon learn that is not the case. Meri has entirely missed Talyara and the only reason she suspects they may already be inside as that she can see Lanara slipping into the building, but Meri is too far away to safely by able to call out to her. She'll just have to catch up and once she does she is not going to be quick to alert anyone of her presence. She would lurk, and creep, and stalk from a distance with a keen eye on the two witches, trying to use furniture and shadows to keep her out of plain sight. At that point, it was deemed too risky to even alert Lanara and Talyara of her presence. The sister's were a questionable spectacle enough! Were the two researcher's even buying into this story? Meri had a sinking feeling in her gut.

Encara arrives by air. While this method of travel makes the trip from Frostmaw that much shorter, the ride is just about as uncomfortable as it gets… a fact she wastes no time in communicating to Ymir, the mighty white wyvern she met in a prior do-or-die encounter who opted to accompany Encara on this mission. Taking their destination into account, the drow hadn't felt the need to argue with him. Larket is a city she has never visited but has heard plenty about… and none of the recent news coming out of there has been good. The earthquakes, the witch hunts, the shattered alliances, the curses, the burning of Valrae Baines— a woman Encara has never met yet has already risked her life for. The knowledge of the sort of place they're about to walk into has instilled a greater sense of concern for their group's safety in Encara, particularly for Lanara and Talyara, though it isn't something she'll admit to. Vigilance will be key. As they cut through the air above northern Sage's ocean of trees, Encara's gaze remains fixed on Larket's distant rooftops with unblinking intensity, up until the point Ymir banks and spirals down towards a shrouded clearing, far enough from the city so as not to draw attention. Slipping down from Ymir's back, the drow hits the ground, audibly curses, and takes a moment to stretch her aching legs and will the feeling to return to them. She'd have rather walked and been footsore. "We're definitely getting you a saddle fitted when we get back," she grumbles to Ymir, before her expression quickly turns serious. "Stay above the city, but well out of reach. If I need you, I'll call." The great wyvern bows his head in acknowledgement. "Just so, Flame-touched." He misses the exasperated roll of her eyes as he takes to the air once more - the drow huffs under her breath, places her hand gently over her right shoulder, and turns towards Larket. What a terrible epithet, she thinks.

Encara :: Night is the kingdom of beasts such as Encara. It is not difficult for her to make her way unnoticed through Larket's empty streets, stalking shadows and skirting across rooftops to avoid the watchful gaze of guard patrols. Lanara is still hovering outside the Larketian Academy of Magic when the drow reaches the building herself, and her sharp eyes pick out hints of movement across the street - upon closer inspection, she's relieved to find that her fellow sneak-in-the-dark is Meri. Looks like the gang's all here then. Rather than announce her presence to either, however, Encara chooses to move on ahead while the coast appears to be clear. Entering the Academy through a small upper window, she drops down onto the top of a bookcase like liquid shadow and moves toward the research department. She's dressed in her usual attire: short leather jacket worn over a woollen shirt, left arm encased to the elbow in carapace-like black gauntlet, with belts and hip armour plates over black pants and armoured boots. The sash at her waist is a vibrant shade of scarlet. One notably missing piece of Encara's outfit is the spaulder usually worn on her right arm, but it isn't difficult to guess why it's absent - that arm is tucked into a sling and held against her chest, though Encara will do her best to keep it concealed under her cloak. The injury, bad as it may be, was not enough to prevent her from responding to Talyara's message with her presence here tonight. Sticking to the darkest corners and flanking the room in a similar manner to Meri, Encara scrunches her nose at the sight of the two researchers working heedless to the late hour, then blinks when she takes note of the artefact they're discussing. Her eyes snap to Lanara and Talyara, finding them in the midst of some… pantomime? They have props and bad accents and everything! Though she's unaware of it, she shares Meri's concerns, and decides to act before the scholars have any opportunity to see through the witches' disguise. She clicks her fingers, the soft metal 'shing' preceding an ominous sense of deepening shadows. All of the lanterns go out.

Josleen | When the ‘janitor’ barges in, Lars and Marije jumps in their seats! No one has ever barged in at this hour for any reason! What more, many things are wrong with this scenario: 1. There’s no cleaning staff in this laboratory; the interns do all the cleaning. 2. Even if there were cleaning staff, it wouldn’t be at this hour. 3. That is not an authentic Larketian accept. Lars and Marije exchange worried sidelong looks as Lanara joins her sister, pretending to be a researcher, and it is then that Lars and Marije, who know all of the researchers in the building, conclude that they’re under attack (or burglary??) Acting fast, Marije quickly triple taps a beaded charm on her wrist which sounds the alarm in Fort Freedom that the Academy is under attack! Although, no sounds or lights flash in the room, thus there is no explanation for what Marije just did, the woman shouts to Talyara and Lanara (and hidden Meri and Encara), “The guards are on their way! Leave and no harm will come to you!” (There are usually guards stationed outside the Academy, but Larket is thin on soldiers these days after sending ample troops to Frostmaw to aid in the war against Kahran with the other good guys of the realm.) Lars, though unsure of why these women are here, protects the’s lab’s most valuable asset: the skull. He reaches for a pig-in-a-top-hat piggy bank on his desk. He yanks the top hat off and the pig’s mouth opens no wider than a gold coin. Within its adorable piggy maw swirls white light into a kaleidoscopic rainbow pool. Lars throws the skull into the mouth, and the skull instantly shrinks and gets sucked into the mouth with such force its shape distorts, like a rubber band being pulled in one direction. Just then, the lights snuff out. “Aah!” Marije shrieks as she cowers under the desk and yanks on Lars’s robes to do the same. In the darkness, the glowing portal glows even brighter. The maw stays open for 30 seconds, and seemingly anything of any size can be squeezed into the itty bitty piggy mouth...

Talyara was so focused on her charade, so overcome with worry and anxiety that this whole idea is about to go up in flames that she doesn’t discern the vibration in her rune tattoo on her wrist which indicates Lanara is near. So when the “researcher” grabs her arm she momentarily freezes, eyes wide with concern until she recognizes her sister and breathes out a heavy sigh, not quite relief, but something akin to a little less frantic. If Lana came did that mean that Encara did as well? And Meri? Taly doesn’t see them so she can only assume that they didn’t, and there’s no hard feelings on Taly’s end. “Yes, Ma’am!” She says with a nod to Researcher Lanara and moves to follow her towards “her” office. The touching of the bracelet goes unnoticed by the younger witch but there’s a prickling on the back of her neck which can only mean something is up. Taly just has time to squeeze Lanara’s arm, her own silent alarm, when Marije calls out that the guards are on their way. Taly pauses and slowly turns around to face them, adopting the most innocent expression she can muster. Her mouth opens to respond, to deny that they are here under false pretenses. However, Lars’s movement is where Taly (thankfully!) focuses her attention and her eyes squint in confusion as he pulls out a piggy bank of all things. She is momentarily struck mute. Was he going to pay them to leave? No, the hat is being pulled off and some skull is being drawn towards the rainbow inside the pig’s mouth. THE SKULL! The room is suddenly dark and, not even thinking this is the work of Encara, the druidic witch thanks the Goddess for this welcome distraction. Taly hurls the bucket on the other side of the room, hoping the sound draws the researchers’ attentions that way. Without a word to her sister, Taly is moving as swiftly as a coursing river (one may argue she ran with the force of a great typhoon) as she clambers over the desk, shoving her hand towards the mouth of the piggy bank and into the rainbow portal hoping to grasp the skull…only, like the crystal skull, she gets sucked in as well.

