Storytelling

Organized on Koaratos 13, 5118 (7/13/18) by Nazarr Csaba.

Nazarr says, "Welcome, all to the history storytelling."

Nazarr asks, "I have a story, as does Ysharra. Does anyone else?"

Nazarr says, "All right, I'll start us off, then."

Nazarr recites:

"One rainy day in early spring when my father and his brother were out mending fences and my mother was at a neighbor's, tending a sick newborn lamb, my mother's sister drew my brothers Aybek and Uzoma, my sister Eskarne, and me together and said that she knew a tale from before the Undead War--a tale of magic, hatred, death, and blood."

Nazarr recites:

"You know, a typical children's story."

Nazarr recites:

"She called it "The Vengeance of the Matriarch.""

Ysharra says, "I'll say."

Nazarr recites:

"The Laurentiu hated the Patriarch, for all Patriarchs up till their time had been descended from Geniselle Ayana Faendryl, the first Matriarch."

Nazarr recites:

"Though twenty Patriarchs had ruled since Geniselle--and a twenty-first had just come to power--the Laurentiu, enraged that Geniselle had claimed the seat of power before their candidate, had nursed a grudge for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years."

Nazarr recites:

"This hatred simmered and seeped into their minds and souls for generations until a young and inventive sorcerer named Qhwinn Laurentiu Faendryl."

Nazarr recites:

"Qhwinn was not one to merely simmer. Was he not a sorcerer, to make his foes suffer and bleed? The question, of course, was how to strike in the most effective way."

Nazarr recites:

"And so he took himself to his laboratory, where he experimented for months on new incantations and ways to strengthen spells. His servants later said that he forbade any to enter, saying that if any disobeyed, he would curse them with an agonizing death that would continue until the last star had fallen from the heavens, until the last moon of Elanthia was no more than a handful of dust."

Nazarr recites:

"Though there were many, many whispers later about all the uncanny eeriness that had preceded Qhwinn's actions--tales of pulsating walls and a vathor screaming in anguish--at the time his servants feared their master more than anything. They knew too well his impatient temper would burn them like quicklime. They said nothing."

Nazarr recites:

"And for all anyone above stairs knew, he was harmlessly scribbling notes on his experiments, no more."

Nazarr recites:

"At the end of many, many months, he sent a message to all other members of the Laurentiu faction. "Come to my laboratory," he said, "for I have found the path to our victory.""

Nazarr recites:

"Perhaps there was a spell of persuasion on that message, for not a single member he contacted refused the invitation. And once the last of them passed through Qhwinn's urnon laboratory door, no one saw them again for seven days."

Nazarr recites:

"At dawn a week later, Qhwinn and the other members of the Laurentiu faction materialized before the Basilica."

Nazarr recites:

"Qhwinn stepped forward, saying in a proud voice that resonated across Ta'Faendryl, "Hear me, false Patriarch! You, spawn of Geniselle, are not the rightful leader of our people! Set aside your title and let the true guides of the Faendryl reign!""

Nazarr recites:

"Unsurprisingly, Phorien Endric Faendryl, the twenty-first Patriarch, scorned such a suggestion. He instantly bade the Basilica guards to arrest the Laurentiu--"these ridiculous traitors," he is supposed to have said."

Nazarr recites:

"Those were the last words he was ever to say, for even as the Patriarch commanded the guards to capture them, the Laurentiu, with a synchronized grace that a troupe of dancers might envy, raised their arms and began to chant."

Nazarr recites:

"Then, swiftly, they brought their arms down--and with a deafening thunderclap, the Basilica's walls and floor collapsed, crushing the Patriarch and his guards instantly."

Nazarr recites:

"As for the Basilica sorcerers, most were hideously injured, and all were buried alive far, far underground in the Basilica's cellars, where there was no light and less air."

Nazarr shudders.

Nazarr recites:

"It was said later that at the sight of the Patriarch's blood and at the sound of the sorcerers' cries of pain and fury, Qhwinn smiled as if he were drunk on sheer joy."

Lylia bites her lip.

Nazarr recites:

"Then, for the second time, he called out to the Faendryl, his voice echoing across city and hunting grounds alike. "Come, Faendryl! The false Patriarch is dead. You have a new leader. Unite around me!""

Nazarr recites:

"He was prepared with infinitely more spells to use against Ta'Faendryl's foes once he was acclaimed Patriarch--some so complex that they are still a mystery."

