Stephanie's Heart: The Archive

[reading_rainstorm]

In your dreams you are in a thick and foggy forest. It could be mistaken for the woods around Tributary if you don’t know your plants. You are on a trail leading into a clearing, in the center of which is a simple, concrete structure with a single door. A chaos star has been spray painted on it with a stencil.

You approach the structure. Looking over your shoulder you see a large shape lurking in the fog, obscured by the foliage. Two shining Feline eyes peer at you from the brush. You feel your heart rate spike as you turn the knob and find an old fashioned elevator tucked neatly inside with an accordion grate standing between you and the ornate, gilded interior. It creaks open as the presence behind you steps into the clearing. It is a sphinx, an eight foot tall lioness with the face of a woman and the large brown wings of an eagle on her back . The feminine face and olive skin tone of a Greek woman from antiquity smiles as she readies herself to to pounce, the wings on her back stretching and give a few readying flaps.You back into the elevator and close the gate with shaking hands as the sphinx leaps at the elevator. Her claws twisting and shearing the metal of the grate slowly, but she is too late. The elevator springs to life and you descend.

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A small light above flickers on as it illuminates your view outside the exposed elevator as you sink into the concrete structure. You descend for a few moments before an opening in the concrete gives you the view of an observation deck on a hill, looking down on the sprawling suburbs and campus of a college town. The elevator continues downward. The concrete gives way to old, dusty marble as you continue sinking. You see a vast maze stretch far and away that gets nearer and nearer. This has to be it, right? Your destination? No. You plunge further down, past the walls of the maze and the marble is replaced again by well polished wood. Beautiful stained mahogany rises past you as your descent finally starts to slow. You are greeted by another grate that creaks open for you. Entreating you to enter.

Comments

[dragonindungeon]

Does it? That's too bad.

[ truly looks sad about it, until the rest of what Steph says registers ]

. . . wait, um. What geas?

[reading_rainstorm]

"Tell no lies. Keep no secrets. Our promise is our bond.

Keeping to these tenets fuels our magic."

[dragonindungeon]

That sounds difficult for a fairy.

[reading_rainstorm]

"In my world's mythology the fae are supposed to keep similar rules.

Their words bind them in many ways. Have you asked STAR about why he doesn't like to recieve unprompted thanks?

...

Wait, are you implying I'm a faerie?"

The sphinx snarls at Falin.

[dragonindungeon]

[ Nods to Stephaninx's question, then gives her a rather bland look when she snarls ]

You do fit into a similar category.

[reading_rainstorm]

She chuckles at that.

"Right. Like you, I am a monster. I suppose you are correct there "

[dragonindungeon]

Are you unhappy about it?

[reading_rainstorm]

"Far from it. I'm strong like this. Able to take what I want and protect what I have.

If only you and Stephanie and all your meddlers would see that."

[dragonindungeon]

You know . . . dragons are similar in that way.

[reading_rainstorm]

"True..I believe your kind values treasure more than information, though.

Does the thought of jewels and gold and shiny trinkets drive you, Miss Exorcist?"

[dragonindungeon]

No.

Hunger does.

[reading_rainstorm]

The sphinx licks her lips looking at Falin.

"Mm. She calls what we feel hunger as well, you know.

Different kind of appetite.

It could be similarly sated...if she let us."

[dragonindungeon]

I think she knows that when left unchecked, that hunger comes down to eat or be eaten.

[reading_rainstorm]

"And yet...she is reticent to feed me."

[dragonindungeon]

She doesn't want to be eaten.

[reading_rainstorm]

"If she weren't so stubborn she wouldn't need to be.

I'm willing to...coexist."

Big toothy grin

[dragonindungeon]

Do you have to?

[reading_rainstorm]

"Like you said...Eat or be eaten. I think coexistence is preferable to that."

The sphinx flaps her wings and she is inside the shack. She sniffs at the ritual implements.

"Have we told you about this one? We might not hold any secrets but we can be forgetful..."

[dragonindungeon]

No, this is new.

[reading_rainstorm]

"Before my time. Her first foray into magic beyond little luck charms and divination.

How do you think it went?"

[dragonindungeon]

It seems she got into some trouble.

[reading_rainstorm]

"Indeed. Would you like to see?"

[dragonindungeon]

[ Nods. She might get another card out of it. ]

[reading_rainstorm]

"You'll have to do some of the ritual to see it. You're a smart dragon. I'm sure you can figure it out."

The sphinx goes to the corner of the room watching Falin with a smug look on her face.

[dragonindungeon]

[ . . . considers the ritual again. Is there a way to complete it that would be apparent to Falin, and in particular, a safer method? ]