Lanara scowls at her sister, as he removes her hand from her upper arm, and shakes her head. She hastily whispers to the younger witch, her tone somewhat condescending. “I take it that you didn’t actually devise a fool-proof plan before sending the letter? Who else is to meet us here? Do you have any idea how bad this can go for us if we are discovered!? We are witches, Taly! They already killed Valrae! We’ll be next if we don’t figure this out fast!” As if on cue, their fast thinking skills will have to be put to the test, as the middle-aged couple’s suspicions rise, and the ‘threat’ is issued. “They called the freaking guards! Taly! What have you done?!” The sister’s turn on their heel at the threshold to the observation room, and that’s when they see the skull, in the hand of the scientist! However, it quickly fades from view as it’s tossed into the most unlikely of objects, a piggy bank. “No! We have to get that skull!” Seething in anger, Lana slips a throwing knife from the loop on her utility belt and expertly throws it towards Lars, aiming for the center of his chest. How dare he dispose of the relic they so desperately sought to revive Valrae! If they were to go down, she wouldn’t surrender without a fight! She doesn’t wait to see if the knife met its target, as the two witches split up, as Taly runs to the left and Lana to the right. It’s at this precise moment that the room gives in to complete darkness, and the elf stumbles over a chair, and hits the floor. “Oomph.” Meri and Encara haven’t yet been discovered, it seems, and right about now the duo could really use some back-up. Pushing her palms to the floor, she rises to her feet, and continues her advance on Marije and Lars. Those little rats were going to pay for harboring the skull, and for foiling their ill-devised plan! However, during her little debacle with the chair, her sister had reached the piggy first, and was sucked into the portal! “Taly!” She breaks into a sprint, narrowly dodges another chair, and without a moment’s hesitation jumps into the portal and leaves the chaos of the research lab to enter the unknown.

Meri :: It's not clear if Meri has made any amount of notice of Encara's presence, if she is there is no reaction to it and for a change this behavior is not birthed out of any hostility due to Encara's race. The two are fairly like minded in a lot of respects, they are both very mission-oriented and saw no room to focus on the little distractions. The important thing was to keep sights on both Talyara and Lanara, which is suddenly much more difficult to do once the room is fully encompassed in shadows. The timing seems to be spot on, Lanara and Talyara's acting attempts are foiled leading to Marije shouting about how the guards were coming, cue the lights. Meri is no longer able to rely upon her sights, but her telekinetic abilities are soon put to work, and the woman relies upon her senses to 'feel' her way through the darkness. Lanara and Talyara are left to operate as a team much like they did the last time once Marije signals that the guards are coming. With this information, Meri creeps through the darkness toward the main entrance of the academy, where she presumes that those guards will be coming in from. Her sword is drawn very slowly from it's scabbard while en route, trying to avoid creating that spark which causes the blade of her sword to be engulfed in fire. She did not want the glow of the flames to give away her presence while she has the cover of darkness working too her advantage. If she has enough time prior to the arrival of the guards, she'll position herself just to one side of the door so that the first guard who makes an entrance is met with the pommel of her sword straight to the face to try and knock the guard and any company they may be with backward, even for just a couple of seconds. The scuffle would progress from there. It'd be a shame if said guards came in through some alternate route, but these things could be hard to predict and if they did sneak in some other way...Meri would just have to adjust accordingly.

Encara is not troubled by the lack of light, given her natural ability to see in the dark. However, she -is- troubled by Marije's scream and warning that the Larketian guard is on its way - the drow certainly doesn't believe those last words, not one bit. No harm, indeed. She quickly flicks open the clasps on her satchel while the room descends into chaos. The sound is like a whistle to Khova, her miniature drider companion tucked safely inside, who springs out of the bag and into Encara's hand with an excited chirrup, eager to get involved in a situation that's likely about to collapse into violence. "Khova, fetch," the drow tells him, pointing at the skull just as Lars flings it into the mouth of that piggy bank. It shrinks and vanishes in a burst of light that makes her growl in pain, spots dancing across her vision. A curse escapes her— with no time, she simply grabs the end of the spider-silk rope Khova hands to her and begins to swing him round like a yo-yo, before launching the little drider after the skull. Khova bares his tiny fangs at Lars as he soars past, but his expression quickly shifts from one of murderous glee to uncertainty when the glowing maw of the ceramic pig seems to yawn wider, and wider, and wider… and sucks him into itself shortly after it swallows Taly and Lanara. Unfortunately, Encara is still holding the other end of the string, which suddenly seems as strong as steel. The piggy bank portal's unnatural gravity pulls at her as she frantically tries to save Khova from his fate, before the rope is ripped from her grasp and she watches Khova vanish into the blinding void. She screams for him in uncharacteristic horror, but is soon forced to recognise her own plight - the adorable piggy has the drow and refuses to release her, and Encara grabs at Meri in her panic. With a bitten-off yell, the two are all but yanked off their feet and cast into the pool of light alongside everyone else. The piggy bank's maw snaps shut.

Josleen | Lars, a lifelong researcher who has never thrown a punch in his life, takes a knife in the chest. Blood blooms on his robes and he crashes onto the floor in front of his beloved. “Lars!” she screams. She crawls towards him, sobbing as he sputters blood. She casts a minor incantation to stall for time by thickening his blood, but she’s no healer. If they don’t receive help soon, Lars will die. Guards rush into the laboratory from the only entrance. The first guard takes a sword pommel in the face! He stumbles backwards, nose broken. He falls back on a second guard, but a third (Greg) manages to squeeze past and draw his sword in the darkened room. Marije casts a quick spell to relight all the lamps and candles in the room to help the Good Larketian Soldiers win the day! Greg kicks towards Meri’s middle, then follows up with a sweeping leg towards her knees to knock her to the ground. His aim is to arrest before kill, as per his training, but he’ll kill if he must. But Meri is rescued in the nick of time by Encara, and the women escape by the only other exit in the room: the portal. || Talyara, Lanara, Encara, Meri and Khova travel weightless and senseless through a vortex of color and light for only a few seconds, then freefall into total darkness. The skull falls ahead of them, just out of reach. It glows bright blue, the only color in the inky blackness, until it breaks darkness itself with a splash. Water ripples of the fading blue light of the sinking skull. Before the skull finds the lake’s bottom, a dark figure swims over the skull, and both the skull and creature disappear from sight. Just after, the women (and Khova) slam into the body of water with a splash. The water around them is dark and frigid. Underwater, ghostly figures effervesce all around them, moaning and screaming as they reach the water’s surface above them. When they come up to gasp for air, they’ll likely need to gasp twice for the air is thin here, wherever they are. Are their eyes acclimate, Meri in particular may recognize the ashy gray sky, the spores on land in the distance, the feeling that seeps into their bones that their death is near. Tree silhouettes encircle them half a mile in every direction. Empty boats dot the surface of the lake. The lake is perfectly still and eerily silent, save for the howl of the wind and the echoing screams beneath the lake’s surface that are only audible under water. After several minutes of frozen in action, in the distance, several yards ahead of Lanara, a pale lady walks on the surface of the water towards the women. She wears only a sheer white gown. Her long platinum hair cascades over her thin shoulders. She glows a warm yellow light, gives off heat, exudes feelings of calm and safety. Her arms extend towards the women, inviting them to join her. The empty boats all turn towards the lady and glide slowly towards her light.

