Pahhu: Shifting Sands of Time 20: Heirs and Heiresses

Two figures in light grey robes of Labelas Enoreth turned to face the newcomers. Their faces were familiar from visions in the mirror, almost perfectly so. Sariandi Morvyre and Abaka Felfarren, Pahhu’s parents. With a strangled squeak Pahhu ducked behind Jorah and Marinette and peered around from the side; her mind was racing. What were they doing here? And why robes of Labelas?
 
After a brief moment of surprise on both sides, Nyx held up the letter she’d received from the Dryad and offered it to Abaka, much to Sariandi’s chagrin. “I thought I’d told you to stop visiting her, dear.” The last word had a bit of edge to it, but Abaka rolled with it, giving a disarming bucktoothed smile to his wife. “She’s just a fan of my poetry darling, nothing more to it, I promise.” As the conversation turned friendly the introductions began. At last it was Pahhu’s turn.
 
Pahhu slunk out from behind Jorah, and Marinette and made her way far closer in the clearing. She reached up and pooled her hood back, revealing her messy twin-bun hair, and then lowered the muffler on her face. Before the two of them stood a bronze-skinned half-elf, her blue-black hair reminiscent of the man, her features similar to the woman. She was dirty, covered in an unusual grit, and as she swallowed hard her mouth opened briefly revealing a pair of prominent buckteeth which seemed oversized for her small head. She looked at her birth parents and then pulled her swaddling blanket from her pack and held it up, the embroidery showing what had become her name. “I’m… I think you read it Pahhu.”
 
Abaka stumbled back, being caught by Sariandi. He looked at Pahhu then back to Sariandi, then returned his gaze to the girl. Sariandi spoke first. “It looks like you were right, dear. It was the right choice. Our daughter outsurvived us in the end.” Abaka steadied himself and a huge toothy smile broke across his face. “Oh, I never thought we’d have the chance to meet you! And look at you! All grown up!”
 
Pahhu dropped the blanket as she registered the words “Outsurvived.” Arvandor was an afterlife for the elves. Her parents hardly looked a day older than she’d last seen in the mirror. The mirror that had been unable to show any more of the past than the high ice. Her parents had died soon after leaving her at the orphanage. “Then… it wasn’t that you didn’t want me? It was because you… had to go somewhere dangerous?”
 
“Oh child, you were always wanted. Our last bit of selfishness before risking it all.” Sariandi opened her arms and welcomed Pahhu into a hug. Pahhu walked stiffly towards her birth parents and nearly fell into the hug, the three of them re-uniting for the first time in twenty years. Tears ran down Pahhu’s dirty cheeks, leaving gritty streaks as she bawled. The three would stay that way for some time.
 
The explanations after came quickly. Pahhu’s parents had succeeded in Thamisia’s trial in the past and had set forward to reclaim the temple of time and restore balance. They explained how the tears in the planes had begun over two decades ago when the balance of the Threefold Worship had been broken. Grumbar, the earthlord provided the foundation on which all time was constructed. Labelas Enoreth maintained the continuum and safeguarded the sanctity and stability of the timeline. Amaunator illuminated the future, always uncovering new timelines and new possibilities. The three were necessary to maintain balance with time, and three sects of priests had long worked together to maintain balance.
 
An Earth Genasi priest by the name of Slate Seetheblast grew wrathful over the imbalance of worship. Grumbar had long seen a decline in worship, while Amaunator was resurging through his aspect of Lathander and Labelas maintained steady worship. Slate believed the only way forward was to grasp the fabric of time itself and ensure Grumbar received the proper respect. Slate seized the control stones of the temple, the very foundation on which it was built, and turned the place of worship into a place of slaughter.
 
The imbalance had resulted in a thickening of temporal energy as something similar to endless grinding of earth within the core began to tear at the fabric of the temporal energy plane. In places where the stress was too much it fractured and shifted, similar to great fissures in the land caused by earthquakes. Endless dust swirled within the temporal energy plane as dust storms heightened in power, threatening to overwhelm the plane as it filled with choking earth.
 
