Homoventures Chapter 4, Part 15
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Summary
Xan continues his conversation with Anxikaril, who tells him about his unsuccessful quest to find his half-elven child, who may be Xan's father. The party proceeds into the final area of the tomb, finding a large stone sarcophagus containing the remains of Orelius and two antechambers, one of which seems to be the final elemental chamber, of air, and the other which contains a smaller sarcophagus.
Session
- Session date: September 16 2014
- Diablotin date: Spring 2275
Recap
<Anxikaril> [c] was he... do you know his clan? or even his parents' names?
* Anxikaril seems to have a strong interest in this question
* Xandhil shakes his head
<Xandhil> [c] Nothing.
* Anxikaril nods, sinking back against the wall gloomily.
<Xandhil> [c] Sorry :/
Log
<DiablotinNarrator> (thanks(
<Anxikaril> [c] It's all right. I... I don't know how much you know about how half-humans are treated there, but he might not have had a clan, or known his parents.
<Anxikaril> [c] There are lots of good reasons he might not want to speak about it.
* Xandhil nods, having heard things here and there
<Anxikaril> [c] I would have to commend him for having made a new life for himself in Diablotin - it can't have been easy.
<Xandhil> [c] he's very....determined.
* Anxikaril nods
<Xandhil> [c] he taught himself magic, sometime before he came to Diablotin.
<Xandhil> [c] At least, I think so. There's nothing I've heard about how half-elves are treated in Cozovod that makes me think anyone there would have taught hom.
<Xandhil> [c] And he's not a wizard.
<Anxikaril> [c] No... it would be very unlikely, at any rate.
* Anxikaril nods
<Xandhil> [c] It's different than sorcery, too... he studies magic, mostly
<Anxikaril> [c] I was never much of a scholar myself - to the disappointment of my family.
* Xandhil nods
<Xandhil> [c] YOu do seem like someone who prefers a more hands-on approach
<Anxikaril> [c] I do. When I was supposed to be learning about running the estates and our clan's history and tedious writings about religion and so on, I was more often out wandering around in the mountains near our home.
<Anxikaril> [c] My father insisted I learn these things, but I'm afraid even when I was at my studies, I wasn't absorbing very much of them.
<Anxikaril> [c] I hope my sister had more skill at such matters.
<Xandhil> (HAH)
<Xandhil> [c]My brother, Taz, is like that...
<Anxikaril> [c] oh?
<Xandhil> [c] Well, sort of. He's not much for studing anything, unless its something physical. There's not as much to explore in the city, I suppose, but I think he would have liked it better if he's been able to roam more...
* Xandhil trails off, deciding against going into more specifics
* Anxikaril nods
<Anxikaril> [c] Is he your only brother?
* Xandhil shakes his head.
<Xandhil> [c] I have three, and a sister. Taz is the oldest, then me, Rhyl, Dez, and Em's the youngest.
<Anxikaril> [c] That's... a large family, at least by standards in Cozovod. I suppose in Aveyrone it's not as unusual.
<Xandhil> >.>
<Xandhil> [c]It's.... not small.
* Anxikaril nods
<Anxikaril> [c] I didn't mean anything was wrong with it. Only that it must have been an adjustment for your father. Or maybe he always wanted a larger family, if he felt separated from his roots...
<Xandhil> >.>
<Xandhil> [c]It's complicated. thik it was
<Xandhil> (err, sec)
<Xandhil> [c]It's complicated.
* Xandhil looks thoughtful
<Xandhil> [c] I don't think he wanted children at all
* Anxikaril tips his head, listening with interest
<Xandhil> [c] he never seemed to know what to do with me and taz.
* Anxikaril nods
<Xandhil> [c] There's more time between me and Rhyl...
<Anxikaril> [c] Perhaps a little like my father, then. He was never at ease with children.
<Xandhil> [c] It really *is
* complicated, but yes. That;s true. I think Em was the first one he didn't have a hrd time with. He's doing much better with Ilyana... She's... My parents took her in.