Talyara :: There is really no feeling that can compare to that of being sucked through this portal. She’s not even aware that the others have toppled in after her. The witch ungracefully flails, attempting to find something to grip or to get her footing and slow the process. The darkness, while easier to free fall through than the rainbow as the light provided more disorientation, is more scary to the witch because she cannot see where she is going. Then she sees it! A bright, blue dot in the distance that can only be the labradorite skull that Taly sough to retrieve. The witch attempts to speed up her free fall, her hand unhelpfully reaching out towards the treasure. Taly only has a moment to register the familiar sound of surface water breaking when her own body pierces the icy lake. The druidic witch forces herself to keep her eyes open underwater as she spins in the inky water, attempting to decipher where the skull got to but it’s no use, she needs air. Breaking the surface is no easy task as the witch is forced to gulp down several breaths before she feels she can properly breathe, and even then it’s still labored from the cold water and thin air. She trudges water and for the first time realizes she’s not alone. There’s Lana. And Meri and Encara, too! And some other unfamiliar figure dotting the water. Taly looks around frantically, trying to find some recognizable landmark so she can place where they are. It’s unsuccessful though, she has no clue where that portal has spit them out. Still, the women (and man) in the water aren’t alone as -another- woman, the only truly bright spot in this dark place, is moving towards the water’s edge and more importantly, towards her sister. “Lana! Don’t!” She calls out breathlessly. Taly didn’t trust anything in this place and she moves to swim as quickly as possible towards Lanara.

Lanara didn’t witness the possible death of Lars, and thankfully, the victim and his wife didn’t get too good a look at the witch, as the room was dimly lit, and she was wearing full face goggles. The last thing she needed was to be tried for murder, should they make it through this feat alive! The pass through the portal is quick, and bright, though as Lana looks over her shoulder to see if the maw had snapped shut, she’s somewhat startled by the appearance of a spider. The little beast hurtles through the rainbow vortex, and that’s the last thing she sees, as the other side of the portal is brought into view. Lana lands with a splash, and is submerged in the dark depths of a seemingly endless chasm of despair. Being a strong swimmer, she breaks for the surface, and takes that first inhale of air, only to find that it’s not quite enough. Panic sets in momentarily, as she treads water, and tries to acclimate to the dense air, having to take two gulps of air, to obtain a proper breath. A glance is given to her sister, and Lana’s expression relaxes, pleased to see that Taly is safe. Though the moment of comfort is short lived as that little spider that spun behind her in the vortex lands with a sickening splash, though it seems to have morphed significantly into a drow-spider creature that has greatly enlarged in size. Lana wastes no time in seeing if the beast wanted to make friends, despite her empathic abilities with animals. She didn’t trust anything that had come from Larket, and the absurdity at this turn of events was wearing thin on her patience. The skull also had yet again, become beyond their reach! “What the hell?! Where are we!?” A faint light a few yards ahead, draws her attention, and despite her suspicions, a soothing feeling emits from the strange woman’s form. As she walks on the water, her hands outstretched, beckoning the little witch to come closer, Lana finds it almost impossible to deny her request. The water was frigid, and this lady of the lake had promised warmth and safety, she hoped. Leaving Talyara and Khova behind, Lana swims over to the nearest boat, and pulls herself over the side, landing in an ungraceful heap in the center. The long haired woman is directly before her, and Lana wraps her arms around her body, shivering from the cold, her pony-tail hanging limp at the base of her neck. Meri and Encara splash into the water next, and she gives them a brief sidelong glance, before ignoring her sibling, and reaching a shaky hand out to the strange, glowing, woman. “We need your help…”

Meri would typically have some amount of understanding for the things that can go wrong in the heat of scuffle, Encara grabbing onto her in panic may have been forgiven in another instance. Not this one. Not once Meri finds herself yanked up off her feet and sucked into the portal. Excuse the hell out of you, Encara. Meri is not usually the sort to fight her allies but she is definitely struggling to make an escape from the drow. She does not, through the portal she goes only to hit the icy water with a pained gasp. Surfacing, Meri's eyes acclimate, panic is the first thing that takes hold of the woman's mind. She recognizes the ashy gray sky all too well, she's had far too much time in this plane of existence to -not- know where they were. And this was the one place that she -never- wanted to go back to. Meri could very well be the most useful person in guiding the team through where they were, everything in these lands were so much more dangerous than they were in the plane that they mirrored. The blonde manages to swim to a boat, pulling herself frantically out of the frigid waters out because she does not want to learn what might loom beneath them. It happens to be the same boat that Lanara has found for herself. Meri displayed far less fear less expedition when faced with the juvenile dragon. Meri finds her knees, unwilling to move to that boat, and is soon in the midst of a full blown panic attack. The signs are obvious, her skin is pale, tears were in her blue eyes, and her breathing is not smooth but a hard and ragged heaving. It's this breathing that may make it difficult to hear what Meri is saying, it's not important anyway. She's just repeating 'no, no, no' over and over again. Meri is pretty content to keep her whispered mutterings to herself until Lanara talks to the glowing woman and bids it to help them. That prompts Meri to scream out her protests, "NO!" It's too bad Meri did not have the mental capacity to explain that there was very little here that could be trusted…