Nazarr recites:

"But so steeped in faction politics was Qhwinn that it never occurred to him that Faendryl who were not of Geniselle's line might not WANT the Patriarch overthrown."

Nazarr recites:

"So he got precisely what he asked for."

Nazarr recites:

"The Faendryl united around him, yes, but only to hold him and the members of his faction so that they would not escape before the city watch arrived. Once imprisoned, they were bound with spells that nullified their magic to await sentence from the next ruler."

Nazarr recites:

"And the Basilica sorcerers were rescued and healed by the outraged townspeople--much, I am sure, to the wounded pride of some."

Nazarr recites:

"However, Phorien Endric Faendryl was a young man, and he had had neither wife nor child. His only heir was his sister, Nikasha Pavanti Faendryl. She was quickly appointed ruler in her brother's stead."

Nazarr recites:

"Thus the faction that so hated the ascension of the first Matriarch brought about the ascension of the second."

Nazarr smirks.

Nazarr recites:

"Nikasha's first order was that Qhwinn's notes be confiscated and his laboratory searched, for he had invented a new sort of magic and a new way of using it: in cooperation with others who knew magic. "

Nazarr recites:

"She likewise told the Basilica sorcerers to study these methods and notes, too, so that all of Ta'Faendryl might learn and benefit."

Ysharra nods slowly.

Nazarr recites:

"Her second command was that all the stones that had crushed her brother and his guards and that had buried the sorcerers alive be brought to the square. There she had the whole Laurentiu faction beheaded on the bloodiest day Ta'Faendryl had yet seen, their headless corpses falling like broken puppets, their blood staining the stones they'd used to kill."

Nazarr recites:

"After the execution, the Basilica sorcerers cast a spell on those spells so that the blood on them would remain forever crimson and forever wet."

Nazarr recites:

""These stones," Nikasha said, "will be used to repave the square in Ta'Faendryl. Anyone foolish enough to consider turning traitor will be able to see how treason is repaid." And the second Matriarch's command was obeyed."

Nazarr recites:

"And as it was then, said my aunt, so it is now. We loathe betrayal, but we detest the folly of those who should know better even more."

Nazarr recites:

"THE END."

Speaking to Nazarr, Ysharra says, "I love that story. Well, history."

Lylia admits, "I always enjoy tales of Matriarchal power."

Thrassus applauds.

Ysharra grins at Lylia.

Lylia says, "Especially when they are so wonderfully well told."

Lylia gazes admiringly at Nazarr.

Nazarr says, "Thank you."

Ysharra asks, "Indeed, thank you for going first. It'll make this easier, right?"

Nazarr exclaims, "I hope so!"

Ysharra says, "First off, welcome all, thank you for joining us, and listening to our stories."

Ysharra says, "For those of you who don't know, this is my daughter, Akonite. I used to tell her this when she was very young."

Speaking to Ysharra, Akonite says, "It's why I joined the guild, Mother."

Ysharra says, "It's rather an odd sort of horror story...one that enflames the curiosity."

Ysharra says, "Because of all the truth and sacrifice it holds. A good tale for not just your guild, but your family, too."

Ysharra recites:

"This is a story as told by Lady Mistyflower Danisheer, and while I have never had the pleasure of meeting her, I have greatly enjoyed her telling as I've heard it, and hope you all will, as well. It is called, The Thaumaturgically Unsettled."

Ysharra recites:

"The XVIth Patriarch built a sanitarium to house those driven insane by the things they encountered during their magical research."

Ysharra recites:

"It was called the Elizhabet Mahkra Faendryl Asylum for the Thaumaturgically Unsettled in honor of his sister. Elizhabet was the first sorcerer to ever breach the Veil, but it cost her her sanity. She was also the first tenant of the asylum and lived out the rest of her life there."

Ysharra recites:

"My grandmother served as a doctor at the asylum for over six hundred years, and in her dotage she passed on many stories of the place. I'll share with you one of the tales that used to give me chills as a child."

Ysharra recites:

"Angevin Leala Faendryl was twelve years old when she became a tenant of the sanitarium. Her uncle had kidnapped her and forcibly used her fledgling powers in an experiment that drove him mad and left Angevin hiding inside her own mind. The uncle was executed, rather than put in the asylum, and Angevin's parents worked with her for months before giving up and agreeing that the asylum was the best place for her."

Ysharra recites:

"Angevin would not, or could not, speak. She would either ignore everyone completely, withdrawn into her own world, or she would look at you with an expression in her grey eyes that could break your heart."