* Anxikaril nods
<Anxikaril> [c] Maybe he is more comfortable with daughters than with sons.
* Anxikaril speculates
<Xandhil> [c] I don't think so. I think it's just time.
<Anxikaril> [c] Has he been happy, do you think?
<Xandhil> [c] I think he is happy with his life?
<Xandhil> [c] h'es very serious
* Anxikaril nods, pausing as if deep in thought for a moment
<Anxikaril> [c] You probably are wondering why I'm asking so many questions about your family.
* Xandhil nods, though he can really mostly guess by now
* Anxikaril seems a bit ashamed/embarrassed, as if he's been impolite somehow
<Anxikaril> [c] I might have a child, half-human, who would be about the age of your father.
<Xandhil> [c] I thought maybe so
* Anxikaril just nods, seeming sort of at a loss as to how to explain/proceed
<Xandhil> [c] Is that who you meant to leave with?
* Xandhil prompts to give him something to work with
<Xandhil> [c] The mother, I mean
<Anxikaril> [c] yes.
<Anxikaril> [c] Evvoia was her name. Her family worked on my family's land.
* Xandhil listens
<Anxikaril> [c] She had fair hair, sort of like yours - is your father's like that too?
* Xandhil nods.
<Xandhil> [c] his is a little darker.
<Anxikaril> [c] She was young and... I was old - old enough that I should have known better, but I wanted to believe it could work out.
* Xandhil nods
<Anxikaril> [c] We talked about leaving together. When she said she was expecting a child, it just pushed things into action more quickly.
<Anxikaril> [c] But my father found out, somehow - I never knew who told him.
* Xandhil listens
<Anxikaril> [c] He locked me in my room, posted guards... and sent others to find her at the place where we used to meet, where we had said we would meet that night to leave.
* Xandhil tries to imagine various parts of this scenario, ike not being able to teleport, and being 150 yrs old and having your dad lock you in your room o_O
<Anxikaril> [c] He had her whipped and then they took her far into the mountains and left her there.
* Anxikaril still sounds angry about this
<Xandhil> ...
<Xandhil> [c] That's horrible
<Anxikaril> [c] yes
<Xandhil> [c] And you never found what happened to her?
<Anxikaril> [c] when he let me out of my room, I heard what had happened. I waited just enough time to let him think I would forget about her, and then I left.
<Anxikaril> [c] I tried to find her - we had talked about going to Aveyrone, so I was sure she would head that way.
* Xandhil wonders how long that was...
<Anxikaril> [c] But not knowing exactly where they took her, having no tracks to follow... I don't know where she went. I don't even know if she and the baby survived.
<Anxikaril> [c] I spent years looking - asking in villages and at farms near the border if people had seen her, if anyone remembered her.
<Xandhil> Nothing?
<Xandhil> :/
<Anxikaril> [c] Nothing I could say for sure was them.
<Xandhil> [c] Maybe they never made it that far...if it is my father.
<Anxikaril> [c] Maybe :/
<Anxikaril> [c] After twenty years, I knew that the child, if it lived, would be grown by then - might not even want me to find them, if I did.
* Xandhil nods
<Anxikaril> [c] I stopped asking.
* Anxikaril falls silent, focusing on his arrows.
<Xandhil> :/
<Anxikaril> [c] I'm sorry. I don't know if this even has any bearing on you or your family, I don't mean to put this burden on you.
<Xandhil> [c] It's okay
<Xandhil> [c] It's just sad :/
* Anxikaril nods
<Anxikaril> [c] Just hearing that your father has done well for himself makes me feel like it's possible that my child - if they even exist - might have also.
<Anxikaril> [c] It's reassuring, somehow.
<Xandhil> [c] Then I'm glad. :)
* Xandhil looks thoughtful
<Xandhil> [c] I don't know if I should tell him any of this. My...mother might know better, maybe
<Anxikaril> [c] I can't say... but it's all right if you decide to.
