02-17-963: A Bridge Between Worlds

Recovering from his shock, Luci started swinging.  Strike after expert strike shot toward his sister, but the younger Bellestair managed to dodge them all before landing by Cedric.  As Luci prepared to continue his repayment of past debts, an odd feeling washed over him and will to fight vanished.  Cedric interposed himself between the siblings and demanded Luci stop. One punched guest was fine, he deserved it after all, but he took exception to a second.  He then turned to Allison and chastised her for antagonizing her brother.  Regaining his composure, Cedric suggested they part ways, then turned to Sinata and wished him luck with finding whatever the key unlocked.  

With key and letter in hand, Sinata was eager to get somewhere private to test it out.  After Cedric, Allison, and their entourage had left them, Sinata tentatively inserted the key into the air in front of him.  A dull kerchuck sounded as he turned the key, meeting resistance as if an unseen lock encompassed the key.  Satisfied, he removed the key from its not-lock and pocketed it. As he pocketed it, a barely-visible outline of double doors faded into the air.  As the group left, they decided to make for a private place Luci knew, to avoid the possibility of more sibling bonding. 

While crossing the bridge on the way back to the city, the coachman brough the carriage to a halt, calling out to a woman slumped against the parapet.  Chedvah, walking alongside, noticed that she didn't appear to be moving.  Sinata called out to see what the hold up was, then called for the driver to carry on. Deep in thought, Sinata was anxoius of the ease with which they acquired the key, and suspected some sort of ambush from the hags.  

Out of curiosity, Nexus sent a message cantrip to the woman, asking if she was okay.  The reply he got was labored, barely able to form the words. Despite this, Nexus recognized the voice as that of Rina au Lurah, the Seer from the party.  Before trailing away into unconscousness, she replied:

 "And it shall come to pass,
in the days when ever-waiting slumber is renewed beyond the horizon,
that the ancient fires are loosed anew,
and future and past come balanced on the knife's edge."

As Nexus was hearing this, Sinata's conscience got the better of him and he called for the carriage to stop. Nexus quickly explained what was going on, and Chedvah noticed a dark bloodstain in the woman's stomach.  Everyone aside from Dendra bailed out of the carriage.  Sinata rushed to Rina while Sinata used his temporal magics to keep the Seer on the edge of death long enough for the good Doctor to reach her side.  With some quick work, Sinata stabilized Rina and brought her around.  As her eye's flickered open, she spoke once again.  

"The bearer of ancient shadow's boon shall sound the call,
The weaver of the bones of the earth shall raise the banner,
and the fires of heaven renew the earth.
There is no salvation without destruction,
no solace without loss."

As Sinata worked at Rina's side, Nexus stood beside him as Luci provided light and kept watch.  Once Rina finished speaking once again, Nexus's eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed, unconscious.  Sinata worked furiously, applying all of his years of skill to keeping Rina alive, but after Nexus fainted, her heartbeat began to get erratic and her breathing more labored.  With one last exhalation, she ceased to draw breath.  At that instant, Nexus gasped and sat up, regaining consciousness. 

Nexus appeared to shake off some disorientation then went to Sinata, still trying to revive the Seer.  He laid his hand on the Doctor, and told him that she was beyond his reach.  He then explained that he had just had a strange vision.  Rina, it seemed, was at peace and had entrusted her power to Nexus.  Sinata took a step back from the Seer, accepting there was nothing to be done but still visibly shaken.

Meanwhile, in an effort to find anyone nearby who might help, Luci noticed a glimmer near the end of the bridge and went to investigate.  Getting nearer, he noticed a dark figure running away and gave chase, dodging a thrown dagger.  He eventually caught up with the figure, knocked him out, and dragged him back to the party.  Upon waking back up, the man tried to resist questioning, but found the party to be rather persuasive.  He finally divulged that he had been hired by Lord Airan Redfell to make sure the woman didn't make it back to the city.  After some deliberation, Nexus and Chedvah ran to bring some city guards to take charge of the situation.  

Eventually, a detachment of guards arrived to the bridge and were brought up to speed by the party.  They told the officer leading them that the murderer had confessed, but didn't reveal who had sent him.  The murderer was taken into custody, and a carriage was soon brought to transport Rina's body for burial in a respectful manner.  With heavy hearts, the party continued on their way back to the city.  

With Luci in the lead, they ventured into the New City in the direction of the Dellen. He suddenly turned down an Alley.  At its end, he knocked rhythmically on the stones of the wall, causing some of them to shift and reveal a pitch-black hole. 
"And you are?" a voice asked from within.
"Kin looking for kith and kind" Luci replied
"Kin are all welcome here" came the voice from the dark.  Then Luci motioned everyone forward and stepped through the darkness.  Beyond it they found a set of stairs leading down toward a lounge bathed in red light.  Elegant golden fixtures adorned the walls and a long wooden bar.  Everything about the place spoke of discretion for those who could pay and knew enough to gain admittance.  By the entrance, a muscular bouncer asked them what they would like for the evening.  Luci ordered a private room and something to drink, and they were shown to a luxurious room, where the lascivious sounds coming from doors to other rooms couldn't be heard. 

Once  within, everyone noticed that Dendra wasn't there, even though she had entered the alley with them.  After some discussion it was decided to let her do her thing, and push on with the Key.  With the same conviction as before Sinata inserted and turned the key in the air.  This time as the key was kept turned, the outline of doors grew stronger until a set of alabaster double doors materialized in front of them.  Upon each was carved a sigil, like the one below.  Opening the doors revealed an entranceway of the same stark white, polished stone leading to two more doors, this time heavily gilded and ornate.  These swung open as the party entered, revealing a large circular room with dark wood floors and walls.  At its center, a lowered area was made of the same stone, with a massive, intricate magic circle carved into it. 

Within the circle, a vulpine figure in elegant silken robes stood from its place sleeping curled on the floor and greeted the party in a dry, breathy voice.  It welcomed them to the Spire and remarked that it was good to have visitors again after so long.  Speaking of, what year was it?  Nexus explained that it had been 2855 years since the Sealing and the end of the First Age.  These terms didn't seem to have much of an effect, and the figure remarked that regardless, it had been quite a long time.  He then introduced himself as Telahn Felac, but was interrupted by a small wooden figure peaking over some books on a table near it.  The wooden mannequin gabbled with Telahn Felac before he sighed and introduced the wooden figure with a string of titles and honorifics.  This went on for quite a while, and when Luci asked him to get on with it, Telahn Felac sighed again and said it didn't really matter, since the puppet couldn't understand them.  

Taking a moment to look around, the party noticed that the windows around the room featured vastly different views.  One showed a Tower on its side in a purplish sky, while others showed a raging sea, a desert, and a small copse of trees, also within the purple sky.  Looking at each other, everyone decided that it had been an excruciatingly long day, and that this could be dealt with in the morning.  They bid Telahn Felac farewell for now and returned to the room in Kin's Row.  Sinata ordered several more bottles before slumping on to the cushions around the room.  Nexus reentered the Spire to speak with Telahn Felac during the night. Chedvah and Luci remained with Sinata, and who knows what Dendra was up to.