Ysharra recites:

"Being so quiet and docile, Angevin was left to her own devices. She had a lovely room with windows facing the gardens, a large chest of toys and a never-ending supply of drawing materials. Angevin was a very good artist and would spend days working with charcoals or even painting watercolors. She drew everything she saw, from the other tenants to the nursing staff, the landscaped grounds and the brilliant fish in the fountains."

Akonite fidgets.

Lylia shifts her eyes to Akonite.

Ysharra recites:

"Angevin had been there for about three weeks when the nurses saw that her drawings had taken a very dark turn. Charcoals showed gaping black holes for backgrounds with a dark, scaled serpentine creature coming through. The nurses were concerned and therapy sessions were added to her daily routine."

Ysharra recites:

"Angevin had been there for about three weeks when the nurses saw that her drawings had taken a very dark turn. Charcoals showed gaping black holes for backgrounds with a dark, scaled serpentine creature coming through. The nurses were concerned and therapy sessions were added to her daily routine."

Ysharra recites:

"The therapy sessions accomplished very little, as Angevin would sit quietly and stare out the window or through her doctor, never a sound passing her tightly closed lips. In frustration, the doctor would order changes to her diet or botanical medicines to be administered in varying dosages, but the strange drawings continued."

A snow white raven suddenly releases an ear-piercing shriek!

Ysharra recites:

"One morning a patient was missing. He had been a rather deranged man that was considered a danger to himself as well as others, and was often kept strapped in null magic bindings throughout the night. The bindings were still secure, but empty, and drops of blood stained the bed and floor."

Speaking to a snow white raven, Akonite says, "Munin, shush. It's not always about you."

Ysharra recites:

"The staff searched high and low for him, finally concluding that he somehow escaped his room and the grounds. A bulletin was sent to the guard, and then he was generally forgotten as the staff fell back into their normal routines."

Ysharra recites:

"That night as a nurse put Angevin to bed, she noticed a new drawing lying on the table. This one showed the same snake-like creature, but it clutched a tall thin man dressed in robes, dragging him towards the gaping hole and leaving a trail of blood. The man looked like the missing patient."

Ysharra recites:

"The nurse went straight to the doctor on duty that night, my grandmother, and showed her the drawing. Angevin was woken up and questioned for hours to no avail. She said not a peep, just kept staring out the window or drawing on the table with a stick of charcoal. All her drawings were quick sketches of the same monster in various poses."

Akonite glances at Ysharra.

Ysharra recites:

"In frustration, my grandmother sent her to her room with orders that she be locked in until further notice."

Ysharra recites:

"Over the next few weeks, more patients went missing. The white-haired grandmother who was friendly to everyone and talked to her dead husband, the deaf young man that played the piano beautifully for hours every day, even the woman who spent every night screaming and scratched her face bloody, trying to gouge her eyes out."

Ysharra recites:

"Blood was found wherever a patient went missing, from a few tiny droplets to entire pools of the sticky red stuff filling the hallways outside patient rooms. The nurses were skittish and neglected the patients in their paranoia, trying to look in every direction at once. Clusters of Basilica guards roamed the halls, investigating the disappearances, and all of the normally placid patients were anxious and fearful, crying or hiding in corners from unseen threats."

Akonite folds her arms over her chest.

Melikor glances at Akonite.

Lylia bites her lip.

Ysharra recites:

"My grandmother spent most of her time with Angevin. Even locked in her room, the young girl seemed to know everything that was happening. Drawings covered all her paper, the table, the floor and even the walls, depicting all the missing patients being dragged off and torn apart by the creature that seemed half man, half snake. No one thought Angevin was actually involved in the horrors, but she seemed to be the key to figuring things out."

Ysharra recites:

"The Basilica sent sorcerers and other types of magic users to examine every corner of the grounds and buildings, but the sheer magnitude of the null magic bindings needed for violent patients blinded them. The families of the patients were demanding answers. They wanted their ill relatives to be safe and secure, to live peacefully with whatever problems they may have, and this situation was unacceptable."

Nazarr nods.

Ysharra recites:

"Angevin's pictures were getting more violent and disturbing. They depicted the creature tearing apart the missing patients and feasting. More patients were going missing every few days. Everyone, the patients, staff and investigators, was getting very frustrated and fearful. Finally, things came to a head when one night a scream was heard echoing through the hallways. A nurse was missing..."

Akonite says, "Not missing. They knew where she was."

Thrassus just nudged Akonite.

Ysharra smiles at Akonite.

Melikor shushes Akonite!