Encara :: As much as her heart is telling her not to close her eyes, that it's too dangerous to risk missing some attack, the kaleidoscopic tunnel of light and dizzying colour is simply too much for Encara's sensitive vision and she's forced to shut it out. Thankfully, the journey through the portal is a short one. The next thing Encara knows, she's plunging into the icy waters of a lake and Meri has been ripped away from her - scarlet eyes blink open in shock as she recoils from the drowned phantoms coalescing out of the darkness around her, almost as if their presence strikes her physically. Grasping hands reach out for the drow, who frantically kicks for the surface, fighting the unfriendly current as best she can with one arm. Myriad thoughts rush through her mind in a panicked rush: where are they? Where did the Academy go? What happened to Larket? Why is her shoulder -burning- so painfully, like the wound is fresh? A ragged gasp tears through Encara when she breaks the waters above her, a sensation of light-headedness making her groan as she tilts her head back and finally takes notice of her surroundings. The sky is all wrong, rorschachian clouds swirling back and forth as if caught in a time loop and devoid of colour. Encara's head swims with fractured recognition at the sight. Nearby, the great bulk of Khova is thrashing and spluttering in the water, his many spindly legs kicking up chaotic waves, and that breaks her out of her brief stupor. She has no time to worry about his change in size, even though her subconscious is searching for answers - the portal must have broken the spell that kept him small and (not really) harmless for so many years. "Khova!" Her fears for her long-time companion are momentarily stronger than any concern for the women or the whereabouts of the skull and she struggles across to the drider, cursing at her inability to use both arms. "Khova, stop breathing!" A drider's body is an unholy amalgamation — the form serves as a maddening punishment, after all — and large enough that the single set of lungs in his humanoid torso are not enough to fuel his whole body with the oxygen it needs. His spider half functions largely on the book lungs located along its ventral plates - small vents that are currently submerged. Khova is locked in a torturous state of half-drowning. Though she has no idea how he might react to his new size once the panic wears off, how he might try to turn the tables on them, Encara shoves her good shoulder against his side and manages to push him into a boat. It takes more strength than she has to move his body and by the time Khova is safe, there is none left to pull herself up with him. Encara treads water, catches a last glimpse of an alien sky that yet seems strangely familiar, and is dragged beneath the surface before she has a chance to even scream.

Macon :: Back in the regular version of Larket, Marije won’t let the guards give chase into the piggy bank. Their first priority -must- be getting her dear husband immediate medical attention. To make sure this is their only option, the researcher fiddles with the tiny portal generator until the gateway into the shadow plane is closed while she ensures the protectors of Larket that Lars can reopen it at any time, so they best make sure he doesn’t succumb to his wounds. At the lake, the fabled Lady of the Water beckons the interlopers towards her and seems to gesture down in the direction the sought after skull has been taken, deep below. Meri and Lanara share a boat and the latter reaches out to the comforting deity of the lake. Mistake. On closer inspection, the Lady’s face is painted on, the mouth merely lines in a pattern in the shape of lips. She cannot smile, but would if she could. Arms, or some appendages that are where arms should be on a woman, fly out and embrace Lanara, and the both of them, Lady and witch, are tugged out of the boat and down below the surface of the water as if being reeled in… Beneath the surface, Lanara is pulled face to face with her true captor, some great fish(?). Its body about the length and girth of an elephant’s, covered in dark scales that would shimmer in light, but there isn’t nearly enough down at the depth this thing lives in. Its head is much bigger than what one would expect from its body size. Its closed mouth, which is large enough for any two of the skull seekers to fit in at the same time, has teeth jut out wildly from it, both up and down, like criss crossed, sharpened needles. Its eyes are pure white, and the size of a man’s head. The shadow plane seems to breed strange deformities in its fauna and flora, but what kind of ecology could have caused this? Arms, roughly human shaped ones, but much longer, and scaled, with webbed fingers that seem to have one too many joints on them. Four pairs of them, line the length of the creatures body that ends in a large flat tailfin. Grasped in one hand from the last pair is the labradorite skull, collected by this, the true Lady in the Lake. The echoing screams, trapped beneath the surface, are all this beast’s previous victims, pulled to their fate like it wishes to do to Lanara, the skull and, in what can only be described as greed and gluttony, Encara as well, as it bolts through the water with the witch attached to its woman-shaped anglerfish lure to grab at the drow’s leg with one of its weird fishman arms. Drowning appears to be this apex predator’s weapon of choice, but it refuses to descend very far because it knows there are three more bodies to collect up at the surface...

Talyara is momentarily suspended in the water as she watches in horror as her sister not only climbs out of the water but moves to reach towards the glowing woman. She silently curses her Lanara, but turns in the opposite direction when she hears floundering, a small wave of water cresting over her head. It seemed as if Encara didn’t have full use of both her arms. Taly frantically looks from one to the other, not sure who to go to or who to help. Unfortunately, Encara wins out because Meri is in the same boat as Lanara; unfortunately, Taly is unaware that the psion is in the midst of a full blown panic attack and might not have the ability to save her sister. Measured strokes carry her towards Encara, but Lanara’s scream immediately pulls Taly up short as she whips around only to see the “woman” grab her sister and yank her under the water. The younger witch barely has time to issue her own scream when Encara is likewise plucked beneath the icy surface. “NO!” Taly cries, her chest contracting with unease. How is she supposed to save her sister? Encara? How is she to defeat this sea monster and retrieve the damned crystal skull? The druidic witch decides to operate how she has throughout this entire mission, fly by the seat of her pants. Taly adjusts her posture, inhales the deepest breath she can muster before diving into the inky depths, propelling herself forward with mighty kicks. She joins the throng of lost souls, the drow and the elf alike and frantically looks at the mighty beast, searching for some soft spot to attack. Taly is unsure how strong those scales are and her small knife is unserrated so trying to saw her sister and Encara free is out of the picture. So Taly does the only thing she can think of which is unsheathe that stiletto knife at her hip and aim to plunge it in that milky white, head-sized eye of the sea monster.

Lanara feels the boat shift slightly as Meri pulls herself aboard, and her incessant ramblings echo in the elf’s tapered ears, though she’s unsure as to ‘why’ the blonde is so distraught. Clearly, Lanara had never visited the Shadow Plane, and she assumed this to be a random river, somewhere in Lithrydel. As her right hand reaches for the glowing woman, her right hand extends back and she lightly pulls Meri’s gloved hand into her own, in an effort to provide comfort. “It will be alright.” She whispers, sounding so sure of the ethereal stranger’s intentions. The warning shout from Talyara and Meri are heard a moment too late as the ‘woman’ reaches out and roughly takes hold of the elf. Lana unleashes a blood curdling scream, her hand dropping Meri’s, as she kicks and punches at the form. The lady of the lake didn’t mean to give her a comforting hug, as she had originally thought, no, it meant to murder the little witch. She helplessly, grabs onto the boat as she’s lifted into the air, and pulled beneath the water, the small watercraft rocking from side to side, as all that remains within is the traumatized blonde. Meanwhile, beneath the surface, Lana is stuck on the woman-shaped lure, and fighting with every ounce of strength she possesses. She kicks, she punches, she unleashes a scream of spells, though all she gets is a mouthful of water, and her lungs fight for air. Where was this place? How was she going to get free? The skull is seen, as the faint glow of the labradorite stone shines amidst the enshrouding darkness, and Lana focuses on the object, held in the hand of her captor. She knew that she was fighting against the clock, and her frustration was giving way to the fear of drowning, as she’s tugged back up as the fish monster aims to grasp Encara. Using this to her advantage, she fumbles with the utility belt at her waist, and unsheathes her only remaining source of a weapon. A throwing knife, which was the twin dagger to the one that likely, resulted in the untimely death of Lars. Those chocolate hues narrow on the scale nearest her, and as the creature takes hold of Encara, she uses all every last ounce of strength to force the entire blade of the knife just beneath the scale, into the soft fleshy part of the creature. This literally, has zero effect in regards to killing the beast, and will likely have only made it angry, so as it turns its head to peer at her, maw open and revealing needle-sharp teeth, she finds that the ‘lure’ that holds her, lessens its grip. It clearly meant to eat her, as drowning her hadn’t worked as well as it had hoped. The sensation of its loosened grip causes the elf to break free, and swim as hard and as fast as she can for the surface. She miraculously breaks the surface, and inhales the delicious air, tears streaming down her cheeks as she makes a mad dash for Meri’s boat. “Help! You have to help! It has the skull and it has Encara! We have to do something…” Reaching the boat, she looks back in time to see the creature about to surface, and she launches over the side, and clings to the blonde’s form. Wide-eyed, she looks around and it dawns on her that Taly must have swum to her rescue.