* Xandhil nods
<Anxikaril> [c] I've probably kept you up past the time when you should have been resting. I'm sorry.
<Xandhil> [c] No, thank you for telling me all that.
<Xandhil> [c] I should probably sleep though
* Anxikaril nod
<Anxikaril> (s)
<Anxikaril> [c] I'll keep watch.
* Xandhil smiles as he has been just about to ask
<Xandhil> [c] alright
<Xandhil> [c] goodnight, then
<Anxikaril> [c] Goodnight, Xandhil
* Xandhil will go try and figure out how he is supposed to not sleep with/on Justen when he is *right there* and also think about all the things Anxikaril told him :|
<DiablotinNarrator> (aww)
* Anxikaril just sits quietly, lost in his own thoughts as well
<DiablotinNarrator> Once you are able to get to sleep, nothing disturbs your rest until (what might be) morning.
<Xandhil> (yay!)
* Xandhil probaby wakes up curled up around Justen despite his best efforts >.>
<DiablotinNarrator> As people are waking up gradually, having some food, etc. the group is fairly quiet. Sleyght and Gyrus are talking amongst themselves about what they've already found, and what may likely still be coming.
* Justen gives you a quick kiss when no one is paying attention ;)
<Xandhil> :)
<Justen> Did you sleep okay?
<Xandhil> eventaully
<Xandhil> you?
<Justen> Well, other than having to get up and take a watch, it wasn't too bad.
<Justen> Do you think we'll get through the rest of this place today, or will we have to stay another night?
<Xandhil> no idea
* Anxikaril nods
<Anxikaril> (ww)
<Xandhil> it depends on how grandiose the designers were feeling
* Justen nods
<Justen> they don't seem to have been the subtle, understated type :p
<Xandhil> like maybe there is just one room per general and then his
<Xandhil> or maybe there is a whole huge complex
<Xandhil> no idea
* Justen says, eyeing the intricate carvings and such around the room
<Xandhil> if this place was all formed with magic...
<Xandhil> well I guess that depends on if it wad conventional magic, I suppose
<Xandhil> we still don't really know anything about the Djinn
<Justen> yeah...
<Xandhil> so I guess we'll see.
<Xandhil> :)
<Xandhil> which would you prefer?
<Justen> well... while it's cool, I would probably rather it's not much bigger than this. The further we go, the more things try to kill us.
<Justen> And not necessarily things we can fight, either.
<Justen> I'm starting to feel the same as you about puzzles and traps :p
<Xandhil> ...you're basing thins on what, excatcly?
<Xandhil> (oh nm I got it)
<Xandhil> yeah
<Xandhil> I really thought those last things we fought were constructs - I could have done a lot more in that fight :p
<Justen> well, it's an easy assumption - made out of rocks, after all.
<Xandhil> yeah :p
<Xandhil> ahh well
<Xandhil> we were okay
<Justen> I suppose there's still an 'air' room to come, at the very least. they seem to have a theme going on here.
<Xandhil> that trap was nasty though
<Xandhil> maybe
<Xandhil> I still think maybe one of the generals was a traitor
<Xandhil> they may or may not get a room
* Justen nods
<Justen> well, maybe it'll just be another big swarm of ghouls. I can do something about that, at least.
<Xandhil> yay?
<Xandhil> :p
<Xandhil> well I don't think the one we fought was one we killed
<Xandhil> and there is still 'the general' so... who knows
<Xandhil> hmm
<Xandhil> maybe the traitor djinn got imprisoned here?
<Xandhil> I don't know I'm totally guessing at this point
* Justen nods
<Justen> I guess we'll find out...
* Xandhil nods
<DiablotinNarrator> Eventually, maybe moving a bit more slowly than yesterday (for the less adventure-prone folks, anyway ;) the group will get packed up again and ready to head on