Pahhu’s parents and their Bedine allies had headed into the ice to try to stop Slate but had been taken by surprise to learn that Slate had been joined by the mechanoid undead lich-like being. They fought to the best of their ability but were defeated… after that they had been granted a peaceful afterlife in service to Labelas. Abaka, who primarily worshipped amaunator chose to stay with his wife in Arvandor. Since then the two had seen others try to reclaim the temple, but they never expected, nor wanted, the task to fall to their daughter.
 
Pahhu listened intently. She understood almost intrinsically some aspects of what had happened, even understanding that her father had lost his future and in doing so had fallen from Amaunator. But what she felt most closely was the relationship of the gods, and the energies of the temporal energy plane. She had always had a special affinity with stone and earth. The influence on the temporal energy plane had also not been a case of her reaching into plane and borrowing the power but it was coming from within. Was she attuned to the earthen power of the plane, or was it as Thamisia had said something within her bloodline? How did these things come together? Her mother’s faith in Labelas, her father’s faith in Amaunator and her attunement to stone and earth?
 
“We beat him up a few times.” Pahhu pulled her bangs down over half her face and began mimicking the robotic behavior of the lich. Abaka withdrew in horror, but soon relaxed as he realized Pahhu was speaking truthfully. They had encountered the horrible creature and defeated it. “Well kid, you’re a lot stronger than mom and I ever were then… Maybe Thamisia chose you all for a reason.”
 
Abaka sighed. “This whole mess has been a long time coming, and I never would’ve wanted this to fall on you. Any of you, for that matter. The ever grinding of Grumbar though will not stop unless balance is restored… I’m sure the big guy upstairs will wanna talk to you soon, but first he’s not coming back until all the court representatives get ‘off his lawn’ as he puts it.”
 
Abaka would launch into another explanation. As time had become warped with damage it was impacting other planes. The feywild had fallen into seasonal imbalance. The season of winter was growing dominant over the others, and the Winter Eladrin Court was growing in power. The other courts had sent representatives to seek Labelas Enoreth’s intervention and the restoration of balance. If not then winter would grow to overtake the feywild, and eventually all would be ice and dust.
 
“It’s not just the feywild. The imbalance will come to impact all planes. Eventually all will be winter, darkness air and dust. The death of heat, the end of time.” Abaka said the last words almost reverentially as if it was a simultaneously terrifying and sacred thing to consider. “Well, it won’t happen as long as Amaunator keeps things burning and shows us the future though.” He smiled, breaking the grim moment.
 
The party was tasked with seeking out the leaders of the four courts.
 
To the north was the winter court and the snow queen, a servant to the queen of air and darkness. She is here to make sure that winter prevails over everything, and it is. She's happy, and won't look to negotiate easily. It will take a hard bargain to drive her away.
 
To the west was the spring court and the queen of witches. She had mighty bears as pets of which she is very proud. They are dangerous but possess a dangerous primal beauty. She has problems with winter encroaching on spring and it has destabilized the balance of the court back home in the Feywild.
 
To the south was the summer court and the moonlit king. He was a family man, representing the court to appease his angry wife over the encroaching cold. He had brought his son with him and is eager to complete his mission so he may return home quickly.
 
To the east was the autumn court and the river king. A simple man with great generosity he represents his people with honesty and integrity, but his moods is quick to change.
 
“The last guy is a bit wishy washy, but what can you expect?” Abaka smiled a toothy grin that Pahhu matched; it seems the teeth weren’t the only thing she got from dad, she’d gotten the puns too. “If you can get all four of them out of here peacefully, and I mean PEACEFULLY, then the big guy has promised something extra.” Abaka gestured over his shoulder to where the tower was currently absent.
 