Meri probably should do something, on a better day Meri would have done something. Not today, Meri is too much in the throws of panic to rationally think things through. Lanara was ripped from the boat by that thing that, whatever it was, and pulled beneath the surface. Encara's companion was in a boat, but where was Encara? Had she suffered the same fate that Lanara did? Did that thing get to her? These questions were fleeting, Meri's mind soon consumed with thoughts that something was going to swim up from below and swallow her and the boat whole. Excuse Meri while she just goes ahead and panics a bit more, doing absolutely nothing useful for the team. The blonde sits in the boat, still dripping with icy waters and cold enough that her entire body is starting to shiver uncontrollably, with her knees drawn tightly into her chest and arms wrapped around her shins. She had a sword at one point, she must have lost it in the fall, it is probably resting somewhere at the bottom of the lake. Meri did not want to go find it. She just wanted to sit there, rocking back and forth in her boat and pretending that she was anywhere else but here. Home. In Larket. She never left. She never went on this mission. This is a horrible nightmare. She'll wake up in just a few minutes. (Except that she won't.) Back and forth Meri rocks, and soon the water is moving in tune with her motions, but the psion does not even realize it. Her mind and her focus is elsewhere. The waves that the psion is creating on the lake's surface could very well be another source of frustration for her companions. One more obstacle for them to try and overcome. Help? Meri has to help? Lanara's words fall onto deaf ears, they don't even register, Meri does not even look. Sorry Lanara, the lights are on but Meri is not home right now. She's back in Larket, within that three-story townhouse...on the third floor to be specific, in bed, fast asleep beneath the warm covers. She's not here. Nope.

Encara hasn't the physical strength left to fight the creature off as it tugs her and Lanara away from the surface. Her right arm is useless, her body aches, and she didn't think to bring her bow because what would the point be when she can't fire it? The lake spirits surround, hands extended toward her once more and seeking to draw her into their fold, and though Encara swats at them, her fist only passes through frigid water and cold, drowned spirit. It begins to dawn on her that this might be the end— for her, certainly, and what of the others? She saw Lanara struggling but the witch appears to have freed herself, and Taly and Meri are nowhere in sight. Delisha's eyes, she hadn't even been able to make sure Lionel was all right. Her chest burns with loss of air and regret, and grief, and an unimaginable fear. It isn't right - Encara is not afraid of death, knowing it is an inevitable part of life, but this… this is not how she meant to go, and not now. Were she to end up a ghost, she'd never be able to say the words she needs to, even if she'd have all the time in the world to find them. She'd be stuck here forever, trapped at the bottom of a lake in a world she doesn't know, her heart longing for places she'd never reach again. There's no oxygen left in her. Encara's vision begins to dim— and then. A sharp pain lances through the drow like a lightning bolt to jumpstart her fading mind, bringing with it a clarity that reminds her of where she is right now, and of what she can do. The lightless black waters of the lake give her magic greater affinity, for it is in darkness that they are at their strongest; and while the monstrous fish has her body in a fearsome grip, it can't hold onto what can't be caught. Without warning, Encara's entire body dissolves into a plume of smoke that winds its way out of the fish's grasp with a ghost's effortless ease. Whirling through the water, she twines around Talyara's body in a curtain of cool, silken shadow before reforming in a burst of bubbles and suddenly-solid flesh. Not all of her has materialised again, however: the drow's injured right arm, having slipped free of its sling at some point, retains its vague shape but is wreathed in curling black flame that won't be doused by the water, because it isn't fire at all. The shadow-fire gives off no glow, yet Hellfire's brand sears like a comet trail through the limb, veins of ember starlight shimmering bright and angry. And at Encara's back, a doppelganger of herself in pure black manifests, summoned through the temporary sacrifice of her arm. The being, which requires no air, is solid and independent enough on its own to make a dive for the skull in the lake-beast's grasp, while Encara kicks her legs with all she has and rises toward the surface with a renewed strength she can't explain.

Encara :: Up above, Khova lifts his head and gasps. "What—" His voice is rough, dry, like a book that hasn't been read for a hundred years. It's been so long since he spoke true words. Wide red eyes take in his size relative to his surroundings, to Lanara and Meri in a nearby boat— wait, where is Encara? The drider sways in the boat that's not quite big enough for him to sit comfortably with all his legs, and stares across at the witch as she frantically urges her friend to help. "Where are they?" he croaks.

Macon :: This is so great. The worshipers of the Lady in the Lake usually only serve up one sacrifice at a time. ‘What is going on up on the surface? Some festival in my honor?’ The creature might have thought this if it had any capacity for rational thought. Instead it is somewhere between giddy and manic at the pospect of all these bodies. So when Talyara swims down, it can’t even decide which arm of many to grab her with, so three of them flail uselessly at her as she slips by, barely, to dip her knife into the eye of the fish. This monstrosity can’t blink, what for lack of eyelids, so it can’t reflexively do that, so it just thrashes wildly in place while Lanara takes a stab of her own and frees herself from the lure that goes somewhat limp before surfacing as if it were chasing the freed witch. The lure pops back up on the surface and immediately returns to its glowing, warm routine. It doesn’t chase rapidly after Lanara, but instead just drifts atop the water, which is rolling now thanks to Meri, and slowly pulls the boats towards her. Meri is her next target, the psion looks like she could use some soothing, and who better to do that than the legendary Lady of the Lake? Completely oblivious to the fact that it had just used this trick on Lanara, who is right beside the new would-be victim now, the lure extends her hand-like appendage towards Meri, as Lanara had done previously. It is so warm, just take it, Meri, it’s safe. For as calm as the lure is on the surface, the fish is absolutely losing it beneath the waves. A knife to the eye hurts, for sure, but worse is that the creature hasn’t captured and drowned everyone yet. One would almost get the sense that if it can’t have absolutely all of the people (and skulls) dropped into the lake, then it wouldn’t care to have any of them at all. Encara turns to smoke and literally all of the hands make a futile grab at the ungrabbable, vaporous woman, including the one holding the skull. The magical object is released and allowed to drift further into the depths. ‘It isn’t trying to escape, so I can just collect it later,’ the killer fish decides. First thing’s first, these two that are underwater. Wait. There’s three now, Encara has doubled herself, this is great! Most of the arms reach out towards the real Encara and Talyara while the back two make grabby hands at the doppelganger swimming after the sinking skull. The eight appendages work against each other and all three remain just out of reach thanks to the lack of commitment to capturing just one. All the while, those underwater are treated to the constant echoing screams of the previous sacrifices that give this lake its name. The beast’s punctured eye is bleeding some kind of fluorescent green goop that should prove more of a threat than the feuding arms. It spreads outward from the eye and has a paralytic effect upon contact with skin. This is a vestigial defense mechanism against being eaten, but even diluted in the water, the paralyzing ooze should cause some localized numbness that hopefully will help with the drowning plan and make swimming more difficult...

