Gates of Netehdrez
The tunnels of Mori'tarna. Home of The Children of the Dancer. The very origin of their culture, faith and influence.
It was hard to accurately describe how monumental this moment was to Ilphinidia Pridescar, as they had slowly descended to the depths of the Underdark. Anticipation made her stomach turn... together with the changing air pressure, temperatures and air quality of these deep caverns. Also, the riding lizard might have also contributed to the feeling with all the beasts that lurked somewhere in the darkness.
But despite the physiological effects that messed up Ilphie's thoughts, there was the emotional weight on her shoulders. This was something she had dreamed about, but also dreaded her entire life. Chance to be around her people, her mother's people. Experience the splendor and heart of the things that were so integral for her very being but she had never really had chance to directly touch and experience. It was all through second had experience, was the books or people, that had showed her the good, the bad and the ugly of her heritage.
After never quite getting the possibility to be in the thick of the world of either of her parents, always having this nagging feeling that she truly couldn't know where she came from, she was, finally, close to the one piece of the puzzle. This was the home uncle fled, this was where her mother, sisters and sister's daughters would go their schools. This was the world her mother's family had left behind to live on the surface, under the sun. This was where the prophet had heard the call of Eilistraee and changed the future of her people. It was wonderful and overwhelming feeling, full of strange mix of fear, expectations, doubts and boundless curiosity.
That alone was a lot. A LOT. But to make things even more complicated, there was this man, riding next to her, who had totally turned her life upside down in a matter of weeks.
Her heart had jumped to her throat when they had journeyed through the first security tunnel, and she had seen how Kerymis suddenly slumbed on his saddle, starting to twitch. Thanks to the saddles, he hadn't fell on his face, but the caravan had stopped to the safe zone, got him out of the saddle and on the side, so he wouldn't have hurt himself. Such an aggressive vision... First she had wondered if it was something else, kin to what uncle sometimes had during stressful times, but no, it had been a resurfacing memory. And what type of memory it had been. Mere glimpses that Ilphie had gotten from it from Kerymis' descriptions had made her heart hurt.
As she silenty watched at Kerymis from the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but feel a sense of purpose. With all the aggravations, misunderstandings and quarrels, there was something that told her that this is where she was supposed to be. She remembered Skippy's words, which now resonated even stronger, as much as she was scared of them. When she was frustrated with Kerymis, it wasn't because there was some unreachable wall between them, a warning sign to turn away and the feelings of warmth weren't some escape of her loneliness and wishful thinking of a love sick teenager. No, her frustrations and rapid endearment had more upsetting, confusing source.
It was there when he talked and they shared their life stories. It was in those baffling gestures he did to plan their future in his strange manner. It was in the way he touched her, in the intimate moments they shared, it was on the tears he had cryied for the nameless soldier in his visions and in the kindness he showed. There was a connection. Deep, overwhelming connection of similarities, common understanding neither of them fully grasped or understood yet that tied them together and whisked them away on those moments of bliss and shared understanding.
When they hit the hard spots, frusturation didn't come from lack of understanding, but the fact that they where so close to it. On the very edge of connection, dancing, twirling, feeling each others breath and heartbeats so close, so familiar but there was that thin glass, a curtain or maybe bars between a prison cell or picked fence. There was something... something shared. Something familiar. Something not quite realised or complete yet. Something that could only be attained through time they did not have, not yet.
What was more frustrating than answer that was right on tip of your tongue but just escaped you? What was more terrifying than success, when you are just steps away from it but everything can still go wrong? How it feels like forever, when you see your destination, but know you are not there before the night. The last hour of a wait is always the longest and most aggravating.
That was how it felt being around Kerymis for her. And the mission they shared... It felt meaningful in ways she couldn't put into words. It had frustrated her, how he had asked her over and over and over again, if she needed or wanted to be here, when he doubted she didn't believe in his cause. Their cause. Cause they had independently shared in one form or another for a long time. Their calling. It was also crazy, but she felt the pull, and she knew he felt it too. What ever it was, this was the right path, even if all they could trust was their gut.
She brushed her stomach, trying to wrap her head around the promise she had been given. A tiny live that was to grow inside her. She knew, by reason it was there, yet it was hard to truly understand yet. It was too early to feel it. She was too scered to tell herself yet, that she was going to be a mother. Not because she was scared of becoming one, but because it was one of those dreams she had had for so long.
The gates where close now. She straightened herself up. So, just few moments and they were in Netehdrez. The thought was bewildering. One thing at the time. Focus on one thing at the time. She saw how Kerymis was going through his pockets.
This was it. No more turning back.
From a request, a little epilogue for the game with Kerymis Donaevel, after session 24, on the perspective of Ilphinidia Pridescar.
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