“Peacefully makes things more complicated.” Rasheed mused. The party had already won some favor with the winter court, but they had done so at the risk of the relationship with the summer court. “Marinette and I will visit the winter court. We have business there.”
The remainder soon figured out their assignments as well.
To the spring court would go Theodore, Nyx and Tona.
To the summer court Pahhu would go alone.
To the fall court would go Ed and Jorah.
 
“Very good, on the morrow then. Tonight you will stay with us and we shall prepare robes for you all to visit the courts on our behalf.” Sariandi gestured towards the village, welcoming them in.
 
That night Pahhu spent much of it telling her parents her life story, about her Paw Quinton and her Nan Imna and all of her dozens of cousins at Hyssop Home including the illustrious Charva. The Labelas adherents were shocked to hear of the fall on the Prison on the Prime Material Plane. Abaka also took keen interest in the incredible mirror of the past they had found, such as relic of Amaunator was huge news to him. The remaining members of the party found the taste of Arvandor’s fine wine to be rather enjoyable, and a night of carousing lead to a night sleeping in a shallow ditch for three of the party.
 
DAY 56
 
The party woke and broke fast and changed into their robes of Labelas. They were a strange sight on the group, but the symbol would protect them from the courts. They said their goodbyes and separated, heading for the courts.
 
To the north the winter court announced the arrival of Marinette and Rasheed to their snow covered pond. They took an approach of flattery and honesty, acknowledging the game that the court was winning and praising them on their strength and guile. The approach went well with the queen of snow, and while not willing to surrender their position of power they agreed to vacate the premises if Rasheed would promise to continue to prove his value. The snow queen saw his talents as useful against her political adversaries and formed a contract with Rasheed, binding him with a geas. She offered a gift in exchange for his rendered services, a number of gems and a cloak of swirling snow that fell behind him as he walked. She gave him a deadine of 6 months to visit her in the Feywild or complete his task on pain of death.
 
To the east the autumn court demanded Ed and Jorah land from their pegasus, they were suspicious of the approach of the two armed adventurers but the king soon waved off his guards. He welcomed the two to his domain, a gurgling stream carrying autumn leaves under a great rustic stone bridge. The autumn king explained that he needed little of the two, simply that they restore order of the seasons and help him quash infighting within his court. The autumn court was in disarray, the queen of blood debts Sable had been luring many desperate souls to her side, taking advantage of the fear of the winter court. The autumn king sought assurances that this blood debt queen would be dealt with, and sealed the agreement with a geas on Ed and Jorah. The two were given small gifts, gems, a quiver, and a cloak of falling leaves. With that the autumn king departed with his retinue.
 
To the south Pahhu skipped up a rise in the forest, climbing a rocky cliffside towards an old stone fort where the summer court resided. She danced as she went, playing her drumborine, barely able to contain her energy and happiness. She had been blessed with reunion with her parents, and the knowledge she hadn’t been rejected; not for being dirty, not for being stupid, not even for being a time ripper or any of it. But because her parents had wanted her to live, they wanted her to have a life even if they couldn’t give it. As Pahhu approached the court she was announced by the guards, and she learned of the Moonlit King’s situation. The court possessed a mirror through which they traveled to and from the Feywild. A keystone gem had been removed from it, sabotage by the winter court perhaps. His son, Prince Erik, had gone to seek the stone and had been missing. He only wished to have his son and stone returned and he would depart for home immediately. Pahhu committed to reuniting this father with his child, having learned the joy herself only recently, and turned to head back to the clearing.
 
To the west Theodore, Nyx and Tona entered the grove of the queen of witches. Two enormous bears rose on their hind legs and growled warnings as they approached. Theodore and Nyx chose to befriend the queen, sweet talking her and complimenting her. The flattery was far more effective than they expected though and soon the queen of witches was swooning for Theodore’s sweet words. She promised to depart on two conditions, if Theodore would promise to take her on a date, and if they would come to the Feywild and deal with her sister Arcadia, the queen of the blaze, who sought to beat back winter by burning everything. She sealed the deal with a gift to Theodore, a ring, and a necklace for Nyx. With the agreement made the spring court made to leave.
 