Talyara is unaware at the moment that her sister and Encara alike have broken free from the sea monster’s grip, her focus solely on piercing that eye and hopefully causing him? her? it? to let go of her comrades. Talyara has a moment of satisfaction as her blade sinks into its intended target when bright, green goop begins to leak from the socket. Ick. The goo is doing a spectacular job of vying for her attention when something else catchers her attention out of the corner of her eye, the bright blue glow of the labradorite skull! Despite the fact that her chest is beginning to tighten and Taly knows her oxygen is running low, her feet find the side of the sea monster’s head and she uses it to push off from, propelling herself deeper into the murky depths and towards the intended target. The muscles in her legs and arm burn with exertion as she keeps her focus on the bright blue spec. She reaches out, fingers flexing, her mind urging her to go just a little bit further, just a bit further, until she feels it in her grasp! Quickly, the witch tucks the skull against her chest, its power pulsing against the her petite frame; however, she wastes no more time in examining its thrumming energy. It was a long way to the surface and Taly can feel exhaustion overcoming her, but she still persists, kicking her legs with all her might as she holds the skull so tightly against her body that it hurts. Everything around her is growing fuzzy, things are swirling, she knows she’s losing consciousness. But through the grace of the Goddess, Taly breaks the surface of the water, gasping and swallowing the precious air. “I-I g-got it!” She calls out to the cavern, unsure of where the others are or if they had resurfaced. “I-I g—“ she tries to repeat again but her words are lost as she is pulled beneath the surface once more. That fluorescent green goop has made its reappearance, clinging to Taly’s leg and side. The little witch can no longer persevere, succumbing to the exhaustion, the exertion, and now the numbness to her lower extremities. Still, she clings to the skull unwilling to relinquish her grip and reach towards the surface for help.

Lanara is not pleased with Meri’s attitude, for she knows the psion is scared, but hell, they had to do something! For a moment it looks as though she’s going to slap the blonde, but instead she reaches out and forcefully shakes her, as her nails lightly dig into her arms. “MERI! Wake up! Snap out of it! If we don’t do –something- we ALL will die! My sister will die. The drow will die. Valrae won’t be able to be resurrected without the skull. And we will be its next meal! So! Wake. The. Hell. Up.” Another firm shake ensues, before Lana gives up in frustration. She’s shaking from head to toe in fear, shivering from her time in the frigid water, and in between her pleas, she breaks from time to time to unleash a hacking cough. Even her flesh had a bluish tint to it, and her hair had come free of the pony-tail and had stuck to her flesh. She looked like a hypothermic drenched rat, and as her lower lip trembles, she bursts into tears. “Taly…” She cries, peering over the side of the boat, fearing the worst had happened to her beloved sister. Encara surfaces across the way, sputtering for air, and her spider looks on with caution. The thing can talk?! Lana blinks, thinking that delirium is setting in, and she sits back in the boat. They were all going to die down here, she thinks. And even if they were able to defeat that sea monster, there was no guarantee that a portal would open to send them back to Larket! The drow is too far for her to reach out a helping hand, and she didn’t exactly have spare rope lying around, so she waits for the woman to latch onto the boat, and senses the relief from her oversized spider companion. She didn’t answer it, though she brought forth an inquiry of her own. “Where is my sister!? Answer me! Where is Talyara?!” Those that knew Lanara knew that it was rare for her to unravel so easily before others, and she often reveled in situations that bordered on danger. However, if her sister or animal companion’s were in danger, it struck a chord with the witch, and one could easily see her vulnerability, so exposed. As the lady of the lake tries her little ‘trick’ again, she snarls, and moves to sit directly in front of Meri, hoping to block her view of the lure. “You’re not that bright, huh? I have a little something for you…” Her gaze flickers far away, and it’s then that she notices the trees that are dotted along the way. A sadistic smirk splays on her lush lips, as she glances up at that grayish sky and mutters an incantation, in Sylvan. Within a matter of seconds, the wind picks up, and an oak tree to the right sways dangerously, before being uprooted. The spell intensifies as time goes on, and the tree hurtles through the air and aims straight for the glowing woman, as though Mother Nature herself was going to take the fish out! This works to the women’s advantage, as the wind causes the lake to make waves, and their boats are forcefully pushed further down the lake, away from harm’s way. As the boat wildly spins in the opposite direction, Lana clings to the side of the wooden float, seeing her sibling swimming hard for the surface. As Taly breaks free of the water and the terrors beneath, she sees the glowing skull within her grasp, and she smiles. “Taly!” The wind continues to whip in every direction, and the tip of the boat smashes into Talyara’s side, though thankfully, the green goop strikes at the same time, thus, paralyzing the witch into place. The skull doesn’t teeter, and the green eyed witch is frozen in the water, as Lana gently pulls both the woman and the skull into the safety of the boat. “Are you okay?!”

Meri :: If only it were Meri's attitude that were the problem, the blonde is often chalk full of attitude. She has never been one to be shy about rolling her eyes or speaking her mind, she has also never been one to flat out ignore a situation like the one they were in now. Lanara would not know this, she has only just met Meri. She did not know Meri prior to her month long experience in this area. A slap to the face would have been a mistake, it would have served in angering Meri and generating another response that would not have helped their situation. Lanara can shake all she wants, but it is the pinch of the witches nails digging into Meri's skin that finally inspires some sort of reaction. It's a sneer, but that is better than Meri flipping around to fight with Lanara for a slap. Encara makes it onto the boat, a tree is dropped on the oversized fish who thinks that Meri is dumb enough to fall for the same trick that Lanara did with the witch woman dealing with the situation on Meri's behalf -- rightfully so. It was questionable as to if the psion would do anything at all with how she has been having this trip. Major freak out moments here. Talyara makes it onto the boat and it still seems like Meri is going to be a very unuseful lump to the ladies. Just deadweight onto the boat. But now that all four ladies are safe on the boat, with Encara's companion still safe on it's boat, the psion sets her stare in the water, focusing on the point where she had last seen that 'Lady of the Lake' prior to Lanara dropping the tree on it. The waters themselves begin to turn, slowly at first but rapidly gaining up speed until a strong whirlpool is formed. Hopefully the pull of this whirlpool was strong enough to take their newfound fish friend for a bit of a spin. Normally this would seem like a dastardly thing for anyone trapped on a boat next to the whirlpool. What if they are sucked into the center of the whirlpool? Down into the frigid depths? Where they will most certainly become fish food? That does not seem to be the case here. Between Lanara's control of the wind and Meri's want for them to be on the shore rather than pulled into the whirlpool, the boat has no trouble making an escape to the 'safety' of the shore. Except Meri knew well that there was no such thing as a safe place within the Shadow Planes and just how in the heck were they supposed to get back? Seriously not this frakking crap again. Not again.

