Prologue: The Obligatory Inn

Singer's perception of the world slowly shifts under the influence of the detection spell. Her companions clothing and weapons begin to glow with faint aura's indicating the origin of their magic. The same is true of several others in the tavern - not unusual for a place which is a regular stopping point for adventurers of all stripes. The door and structure of the tavern itself does not glow, the structure itself is mundane and is not under the influence of any magical force. The beads, to which she finally turns her attention, glow in unison, their aura pulsing as one. It is an Enchantment aura. The aura around the beads is moderate in strength (this means that it is either a Magic Item with a caster level of 6th-11th and/or a functioning spell of level 4th-6th).

(((Ooc - Using Spellcraft to learn more. For quick reference only...Spellcraft DC chart says 15+caster level to determine the actual spell effect. Requires close observation and handling of the item and 3 rounds time)))

Singer peers at the aura around the moonstones and tries to discern the nature and effects of the Enchantment spell that has been placed on them. The aura weaves and turns in complex ways Singer has never before seen, the spell's origin is from a caster of much greater strength and ability than her own. The twisting and weaving makes it difficult to discern the nature of the spell and all she can determine is that the task is beyond her skill.

(OOC Can I roll Knowledge: Religion to see if any of those names ring a bell?)

(OOC Ditto?)

((Sure - also with respect to these kinds of requests in the future, to save time instead of asking just make the rolls and post those with an IC description of what your character is trying to discern and what they are trying to draw on from their knowledge base. In fact, try to always include a bit of in character description with anything - I'd like to minimize the number of OOC only posts. So, two lessons:

1. Don't ask, just roll. It saves time. My answer is rarely going to be 'no' anyway. I'm a 'yes and' GM.
2. Avoid posting OOC only if at all possible. I'll create a new thread for OOC discussions to help alleviate this))

Elandra goes over several years worth of notes and books and tomes on religion that she's compiled in her head through her studies, plumbing the depth of her memory for any mention of Trismaya, Ninat, Relic, Austria, or Anat.

The lore is quite esoteric, but Elendra had done a lot of reading in her lifetime. She was surprised to discover a few things. Ninat is revered by some as the spider goddess who bestows dreams upon the sleeping. Anat referred to a seraph, an angel. An angel said in much lore to have tears with magical properties, shed by the seraph in times of great distress. One text recounted a tale where Ninat revealed to Anat a vision through a dream, and afterwards Anat and her host shed many tears. Tears which were bound by Ninat's spider brood into a necklace. Those tears may be the very ones referred to in the song, the tears of Anat. Perhaps even the very necklace scattered on the table before them. Austra is more elusive. The only reference Elandra can recall is to the phrase 'goddess of fire' and the imagery of volcanoes and eruption along with it.

Trismaya is a name referred to obliquely in many texts. A story teller of some kind. A bard, weaver of tall tales, a woman of many names. Trismaya the mad, Trismaya the dreamer. Elandra is certain there is more to know about her, but that is beyond the ken of religion - no, Trismaya is, or perhaps was, a bard of some renown and it would be in another domain of knowledge secrets of hers would be stored.

Dimal's vision shifts, as it normally does when he uses the flute. The world becomes liquid-like and melts away, the colours twisting and blending together. Then something strange happens, his vision becomes foggy and unclear. The sensation reminds him of dreaming. There is a sound, but he can't discern what it is. Then, suddenly, he wakes.

From the other's perspective the bards eyes had glossed over and then his grip on the flute loosened, letting it fall into his lap. He remained still, staring into space for a few moments before suddenly his eyes cleared and he bolted to attention. It was as if he had woken suddenly from a deep sleep.

The spell did not work. All Dimal was certain of was that she was no longer on this plane.

Dimal recalls reading something, in fact many things, about Trismaya. There are many stories of her in the bardic histories, she was a bard of some apparent renown. Her life frequently intersected with other heroes, in fact those very heroes who, in the bardic lore, are said to have possessed a tear of Anat. Many of those heroes were those named in the song that the strange woman played before vanishing to another plane. Ayrawn, Mabharo, Tianet, Dorhendr and even Trismaya herself, said to possess the moonstone tear. The tales were often regarded by the bard's as more fiction than fact, but Dimal knew even fictional tales were based upon something true.

He has no insight into what plane she may have gone to, except, perhaps, the lingering sensation of a dream.