Where one world ends, another begins...
"Where are we, Sir?" Twik asked with wonder at the sight of the new plane around them. They seemed to be standing on nothing while swirls of color passed around them on all sides. There was no end to the vastness that was set before them. Swirling vortexes dotted the landscape like stars all around them. Some were very close while others could only be seen as specks of brilliant light in the distance.
"We are on the Astral Plane. It is a crossroads between all the other planes of existence. Those swirling portals are gates to the other planes. One of them should lead us to Lolth's domain in the Abyss." Yenir continued walking, his golden tarot cards swirling about him as he scryed for the entrance. One minute they were walking forward and the next it seemed they were walking straight up. Selena and Sizrit seemed unphased by the planar travel while Twik, however, was unused to the seeming lack of compass direction. He couldn't seem to trust his footing and looked like he was manuevering through broken glass as he walked. Still, he kept constant alert on his surroundings as they walked. Something, suddenly, caught his eye.
"Sir! I see something. There." He pointed to an odd undulating mass that was sparking with prismatic color. Everyone turned to look at the object. Selena nearly choked when she realized what it was.
"Yenir. I do think it wise to be moving far away from that thing.Quickly, if I may add." Yenir looked confused but obeyed as Selena calmly led he and Sizrit away. " I hope it remains unaware of our passage. We seem safe for now."
"What is that thing?" Sizrit asked, puzzled. " I've never seen anything like it before."
"That is an Astral Siren also known as a Dream Wraith to most spell casters. They work like Prisma Fish on Toril. Those lights attract the prey and when it's close enough they tear you limb from astral limb. They feed on astral travelers that don't know any better to keep away."
"Ah, yes, now I remember hearing something like that from Acorna. Prophet's Bane she used to call them. Nasty creatures that feed on dreams. Seers put wards up in their towers to protect from thier intrusion. I've heard of astral projections where the caster never woke up. Died in meditation." Yenir paled at the thought of being ripped from his dreams.
"Yes, though they tend not to prey on dreamers. They are way too weak for their palate." She shuddered and went distant for a moment, remembering something. Yenir raised an eyebrow and silently activated his necklace. It probed her thoughts for a split second and he recieved a name.
"Tylare?" He said it out loud before he realized what he did. Selena glared at him for a moment and tears began to well in her eyes. Yenir looked away, ashamed. She regained her composure and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"You would do wise not to pick my brain, Yenir. I will keep nothing of importance from you on this journey." She said angrily and began to storm ahead. Yenir went to catch up but Sizrit tapped him with his beak.
" Uh, Yenir? Where's Twik?" Sizrit squaked, alarmed.
" He's right he...." Yenir looked around but Twik was nowhere to be found. "Selena! Have you seen Twik?" Selena stopped suddenly and whirled around.
"No he was with us when we saw the..." She stopped and her eyes went wide. She looked up. " Oh no...."
Twik was above them some distance away. He was walking slowly towards the Astral Siren, seemingly unaware of the danger. The Siren was sparking wildly as it's prey approached and it was secreting strange firefly-like lights that glowed with brilliant hues. The lights danced around the gnome like moths around candlelight.
"He's enraptured! Yenir, you must do something!" Selena cursed the plane for, even though they had only took a few steps away, it seemed like they had walked quite a ways from Twik. Yenir cast a fly spell upon himself and flew at great speed. Selena touched Sizrit's mind.
"She says not to get too close. It attacks with it's lights and hypnotizes any who look too closely." Yenir nodded and cast a mind ward upon himself and Sizrit to guard against the lights. As they approached they saw the creature for what it was. It had no shape of it's own and seemed to undulate like water. It's skin was transparent and glossy while underneath the colored lights swam throughout it's body like separate, tiny fish. Yenir spotted a single eye bobbing in the mass that was projecting a hazy image of something he couldn't make out but seemed to facinate Twik.
"Sizrit, Do you see the haze coming from that thing's eye?"
"Yes. It looks like a women. A gnome by the looks of it." Sizrit looked closer. " She's beckoning him towards her. By gnomish standards she is very beautiful."
"The hook and the bait." Yenir said under his breath. He gestured in wide arcs and called forth a powerful astral wind around the beast. The image wavered in the gust and dissipated. Twik shook his head and screamed in anguish. The Siren shrieked a keening wail that forced everyone to cover their ears in pain. Twik doubled over in what looked like grief and began to shudder with tears. The Siren probed out for him with oozing arms.
"Selena, I need you're help" Yenir projected telepathically. He recieved no answer and looked back to see Selena sitting holding her knees to her chest and sobbing.
"It's no use." Sizrit cried. " The scream sounded like a hundred people dying to me. They are overcome."
Yenir focused on the Siren. He had no idea what spell to use against such a creature. Astral creatures are extremely resilient to most elemental spells and that is all he had to throw. Fire and lightning is of no use to an ooze and this thing resembled exactly that. Plus Twik was too close to the thing and he couldn't risk firing something that could hit him as well. He had to do something though and he was running out of time. The appendages were closing in on Twik who was huddled in anguish and unaware of his fate. Then it hit him!
"By Mystra's grace let this work. Cacophony!" He spoke the power word and his voice carried towards the creature. It struck home and the creature wailed again. It's form wavered violently as it was struck with the force of the sound. "Cacophony!" The sound pummeled the creature and it backed away from the threat. Twik and Selena huddled into themselves in pain as the creature screamed in agony. "CACOPHONY!" Yenir let out a final shout that seemed to shake the fabric of the plane around them. It struck the creature splattering it into pieces that flew off in every direction of the ether. Yenir heaved as beads of sweat formed on his brow. He bent over to catch his breath. Sizrit flew over to Twik who now laid sprawled and unconscious. Selena shook her head and looked up as if from a dream.
"How did you.. Where did...What happened?" Selena stood up and walked over to Yenir holding her pounding head.
"I'm not sure. Why didn't you help me?" Yenir stared at Selena waiting for an answer.
"I couldn't. I just couldn't again." She looked down, ashamed. Tears running down her face. Yenir grabbed her by the shoulders and drew her to him in an embrace.
"It has to do with Tylare doesn't it?" Selena only sobbed harder. "It's okay now. There's no need to be afraid. The past can't harm you." She looked up into his eyes and he saw the pain she held behind them. She smiled and nestled into him.
"Thank you." Was all she said.
"Yenir! Selena! He's not waking up!" They broke their embrace and ran up to their friend. Twik was as pale as death and his breathing was shallow. Selena knelt down over him and placed her hand over his body. A warm green glow pulsed from her palms and Twik's breathing began to stabilize. Suddenly he sat bolt upright and screamed,
"Briar!!!" He yelled and then looked around frantically. His eyes settled on Yenir who smiled warmly. Twik relaxed and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Sir. I thought I saw a friend. She called to me and I followed. That is all I remember. I have forsaken my duty again." He lowered his eyes in defeat. Yenir looked puzzled.
"You did no such thing" Yenir scolded "That could have been any one of us. You had no idea what you were up against. I hold no fault against you." Yenir bent down and grasped Twik's arm as a fellow soldier. "I am honored to have you on this journey Twik."
"Sir." Twik smiled and nodded to Yenir in respect.
"Yenir look." Selena pointed. There was a huge vortex not to far from them. It looked like it was made of black smoke and swirled with the colors of purple and deep shadow. The vortex flashed with cracks of indigo lightning.
"The Abyss?" Sizrit asked.
"The Abyss." Yenir and Selena answered in unison...
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