Ysharra recites:

"My grandmother still thought Angevin was somehow the key and she decided to spend every moment locked in her room with her, to figure out how Angevin saw the creature take its victims."

Ysharra recites:

"The first night passed quietly, the only sound the scratching of Angevin's charcoal as she sketched the creature across the height of one wall and the guards stomping past in the hallway. My grandmother stayed up all night, even watching Angevin as she slept. The next day she was very tired, but tried to subsist on quick catnaps when nurses came in to bring Angevin meals or to sit with her, making sure the girl was never truly alone."

Speaking to Melikor, Akonite says, "Well, they did."

Ysharra recites:

"Late the second night, sometime after the hall clock struck midnight and long before dawn, in those hours when even the tiniest sound makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, my grandmother heard Angevin cry out in her sleep. A low wail of anguish and denial, it was the first sound she had ever known Angevin to make."

Melikor begins chuckling at Akonite!

Nazarr turns an inquisitive ear toward Ysharra.

Ysharra recites:

"Coming fully awake, she sat up in her chair and stared at the girl. It took several moments before she realized there was more light, she could see everything clearly. Looking towards the window, she saw a harsh rip in the air in the very middle of the room, opening onto a scene torn from a nightmare."

Melikor whispers something to Akonite.

Ysharra recites:

"Through the rip she could see a dank grey stone room stained with old and new blood, the various shades of red mingling in streaks across the walls and shallow pools on the floor. A faint dripping sound mingled with Angevin's low moans as she thrashed in her sleep. Trembling, my grandmother stood up and stepped towards the portal..."

Ysharra recites:

"Strange shuffling sounds from the hallway broke her horrified trance, and she flung herself into a dark corner, staring at the door. The door never opened, an awful apparition just... moved through the solid door like it was heavy air. A humanoid torso with four arms and a head nearly brushing the ceiling merged into a long, scaled serpent tail that coiled and writhed as it propelled the creature forward."

Lylia leans forward.

Ysharra recites:

"A mangled figure was slung roughly over one shoulder, blood streaking across the monster's chest and dripping down to the floor. The demon slithered into the portal, which rippled and vanished, leaving no trace behind."

Akonite shudders.

Akonite says, "I love this part."

Ysharra recites:

"My grandmother had never seen anything like this, and it took more than a few moments to stop shaking and gather her thoughts. She let herself out of Angevin's room and found the guards patrolling the buildings. It took almost twenty-four hours for the team investigating the disappearances to have everything ready."

Melikor smiles at Akonite.

Ysharra recites:

"All of the null-magic bindings and materials were removed from the areas surrounding Angevin's room. Three master sorcerers as well as a few people with some previously unclassified mental abilities arrived from the Basilica and set up headquarters in the rooms vacated by the patients who were moved to other buildings."

Ysharra recites:

"Everyone was linked up and prepared, tensely waiting and focusing on Angevin's room as the late hours neared. Palestra hid in alcoves lining the hallway, quiet as ghosts. Angevin herself had been moved and was unaware of the situation. That night nothing happened in her room. No portal appeared. But a staff member from the building Angevin was in went missing."

Ysharra recites:

"Early in the morning a meeting was called among all those investigating the demon. It was agreed that the demon seemed to somehow be linked with the girl, not the room, and plans were made to try again that night with Angevin present. Angevin was given heavy sleeping medication and was put to bed as normal. After she fell asleep, everyone moved into position and prepared to wait again."

Ysharra recites:

"Two sorcerers hidden in the girl's room were the first to give the alarm, noting the ripples in the air as the portal started to open at the same time Angevin started to whimper. With the combined strength of all the magic users, they were able to repel the creature and close the hole, but afterwards called everyone together to relate everything they had learned."

Lylia nods at Thrassus.

Ysharra recites:

"The way it was explained to me... the portal was closed, but only temporarily. With the absence of the null-magic devices the sorcerers were able to see a link between the demon and Angevin a very odd-looking link, similar to the tie demons have to their home planes when they've been summoned to ours. My grandmother related Angevin's history to them, how she was abused by her uncle and came to the asylum, and what happened to the uncle."

Ysharra recites:

"This led to all sorts of theories, ending with the sleeping Angevin being carried to a larger room where everyone discussed their ideas and tested the tie to see if it could be severed. Hours later and very frustrated, they were finally arguing out the details of their last remaining theory."