The party gathered back in the clearing; three of the court had departed. Only the summer court remained. They spoke of the missing son and Rasheed and Marinette quickly realized the young man they’d thrown in the bushes was the missing person. The party quickly backtracked and soon discovered the mangled body of the prince. Jorah lead a ritual of resurrection and the group was able to bring Prince Erik back from the dead, and carefully guide him back to his father. On seeing the state of their son the Moonlit king chose to retreat immediately, his son would need proper care and motherly love. He gathered his entourage and made for a nearby Feywild portal.
 
Back at the grove they spoke to Abaka of their success, and he encouraged them to rest one more night, Labelas would see them tomorrow. Abaka assisted Theodore in the creation of a tuning fork to Arvandor, ensuring the party would find a way to return and visit even after their business was done. Another night of carousing and story telling later soon lead to peaceful rest.
 
A booming aged voice thundered across the clearing the next morning. “SURELY THEY WON’T KEEP ME WAITING. I HAVE NO TIME FOR SUCH RUDENESS.” The party shook awake at the bone-jarring power of the voice. They scrambled together, quickly shaking off the effects of any carousing the night before and made haste for the now visible tower, a massive platinum spire reaching towards the sky.
 
They soon found themselves ushered before an aged elf, one eye covered by a patch, the other grey and almost unseeing. Long grey hair matched the grey robes with blues, greens and golds decorating them. They were looking upon Labelas Enoreth, the Lord of the Continuum, a god.
 
The grey eye fell on them in turn. “Pfeh, rubbish, the lot of you. And a half-breed? Ah, wait.” As Labelas regarded Rasheed his tone softened. “One fullblooded amongst you. Then I shall address you. You have done as I asked and I shall repay this favor. You must make haste for the temple. Thamisia will provide you half of the key, and I shall offer you these rewards for your service.”
 
The god offered a silver rod crackling with blue-violet energy and a simple platinum cube an inch on each side. These were powerful relics, the rod being a spell capable of halting spell energy and storing it in stasis (a rod of absorption.) The cube however was something else entirely, a miniature version of the Vanishing Tower itself (Daern’s Instant Fortress) it was a powerful relic capable of stabilizing temporal energy. If a time magic user held it in the temporal energy plane it would project an aura of stability for 60 feet, guarding them from the ravages of entropy.
 
“Now go, I’ve no more time for you.” Labelas dismissed them, his cranky attitude quickly returning.
 
After some quick goodbyes the party gathered around Theodore as he cast the spell of Plane Shifting, returning the group to Thamisia’s temple. After filling her in on the details she parted with half of her key, a green marble hemisphere with a rune carved into the flat side. “This key will pull towards the other half. Follow it and you shall find Lostheus and the other half of the key.”
 
The party ascended from the hidden niche of Thamisia’s Temple and stared out over the desert. The key pulled west, but how far and to where would it lead? As they considered their approach they heard the marching of feet down the ridge.
 
“There they are men! We hadn’t lost the trail!” Red robed men of Thay, wizards and soldiers alike approached. They had followed the party but lost their trail, befuddled by Thamisia’s temple. “You lot have left us waiting long enough, we offered a polite invitation and you failed to reply. We’ll have to ask you to come in force now.”
 
The Thayans weren’t prepared for the powers they challenged, as their group was almost entirely caught in a time loop by Pahhu they were dismantled one by one as a powerful whirlwind and hail storm cut into them as the druids combined their magics. Ed, Marinette, Nyx and Tona wore them down on the front line one at a time. The Thayans were on their trail, and ever so close. What other history would haunt them now? They had no time to lose, every day the tears grew worse. The only answers lay westward...