Tasya's Story

You slip though the door unnoticed. Beyond is a wine cellar and barrel room with some other supplies on shelves. There are also a few scattered cots and bed rolls. Mischa is waiting for you and steps out of shadows to the side, just beyond the doorway, when you come in.

"Follow me," she says and leads you through the room and down a cool cellar hall dimly lit by sparse candles on the walls. There are a couple of doors on either side of the hall and at the end of the hall is a ladder leading upward behind a platform lift controlled by a rope pulley system.

She ducks into one of the rooms off the hall. It's a shabby bedroom/make-shift office. She motions you to sit on a chair and begins.

"I need to tell you so much more Tasya. There is much Jin and even Ganesh does not know. It goes deeper than the Rajahadraja's deceitful dealings with the Iron Ring. The workings of the true evil here put you in the center of it.

You were not born on this earth Tasya. Not even in this realm. Oh, you are human. Your father, Danya, died protecting his village from an Iron Ring raid in Karameikos, a proud Traladarian, or so your mother told me, he fell in battle, sacrificing his own life to protect his people. Your mother, Tiana, was not so lucky to die on this earth, but instead like so many others, including me, was sold to the Deep Dragon Cult.

The cult worships the Deep Dragon Sekkor, who descovered the portal to the Demon Realm in the underdark and became bound to the service of the demon lords. Sekkor's allegiance to the demonic forces compelled him to gather human offerings for his masters. Tiana was sent through the Demon Portal and plunged into a life of slavery within the depths of the demon-infested realm."

She pauses to see how you are taking the news.

Tasya sits stunned as Mischa reveals these most terrible secrets. A single tear rolls down from the corner of her left eye, only to be wiped away. "I was born in the Demon Realms? And..you were there too with my..mother? You brought me here?"

Mischa sees your tear and noticeably attempts to hold back her own flood of emotion. Instead of bursting, she breaths deeply, looks at you with a compassionate gaze and continues.

"I'm sorry my dear that this is so much to hear. But yes, I brought you here. I was loyal to your mother and she chose me to do so."

She breathes again before revealing:

"The demons gain power by feeding on the minds of their human slaves. When humans are particularly strong willed, they are desirable to the demons because they offer the demons greater power. This is at the heart of why the Deep Dragon Cult is using the Iron Ring; the demons require human wills and therefore humans. It is the will of humanity that empowers them.

In the Demon Realm, your mother proved even stronger than your father in this realm. Her spirit remained unbroken. And her defiant will sparked a revolt among the human slaves, challenging our demonic oppressors.

The Dark Prince, demon ruler of the realm, and a being of insatiable hunger for power, took interest in your mother’s resilience and her growing rebellion. In response, he dispatched his demonic forces to quell the uprising. Despite the overwhelming odds, Tiana and her rebels fought valiantly, each embodying the strength of their unbroken spirits. However, the demons, with their insidious powers, began to feed on the minds of the human resistance, growing stronger with every will they consumed. But, your mother’s indomitable will withstood even the most vicious torment, refusing to bend to the Dark Prince's desires.

Her defiance only intensified the Dark Prince’s obsession with her. He desired not only her strength but also to understand how her compassion gave her the power she possessed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break Tiana's will. This fueled his desire even more. His obsession transformed into a twisted love, an infatuation with the very essence that made her so resistant to his influence. And he yearned to make her his queen. But she would not break or concede."

Mischa pauses momentarily to give you time to process and to make sure you can interject with questions.

"You speak of my mother in the past tense." Tasya says. "Does this mean she is dead or has the demon transformed her into a dark travesty of herself?"

Mischa answers, "I can’t be sure what happened to your mother after bringing you through the portal into this realm, but if know her, after she was sure you were safe, she found a way to defy the Dark Prince and continue the resistance. I saw your mother face the demons. I was inspired by her fierce resolve, her unbreakable spirit, as were many. I was another slave chosen by the Dark Prince and in our servitude to the vile demon I was able to gain the confidence of your mother. My psychic abilities and your mother's friendship were the only things that kept me alive through horrors of torment and oppression inflicted by the demon prince.

The most amazing thing happened yesterday Tasya, just before the madness under the tent in Vidhaya...

My methods of charming my snakes can often leave their minds open to be inhabited by forces outside this world. It is something I am very careful about and try to avoid."

Mischa's voice and demeanor becomes tinged with happy relief as she continues.

"While in a trance preparing my snakes for the show, I heard your mother’s voice in their minds. I don't know how, but she called to me. She is alive, Tasya!

She bid me to tell to you everything, telling me the demons can be overthrown with the help of the dragons. She said the Deep Dragon has become but a demon slave himself. She urged us to find the Deep Dragon's blade, Reaver, and seek his brother's ship that are hidden in this realm. She said, the dragons must be reunited. When I tried to ask questions her presence dissipated and faded. The snakes became themselves again.

I should tell you about your birth, Tasya.

Your mother was pregnant with you when she was brought to the Demon Realm. Secretly, she was fiercely protective of you, her unborn child, and was determined to prevent you from being born into a life of servitude to the demons. As her pregnancy became apparent, her plight was noticed by the Dark Prince. In an attempt to coerce her to submit to his will, the demon prince offered her a deal: he would allow you to be born and permit you to leave the Demon Realm, but only if in exchange your mother became his queen.