Ysharra recites:

"Angevin was used as a focus and power source for an experimental summoning by her uncle. Whatever came through drove them both mad. Her uncle was unable to enter his findings in the Enchiridion Valentia due to his gibbering insanity, so no one knows what happened. They believed that this experiment is how the tie between Angevin and the demon was formed, and they couldn't figure out how to break it. But until it was broken, the demon would be able to come and go as it pleased unless an entire force was waiting to repel it, every time."

A snow white raven suddenly releases an ear-piercing shriek!

Akonite stares at Ysharra.

Lylia nods to the snow white raven.

Ysharra recites:

"No one noticed that Angevin had woken up during these discussions."

A lean alabaster white imp cocks its head sidelong as if listening for some small sound.

Akonite sighs wistfully.

Akonite nods to the snow white raven.

Nazarr says, "Oh, the poor girl."

Ysharra recites:

"With everyone so involved in figuring out a solution, Angevin easily pretended to be asleep until she was lightly shaken to wake her and escorted back to her room. Nurses brought in trays of coffee and word was sent to the Basilica to send more help, specializing in experimental summonings. They settled in for a long day of research."

Ysharra recites:

"The staff were so distracted and fearful, no one remembered to lock Angevin's door. Angevin had heard the last fifteen minutes or so of the conversation, including all the parts about how the demon was linked to her, how they couldn't break the link. As long as that tie between them existed, the demon could get into our world and keep feeding."

Ysharra recites:

"At lunchtime a nurse discovered Angevine missing from her room. Just a few minutes later everyone was alerted by patients on the lawn screaming and shouting. Angevin's body was sprawled on the gravel path running between the building and the gardens. She had jumped from the roof."

Akonite closes her eyes for a moment.

Ysharra recites:

"There were no more disappearances after that night."

Lylia murmurs, "One does what one must."

Ysharra leans forward.

Ysharra gives Akonite a lingering kiss on the forehead.

Speaking to Akonite, Ysharra says, "The end."

Akonite smiles at Ysharra.

Gavrien looks thoughtful for a moment, then shrugs.

Gavrien takes a drink from his pale faenor flask.

Melikor ponders.

You say, "A suitably unnerving tale."

Lylia applauds Ysharra.

Melikor agrees with you.

Lylia says, "Or perhaps a tale of great courage and will."

Gavrien nods approvingly at Ysharra.

Speaking to Lylia, Akonite says, "She was my hero growing up. Angevin."

Lylia nods at Akonite.

You say, "It might be both."

Ysharra says, "I rather think you're both right, indeed."

Lylia says, "With good reason. She had great strength."

Speaking to Thrassus, Akonite says, "No wonder I get warnings about you."

Speaking to Thrassus, Ysharra says, "Yes she does, from me."

You ask, "Did you heed them?"

Ysharra smirks.

Akonite asks, "I suppose I'm here, so...no?"

Melikor quietly says, "One must be careful dabbling in things that one does not understand..."

Speaking to Melikor, Ysharra says, "Not how I work at all."

Akonite says, "It isn't."

Melikor snickers.

Speaking to Ysharra, Melikor says, "No kidding."

You ask, "The moral was not 'beware of one's uncles'?"

Ysharra smirks.

Lylia says, "Both of you make me wish I had prepared a story myself."

Speaking to Ysharra, Akonite says, "Especially your uncle."

Speaking to you, Lylia says, "That seems like a wise lesson too, depending on the uncle."

Akonite says, "Grandfather's a fright."

Speaking to you, Melikor says, "Don't summon demons unless you know what you're doing."

Melikor nods to you.

You mildly say, "I will bear that in mind, should I ever try."

Ysharra says, "Or don't use small children. You get what their imaginations will hold, which can be without limit."

Melikor gives a sidelong glance at you.

You smile at Melikor.

Speaking to you, Melikor says, "I meant that was another moral of the story."

Akonite asks, "No nightmare quite like the ones we have as children, are there?"

A pained expression crosses Gavrien's face.

Gavrien takes a drink from his pale faenor flask.

Ysharra asks, "Does anyone else have a story to share?"

Lylia says, "You know..."

Lylia says, "I might."

Gavrien glances appraisingly at Lylia.

Nazarr exclaims, "Oh, do tell it!"

Ysharra scoots over in front of Lylia.

Lylia offhandedly remarks, "If no one minds that I have told it before. And that it is not specifically Faendryl."

Ysharra claps her hands.

Shinann says, "I would love to hear it."

Ysharra says, "Same."

You say, "I think it would be fine."

Nazarr says, "You have made me curious. I must hear it now."