Encara has barely taken her first breath when she hears Lanara shouting to her - the words are mudded to the drow, who spends a moment staring back at the woman in disorientated, uncomprehending confusion, her mind struggling to make sense of much after such a close brush with death. Exhaustion is setting in once again, and it's only in part due to the phosphorescent ooze tainting the water around her. Perhaps it was simply adrenaline that helped her before, or perhaps it was something else - whatever the case, Encara is now running on fumes again. Somewhere below, the doppelganger lends Taly its aid in her stead, fending off swipes from the Lady of the Lake's many arms with a blade as black and insubstantial as shadow but strong as steel. It remains with her as she makes for the surface with the skull, a stalwart guardian that speaks no words while offering its strength to the witch. Only once Taly breaks the surface does it fade, as Encara releases her hold on her magic with a sigh; her right arm returns to its usual state, hanging limp at her side as around her, the waves begin to pick up. A great swell forms through the combined forces of Lanara and Meri's power - Encara watches a massive oak go sailing overhead, tossed like a mere twig toward the monster chasing after them, before a wall of water washes over her head and she splutters in surprise. Suddenly, a net of sticky webbing shoots into the water, engulfing the weary drow in sturdy rope which Khova uses to haul her in. As he drags her out of the water and deposits her in the boat with the three women, she lets out a vaguely disgusted noise - their boats go sailing across the lake, grinding to a halt in the gravely shoreline while Encara tears at the web and manages to extract herself from it, grumbling to her drider companion, "Never do that again." Khova rolls his eyes, all eight of them. "Sure, you can drown next time." Ignoring him, Encara turns her focus to the others, her ruby eyes rimmed with dark circles and a tiredness that goes bone-deep, shared by all of them. "Where is this place?" Someone has to know, and her gaze fixes itself pointedly on Meri. She doesn't speak the other question they're all thinking: how do we get out?

Macon :: A shadow plane tree is uprooted from the shore and tossed at the lure, which is pretty close to Lanara and Meri, but witches are accurate as heck, as Lithrydel has seen with their targeted assaults on Larket and its innocent civilians. The trunk slams into the lure and the tether that connects it to the beast below (covered in specialized camouflaged scales) gets wrapped around it. Trees float on water, so this projectile doesn’t do double duty by dragging the giant fish down to the depths of the lake, but it is a living thing that has been thrown into the lake, and it is huge! So the Lady of the Lake wants to collect it. Like it had done with Lanara before it, the lure latches onto the tree as best she can and the creature below tries to reel it in to feast. However, this is much more of a struggle than it was with the witch, and this process takes up much of the beast’s and its lure counterpart’s attention, alleviating some of the danger for the skull seekers, though the green goop is still a thing. The spirits trapped in the lake are much more single minded than the ‘Lady’ that killed them. They sense the skull and the power, though faint, to return beings to life. You know who loves being brought back to life? People who were drowned by a fake lake goddess. They don’t want to let the skull go so easily, but they can do very little above the surface of their final resting place. What they can do is affect the currents of the lake. The boat carrying most of the interlopers and the skull reaches the shore, but the spirits give chase in the only way they know how, a massive wave that makes it look as if the basin of the lake has been tilted sideways towards the edge where the dinghy landed, in an attempt to drag them back into the water. At the center of the body of water, the whirlpool’s strength is enhanced by the spirits, pulling anything still in the water towards it in a spiraling path, screams still echoing beneath the tumultuous surface. The Lady in the Lake herself is being whipped around mercilessly thanks to being attached to that tree trunk, so the ladies and drider can enjoy that visual if they survive the last ditch effort to claim the skull by the lake itself.

Talyara :: A searing pain rips through Taly’s side as the force of the boat slams against her and she winces feeling someone’s arms dip back into the water to grab her, the witch finally unfolding her one arm from the skull to clutch and she is rewarded by being pulled from the water by her sister. “L-lana!” She exclaims through chattering teeth, pulling her sister into a tight hug. She had thought she lost her and thankful tears spring from her eyes. “W-where’s M-meri?” She asks before looking over her shoulder and spying the blonde psion. “E-encara?!” She calls out over the expanse of water, hoping the drow is near and safe. It doesn’t take long though, for that unfamiliar figure who had landed in the water with them seems to have fished her out and plucked the drow in the boat with the other women. It’s all Taly can do not to weep with happiness that they were all okay (for the most part) and safe (not really) and in possession of the skull. Still, Encara’s question prompts a shrug from the younger witch and she looks from the drow, to Lanara, and then to Meri. “I have no idea.” If the other ladies have any ideas, Taly is no longer concerned about it because everything seems to be moving dangerously fast and the little witch clings to the side of the boat for stability. She whips her head around in an attempt to keep her barings but it only succeeds in dizzying her further. The boat bobs towards the shore just as the swirling wave attempts to draw them back in. “Out of the boat!” Taly suddenly yells, shifting the skull to her other arm and vaults over the side of the boat and lands in thigh deep water. Unsure of who has the physical and mental capacity she barks another command. “Get the boat out of the water!” Hopefully those who could would join her in heaving the vessel fully onto the shore.

Lanara slips the drenched lab coat from her form, and lets it fall into the murky water, as Encara climbs aboard the boat. She had no further cause to pretend to be a lab assistant, and she honestly couldn’t remember taking the goggles from her face, though she assumes they are at the bottom of the lake with the flame sword. The four women share the small boat, along with a massive spider, and it’s a miracle that they don’t sink to the deadly depths that they had just escaped. Lana’s shivering has worsened, and she pulls the trio of woman as close to her as possible, making sure that they all are huddled together, for warmth, and a makeshift group hug. This was their second successful skull retrieval, and if this hadn’t bonded them together, nothing would. Her head lifts to look at Meri’s piercing blue hues, and she speaks the best she can, despite the trembling in her voice. “It’s going to be okay.” The elf is tired, and all she wants to do and curl up and go to sleep, preferably somewhere safe. Her head lolls to the side and her eyes drift shut, as she nestles against Taly’s boat-battered shoulder. For a brief moment, everything seems to be going their way, as the boat nearly makes it to shore and the fish creature is distracted by the massive tree in the lake of impending death. But safety isn’t likely in this death trap of a place, and Lana’s eyes snap open as her little sister launches out of the boat, and into thigh-deep water. Confused, she feels the swirling waves, and she instinctively pulls Encara and Meri tighter against her form, as she spies the whirlpool forming in the center of the lake. At least the skull and her sister were safe, that was of the utmost importance, otherwise this entire hell had been for nothing. Barely clinging to consciousness, she forms a plan, verbally. “Okay…. We need to all push our weight to the right of the boat, when I say so, okay?! We’re going to use the element of air to our advantage, and work against the current. It’s our only hope… On the count of three.” Lana centers herself, focuses on her sister who was now standing on shore, and she mutters. “Wind, wind, come to me. Lend me strength, and help us set free. Sway us safely to the shore. This I ask and nothing more! One….” The wind rustles loudly, answering the call of the witch, and Lana’s limp locks fly about her head from the force. “Two…” The shore is just in reach, though a good three feet away. “THREE! NOW!!!” Lana hurls herself to the opposite end of the boat, hoping that Meri and Encara had done the same, as the wind gives the boat a sturdy push nearer to shore. It would take teamwork, and hopefully the team hadn’t failed her, as Lana faints at this very moment. The frigid temperature of the water, nearly drowning, fighting a sea monster, and using her powerful magic, had taken its toll on the young woman. If the other two had followed suit, the boat would land on the shore and likely splinter into a million pieces. There may be injuries, but at least they would have avoided the spirits within the water, and have a chance at escaping this strange shadow plane.

