Journal #75: The City of Twin Souls

If I had to put my first impression of Rhaead into words, it would be a severe case of culture shock. Being born as Aletheia Drow, especially in Vaermyrhel, was beyond anything I could imagine. The dark elves were friendly. Drow on the surface, walking, and shopping, though they made a wide berth around us. Clad in armor and magical items, the strangers arrive via teleportation magics with a demon. We didn't give these people the best first impression; thank God I don't need to wear armor such as some paladins I know. The demon, making good on the deal, quickly vanished back into her jungle.
 
The first brave soul to approach us was a druidic drow. Like many people, they showed signs of the Shard's effect on this lane; the lack of food was apparent. Brave to approach all of us who were armed, and in retrospect, I can understand why the people around us were a bit concerned to see our recent appearance. The druidic-looking drow started asking for answers, which led to a fascinating revelation: she was treating us nicely.
 
She, of course, had an aura of authority but not in the same way an aletheian matron would. Her husband joined us shortly after as she approached us a bookish sort, but we were both nature focused as if they were Druids. They were but for some circle downstairs, their term for the Underdark. Their names were Nyatria and Fenviar Jhaldrin.
 
I took us to a small Cafe right off the market square to avoid lingering eyes.
 
We explained roundabout why we were here, traveling to find some magical artifact. While the other spoke, I went to a local Shop for books to see if they had any research on what was happening recently. They did, but it was over the top of teleportation and the effects it has been having on other facets of their life on this continent. as well as a couple of other books, one on devil binding and something else, and me a thousand gold just for the research on teleportation as it was new and information is minimal. Thus the raised price. While I felt I was getting conned out of some coin, I let it slide.
 
This drow couple was lovely. The drow was friendly here; commenting on this made the couple learn that we were not from the southern continent, which didn't seem to bother Nyctria as much as it should have. Her husband had noted we were from Aletheia, so he had some knowledge of the drow from that continent. It was near the end of our conversation, but she decided the best way to help us would be for us to contact the leader of her Circle. which was in a place called the Lake of the Dream Moon.
 
The Archdruid Halilth Beldeirra, a council member of the city of twin souls, was looking across the Lake. To say he knew things was an understatement—things no average person should understand unless they were Within this group.
 
What happened to the following Gods was among a few things he knew. His information was incredibly accurate to a concerning degree, and he claimed this Lake had shown him visions. He even offered the Visions to us, given how much he knew about us and our deeds.
 
While we didn't stop immediately to sleep near the Lake to receive these dreams, we did travel around the city for a bit. It was shockingly normal; we could be pedestrians for once though it was clear that we were tourists from another country.

I'll skip straight to what happened at the Lake as it is crucial. Whatever Malina or I did within the Waters of that Lake caused the Shard to react. I hadn't known it then, but apparently, I had endangered people's lives.
 
Given the information about the druid and how accurate it had been, I had thought because of Pharasma's protections, her connection with fate and water. I might be more protected if I had gone into the Lake and seen something different. The Archdruid's information was so spot on I thought that going into the Lake, I could find something to explain it. And I did to some extent, and I thought it would be a shard. When I leaped into the Lake, it was like a blue abyss floating. In those depths, my connection to Pharasma was faint. Far fainter than before. Something else was there, a small girl glowing with deer antlers. I had thought I was speaking to A Shard or at least some representation. I later found out this was an avatar.
 
But to some extent, The Shard has already influenced the land and the people's perceptions. Well, at the time, I was not worried, as it was just a conversation. It seemed like the others were. Malina had leaped in, as well as Licia.
 
A sorceress lost her connection to her demigod, taken away by the antlered child. Washed out clean and pure, or at least those words were not precisely used by the blue child, but it was close enough. It was her choice, and I don't fault her for it, as I've already traded away one chance to be a champion. Still, she doesn't have protections against any Shard corruption. Many other things that happened when I leaped into the Lake might have been the cause of the shards acting up again. I don't know what signaled them, but that Lake was connected to them somehow.
 
I only say this because later, Burdyr and Talinde appeared, and it hadn't been a happy reunion. Azyel as well, but he didn't share the anger the other two had.
 
That came after the visions. It felt like an eternity before we could get some sleep. We'd eventually gotten ourselves out of the water. What I said to that being that appeared before me, I meant it for the Shard. Nobody deserves to be forgotten, especially after what happened to them. I want to know the complete picture because, at that point, I'll better understand what I need to do. Protecting the people around me is number one, but with every step closer to the truth, the line between right and wrong becomes blurred.
 
When sleep eventually found us, the visions were related to the shards, not all of them but a few.
 
Blood, hot and red, pours through my hands. Slick with red, struggling forth, clinging fast to a bastion of hope. So much and so many are already lost. I am clinging to the scant hope that this will be enough to save the rest. Life to the hopeless. Death to the corrupt. Swinging my weapon, blood spatters against the flagstones. But the only noises are those of relief and the frantic cries of those for whom I fought - their joy, their worry. The truths burn in my chest; soon enough, they will know.
 
I knew that as I watched. I felt the cold void's stare upon me, my weight of your death from afar. Defiance rages in me as an unstoppable inferno, a life unwilling to submit. I held the empty blade aloft to stare it in the eye: the red blaze of my, no other's, stare glints in the dark metal, and the vision of the world around me shattered like glass.
 
I awoke with a start, finding Silver tucked into my hands, the remembered weight of something much colder, much heavier, still lingering in my clenched fingers. Celuriel had a small string tied around her finger.
 
In anger, I stormed out of my tent. Slamming Silver into the stone. It sunk in deep, draining the stone of color around it. Another concerning development as to what that blade could do. I knew its connection to the spirit blade, but I looked at its soul and saw something concerning. silver and black and crackling with red lightning. I don't know what that means, and I'm concerned that I had connected the dots somewhere in my mind and hated what I thought of.
 
Celu's dream concerned me as much as the others. Her dream vision was the gods protecting us, threads wrapped around like armor. Of course, some had frays in their armor others, the threads rap so tightly around them it was armor itself. Our Paladin and resident Star Girl bonds with their gods were the strongest. It was when Celu had described the threads around me that I had gotten concerned. She didn't describe them as frayed like the others. She said they were snapping.
 
I don't know what this means, and it concerns me.