Though reluctant to accept, your mother realized this was the only way to secure your future. She agreed to the Dark Prince's terms, driven by her love for you and the belief that, one day, you would be the force that would free her and the slaves from the clutches of darkness.

Your mother demanded to the Dark Prince that I be the one to carry you safely through the Demon Portal back to this realm. She knew of my psychic abilities and that the demons would erase my detailed memories of the Demon Realm’s design and Demon Portal's workings. But she also knew they would not think to do so to a newborn infant. So she told me to transfer and hide her knowledge of the portal and the infernal realm in your mind. There the knowledge would be safe. So I did and I promised to watch over and protect you until you grew and gained experience, when I should awaken these memories in you."

When Mischa mentions the Demon Portal again a vision of it flashes quickly in your mind. The shocking flash robs your breath momentarily.





Mischa continues explaining how you came to be part of the circus. "I took you to the circus, the life I was born into, to the existence I remembered from before the demon horrors, where you could remain hidden and safe. Ganesh adopted you and I watched over you, making sure you remained safe and your story unknown."

Tasya listens intently to the details of Mischa's secrets revealed. She puts a hand to her temple, as the vision of the gate flashes in her mind.

"We need to rescue my mother." She says plainly and then frowns. "But, how do you know so much about these dragons and their belongings?"

"I truly wish I knew more, Tasya" Mischa says. "I don't know anything about the dragons' belongings, just what Tiana's voice told me. I do know that the Deep Dragon Cult is responsible for abducting humans and bringing them to the demons in the name of their master, Sekkor the Deep Dragon. I remember...too well..."

Mischa mood turns dark as sadness comes over her.

"My family, the circus I was born into, was taken by the Deep Dragon Cult, surprised in the night. I can still hear everyone's screams as the Cult's mages bore into our minds. Those who survived were brought to the demons. I remember being tortured and herded into the underdark to be offered to our demon oppressors. The cultists always whispering their master Sekkor's name.

I don't know more than that. I tried to question your mother after she spoke to me through the snakes, but her voice faded away."

"The circus is all I've ever known." Tasya pipes in with Mischa's talk of the circus. "Slavers and dragons and demons and... pirates?" She shakes her head. "This is all too much..."

"I am sorry Tasya that this unbelievable tale is actually your...," Mischa pauses and corrects her statement will a gentle emphasis, "...our story."

"The question is what are we going to do?" She askes.

Suddenly you hear a small voice at your feet, it comes from out of nowhere.

"No, no! Must save friend's mother from dark darks. They bad bad. Fey not like dark darks."

...and Petalwing appears at your feet as she speaks and removes herself from being invisible.

Tasya crouches down and scoops up Petalwing on the palm of her hand. She shrugs to Mischa's question. "If those more powerful than we have not been able to liberate the slaves, including this mighty dark dragon, what chances have we?"

Petalwing has a stern, serious, determined look on her face as you lift her up on your palm.

Mischa replies, "I really don't know Tasya. Your mother said to find the Deep Dragon's blade, Reaver...seek his brother's ship...that the demons can be overthrown with the help of the dragons...yet the Deep Dragon is but a demon slave himself. I do know that the Deep Dragon Cult's temple resides in the underdark.

Perhaps, there is one who might be able to help us on Elegy, an islander, a soothsayer known mostly to pirates and other sea captains. It is said that she sees the power of other realms and can block, tap, or channel those forces. She is also said to be very eccentric. I wouldn't be surprised if she were to demand a personal circus show in payment for her services. She calls herself Lady Oceana."

Petawing pipes in excitedly, "Lady Oceana. She nice, nice sea fey friend."

Tasya looks at Petalwing and then back to Mischa. "So, we need to find a way to Elegy and meet with this Lady Oceana that doesn't involve boarding a pirate ship. Simple as that"

"What do you suggest we do to that end Tasha?" asks Mischa.

"Find a well-armed merchant ship heading for the island?" Tasha thinks aloud. "Or..maybe some pegasi or griffons to fly us over? A mage to teleport us?"

Mischa sympathizes, "Those would be nice, especially a ride on pegasi! A merchant ship sounds like a reasonable route. I'm sure there's one heading there or close enough, but how could we conceal our identity as the circus? It's likely that merchants would rather turn us in than be boarded or chased by the Rajaharaja's royal fleet."

"It has been an awful experience since my performance and I'd rather not be violated by pirates and sold into slavery." Tasya exudes in her exhaustion. "I can't believe Jin thought I would be alright with traveling aboard a pirate ship. He knows me better than that..or he should."

Mischa is about to respond but she stops abruptly and looks at you as you both hear…

"I assure you mahaser that below is just a storage area and wine cellar. The platform is how we get things down there," assures a frail but urgent voice, projecting louder that his body allows, perhaps to alert those below.

A rough male voice responds. "Move aside innkeeper! Nonetheless, we will use the ladder and examine your cellar! There are rumors on these docks regarding your establishment's association with Sind's conspirators. "

Tasya looks around to see if there is a way out other than the way they came in. She looks askant at Mischa and whispers, "Fight or flight?"