Meri was so close to the shore that she could almost jump out of it, yet the spirits managed to command the currents better than the psion could and soon they were drifting away from it. Were it not for this last ditch effort involving Lanara and co. Lanara using her ability to command the wind, Meri using her own psionic abilities, and the weight of all the women gave it that extra push that it needed. The boat would not splinter though. The psion could ensure a soft enough landing to prevent that. Never has Meri been so quick to get out of water and onto land, and the woman has been in several aquatic battles prior to this one. There was something about the Shadow Planes that were beyond unsettling to the blonde. It is not until Meri was sure that they have found enough distance away from the lake that the blonde goes on to explain, "We're in the Shadow Planes." Maybe with no way back. "From here on out, until we can figure out how to get back, you need to assume everything is a threat. I don't care how cute and cuddly it might look, I don't care how beautiful the plant might be, it's a threat." Meri has already accepted that her worst nightmare was reality: she was going to be stuck in the Shadow Planes again. A look is cast toward Encara, the woman skilled with shadow magic. In the back of Meri's mind, she was wondering if the woman has developed her talents enough to grant them a ride home. The assumption is no, otherwise she would not be asking where they were...Not if she understood how to get here.

Encara, to no one's surprise, is not normally fond of hugging, but at this very second in time the paltry warmth gained from the presence of the three women is welcomed. She leans into somebody's shoulder — whose, she's not quite sure — and accepts the gesture of comfort for what it is, without question, and without arguing. It's reassuring to feel all of them around her, to know that everyone made it out of the lake and no one was left to a watery fate - Encara still isn't completely certain where the portal has led them, but she thinks that together, they have a hope of making it out. Naturally, she'll deny feeling any of this if asked. Talyara's frantic screams prompt Encara to turn around, however - she comes face to face with a raging wall of water, ghostly forms writhing like a thousand hungry fish within, the Lady of the Lake in the very centre of the storm. "Oh. Uh." That's definitely a thing. Despite her various aches and pains, the drow throws herself into motion upon Lanara's word, and through their combined efforts they make it to the relative safety of the shore with Encara landing hard on her injured shoulder and yelping in pain. She all but tumbles out of the boat and collapses onto dry land - she'd have been happy to pass out on the spot were it not for Meri revealing their location. "What." Encara's head jerks up so fast she feels her neck crack and winces. "Are you serious?" Pulling herself to her feet with teetering balance, she looks around them once again with owlish eyes. Her gauntleted left hand clenches into a tight fist. As Meri continues, she stifles a snort. "Don't trust anything: I get it." It isn't an unfamiliar concept to the drow.

Josleen || Suddenly the women (and Khova and the skull) begin to shimmer in psychedelic hues.Their bodies fade like ghosts, translucent then invisible. The clamoring lake-drowned ghosts, the fish beast and his tree, the lady lure, all fade away like shadows burned away under the rays of a new dawn. In Fort Freedom, Marije stands just outside a dungeon cell. The piggy bank is trapped behind the bars. Guards stand behind Marije in the hall. Lars fights for his life in the fort sick bay, and Marije, though she yearns to be with him, works with the guards to avenge him by arresting those who harmed him. With her hand through the bars, she pushes into the piggy’s skull its tophat and all its contents are emptied out, into the cell. They slowly materialize from ghostlike figures to people (and a drider). They arrive beaten, unconscious, bleeding, anxious, and arrested.

Talyara, confused by her elation that everyone was okay and back in the boat and the luck of having managed to hang on to the skull, leaps from the boat to escape the current only to find she is alone. Her face pales as she watches on nervously as her brave sister conjures the wind once more and combining the efforts of Lanara, Meri, and Encara’s weight ultimately save them from their flight. Taly of course runs to Lanara first, kneeling at her side and hugging her closely, despite her unconsciousness. “You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay,” she whispers in her sister’s tapered ear. When Meri shares their location, the witch swallows hard, eyes lifting and darting around waiting for the next horror to attack them. She doesn’t have to wait long because suddenly they are all shimmery and colorful. “What’s going on?” She tries to ask when suddenly Talyara’s body lands hard on solid ground still clutching her sister’s body to hers. Talyara blinks to find that the four women (and the drider) have been pulled back through the portal only to find themselves in a jail cell. The skull in Taly’s hands seems to surge with powers and the witch doesn’t even think before wielding its power and absorbing his energy. Of all things, Talyara feels an overwhelming sense of peace and calm. The horrible ordeal they had just gone through to find the skull, the injuries, the fear. Gone. Taly gulps that euphoria like a parched women stranded in a desert and the spell comes to her lips before she even considers the repercussions. They would get out of this predicament because they were a great team. There was no self loathing, no lack of self confidence that would mar the witch’s spell this time. “There has been unfairness done to us four. I summon and invoke the elements, conjuring them to do my bidding. Guardians of the Watchtowers shall lay their eyes and mind on you,” Taly calls out to the guards, pushing herself to s stand and extending her hand out towards them while the other clings to the skull. “There shall be fear and guilt and bad blood. You will submit! I turn the threefold law against thee. You shall be consumed by the submission. Consumed by me. Blinded by me. Cursed…by…me,” Talyara’s green eyes seem to flare as her curse befalls the soldiers and instead of turning on the four women, they turn upon themselves. The hatred and anger they felt towards these “criminals” was now turned upon each other. As the guards because to fight one another Talyara quickly turns to Encara. “Can you shadow magic us out of here?” Of course she could! But Taly thought it was only polite to ask. The witch makes sure that she holds onto Lanara as they make their great prison escape. Taly would have much to face once she was out here—the negative effects of the skull and the karma of having cursed the guards. But they had made it out and that was all that mattered. They were one step closer to bringing Valrae back.