Lylia says, "I once knew a hunter, a woodsman who always had a song for the ladies. He knew what they liked, what they needed - a strong man who could care for them. Girls, he said, were really just looking for someone to dote on them."

Gavrien settles his gaze on Lylia, watching her intently.

Speaking to a snow white raven, Ysharra says, "Yes, people speak quietly for effect sometimes. And she's right, it's not always about you."

Ysharra gives the snow white raven a kiss on the beak. The snow white raven turns and rubs her head softly against Ysharra's cheek.

Lylia continues, "He was tall enough and handsome enough, and the women of the villages he visited did not always see how he looked at them when they were not watching. His girls, he called them, always 'his' girls. He liked the young ones best, of course."

Lylia narrows her eyes.

Lylia scornfully asks, "A certain kind of man always does, do they not?"

Lylia sets her mouth in a thin line of disapproval.

Ysharra says, "Oh, I love this story already."

Lylia says, "He did not mean to hurt the girls, you see. He only wanted to keep them with him. Their bright hair, their high voices, their long smooth limbs -- he loved them so."

Lylia places a hand over her heart.

Lylia reasonably says, "To preserve that pure, sweet love and keep them safe, he sometimes had to...take things from them."

Lylia quickly says, "Oh, it was never easy, that taking, but it was the only way he knew to make them stay. And oh, he wanted them to stay."

Lylia continues, "From one, he took her wide blue eyes so she could not see to leave. He was so tender as he stitched her sightless sockets closed that he wept as he did it."

Lylia closes her eyes for a moment.

Lylia softly says, "She, of course, could not."

Lylia says, "Yet despite his love and his care and the feel of his hot tears on her ruined face, she tried to leave, the heartless thing."

Lylia says, "He caught her fumbling toward the door, drawn by the warmth and summer scents instead of the sunlight she could no longer see."

Lylia adds, "He had no choice but to end her life."

Lylia notes, "He cried then too, and slipped the knife in between her ribs to spare what was left of her beauty."

Lylia says, "It was not long before he found another, a girl with flaxen hair and a musical voice. Her singing is what drew him..."

Lylia sings:

"Hush, my sweet, and stop your cries

For there's no more to fear

The night is done, the sun is warm

And I am with you here."

Lylia narrows her eyes.

Lylia flatly says, "When he took her, he left her her voice, sweet as it was, but took her arms. When he carried them off, they were still warm, downed with fine blonde hair and so slim he held both her wrists in one hand."

(Lylia clasps her own hands together as if her wrists were bound.)

Lylia says, "He kept them until they were too cold to imagine her loving caresses."

Lylia softly says, "He liked that..."

Lylia glares.

Lylia harshly says, "But she betrayed him too. He could not bear to slit her throat and silence that honeyed voice. Instead, he held her close until her breath failed, and she could not push him away."

Lylia paces back and forth.

Lylia angrily shouts, ""Women are betrayers," he said, "and they can't be trusted to take two steps without the help of a man who knows and loves them. My girls need my protection to set them on the right path."

Lylia says, "With the next, he learned. Instead of her eyes or her arms, he took her legs just above the knee. He liked that it left her her beauty, and the pleading in her gaze told him how much she wanted to be saved."

Lylia says, "The kisses he bestowed on what was left were reverent, a far cry from the bestial caresses her immaculate skin might otherwise have suffered."

Lylia bites her lip.

Lylia says, "But he did not forget his lost loves, and he still sings that song, or something like it..."

Lylia sings:

"Hush, my sweet, and stop your cries

For there's no more to fear

The cold, cruel world so full of lies

Will never touch you here."

Lylia touches one finger to her lips.

Lylia leans forward.

(Lylia drops her voice to a near-whisper.)

Lylia quietly says, "Should you hear it as you pass through the woods or catch a phrase of it in a tavern somewhere..."

(Lylia carefully gathers the long skirts of her silk gown in her hands, exposing her legs to mid-calf.)

A snow white raven suddenly releases an ear-piercing shriek!

(Lylia takes a halting step forward on legs cunningly painted to look like wood and metal from the knees down.)

Ysharra nods to the snow white raven.

Lylia shrieks, "Run! Run while you can!"

Gavrien grunts.

Lylia bows.

Lylia playfully says, "Aaaand, scene."

Speaking to Lylia, Ysharra asks, "You're horrifying, you know that?"

Gavrien nods reluctantly at Lylia.

Nazarr exclaims, "Very effective!"