Private Rokanan's World

[Eloise Dinn]

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," Altrea said, her eyes flashing toward Amani. The wrathful look subsided and she pouted. "I want to save Marcus too."

Eloise rubbed her face irritably. What was it with her siblings all wanting to rush into dangerous situations? Had playing at being gods convinced them of their own immortality? Regardless, she'd had enough of this. "Do you think this is some kind of game?" she snapped.

Altrea shrank back, surprised by her sister's outburst. "I thought—"

"This is real! Marcus was really kidnapped, and his life is in actual danger! Do you want to put yourself at risk?"

"No…" It looked like Altrea was starting to snap out of it. But then she lifted her chin. “I’m the third most powerful deity in the Pantheon! I can handle myself!”

Eloise jerked a thumb toward her chest. "As long as our parents are gone, I'm in charge. You'll do what I say, or I’ll tell Mom and Daddy you disobeyed. Got it?"

"Yeah,” Altrea mumbled.

"Let's go."

---

Altrea's personal ship was a luxurious thing made from carved and painted wood. It moved swift as an arrow across the water, directed by the Sea Goddess' power.

"If you feel seasick, puke overboard," Eloise told Amani. Then she climbed up the rigging to manually adjust the sails. She had insisted they make haste crossing the ocean, even though what lay on the other side was totally unknown territory.

Altrea lounged on a couch on the deck, observing the people around her. "Hopefully we won't run into any sea monsters," she remarked.

Roll for sea monster Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Eloise seemed to snap her sister out of her delusions, at least for a little bit. Enough to convince her that she wasn't in charge, and that it wasn't a time for her to be doing anything reckless. Amani was just glad she didn't have to argue, and joined the sisters in heading for the ship as soon as the conversation was axed.

---

Being on a boat like this was different from riding a little dinghy on a placid Tython lake all those years ago. It was much different from flying a spaceship. Amani hadn't expected the nausea to hit her as uncomfortably as it did. She avoided yartzing her guts out so far, but it wasn't off the table. Amani wobbled into a seat, trying to ground herself against the rocking waves, "Uh huh," She told Eloise, offering a measly thumbs up to dismiss any concerns.

"Hopefully we won't run into any sea monsters,"

Amani's expression drooped further, "Are those a thing around here?" As if this sailing trip wasn't already bothersome enough.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

“No, she’s just messing with you,” Eloise said, her boots thudding against the deck as she hopped down from the rigging. “At least, there aren’t any other monsters around here aside from her.”

Altrea stuck out her tongue. A few minutes later, she suddenly said, “I miss Mom. Do you know where she is?”

Eloise had been expecting the question ever since she reunited with her sister, yet it still left her momentarily speechless. In the end, the looming threat of Amani trying to answer for her spurred her to speak. “She’s in prison,” she answered finally, the pronouncement of the verdict as blunt as it had been in the courtroom.

Altrea's eyes widened. “Why?”

“For doing bad stuff.”

“Like what?”

Rubbing her face, Eloise sighed. “Too many things to list them all.” And too many of her crimes were things that Altrea and the rest of the Dinn family did on the regular.

“Are you going to rescue her too, after you rescue Marcus?”

The image of her mother chained up, her limbs atrophied and her head shaved, was permanently burned into Eloise’s brain. But she couldn’t allow herself to feel pity for the withered creature in the cell at Azrael, the demented woman who believed she had to feed off of others to sustain herself. The psychologists were convinced it was all an act, that she believed her own delusion so strongly, her body had become emaciated to reflect her conviction that she was starving. That was the only explanation for how she could look like she was dying, yet still live.

“No,” she answered. “It would be too difficult.”

Altrea rocked a bit in her chair, clutching at a stuffed animal among the cushions. “Daddy will save her,” she said. “When he gets back.”

Eloise said nothing. She flopped down in a seat, trying to avoid looking at Amani.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani felt a bit of relief, which was immediately swept away when Altrea brought up the Dinn matriarch. She said nothing, instead looking toward Eloise as if to assess her reaction. The padawan chose to reveal the truth but not the details. Altrea wanted to know if there's was any opportunity to break Rhiannon out, and when told otherwise, insisted her father would figure something out.

Amani just stayed where she was, following Eloise with her eyes even as it became clear the girl was trying not to look at her. Eventually, Amani did speak, out of curiosity, "Where is your dad?"

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Altrea looked at Eloise, but her big sister had no answers. “He’s in the Netherworld,” the eight year old replied. “He has a ring stuck to his finger that pulls him in there randomly, and then he gets lost. But he always finds his way back.”

Eloise stared down at the deck. She was thinking about Nostremous and her quiet plea to her father. Whether he had heard it, and whether he could do anything even if it had reached him through the old mouse’s little ears. Was he marching through the Netherworld’s wastes right now, headed for the nearest portal to Realspace? Was he on his way to Zaathru, or following their trail across the desert? Did she really even want him to swoop in and save them, with all the awkwardness (and given Amani’s presence, likely violence) that was sure to follow?

Her thoughts brought a pang to her chest and a twisty sensation in her gut. For a second she felt like crying, from anger and sadness and fear and love. She didn’t know how long she sat there like that, one hand cupping her ribs, when Altrea said, “We’re almost there. Look!”

Eloise got up and looked over the starboard side. A strip of dark, craggy shoreline was painted across the horizon, getting bigger as they drew closer. She could see the silhouette of a castle on the cliffs, beautiful and in the ancient Zaathrian style. Yet as she stood there staring, she felt a miasma of darkness coming at them over the waves. Someone wasn’t happy to see them.

A warning from the Force struck her like a sudden arrow. At the top of the highest castle tower, a pale blue light appeared. “Get down!” she snapped, knocking Altrea off her couch as she hit the deck. The air reeked of burnt ozone as a beam of molten energy shot toward the ship, vaporizing the wood and canvas rigging over their heads.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani quirked an eyebrow, "That's… inconvenient," Convenient for the rest of the galaxy, is what she didn't say aloud. It was a mess of a situation, and she pitied the children whose upbringings were embroiled in it from day one. They had luxuries many could only dream of, but just like the natives they were swept up in a lie. Their entire livelihoods were built upon it. In Amani's eyes, that was no way to live.

After a long silence, she noticed Eloise was nearly unmoving. But before Amani could build up the courage to say something, Altrea spotted land. The healer followed her padawan to the side of the deck, to examine the ancient fortress. It was admirable in its construction, but like Eloise, Amani was distracted by an unpleasant looming sensation.

Then a mental warning flared. Amani tried to push Eloise back herself, before diving prone to avoid the blast. "Guess we're not talking things out," She sighed. That was fast. "Can we still make land?" Boat damage wasn't her forte, but a partially vaporized hull seemed like a pretty big issue.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

The next few minutes were chaotic, to say the least. While the rigging had been completely taken out by the laser, any hopes of continuing to sail the galleon were ruined once the sea began rushing in through the punctured hull.

Eloise stayed put as icy water rapidly rose around her hands and knees. She could sense another blast coming, this one meant to finish them off.

Beside her, Altrea had begun to chant in Shaalite, the power of the words palpable in the Force. Something about making a way for them. Eloise wrapped a panicked arm around her sister’s waist as the red haired girl threw her arms in the air, shouting at the increasingly tumultuous sea. A portal manifested in front of them, ringed with blue energy, its interior murky.

Altrea tore from Eloise’s grasp, disappearing through the portal. The air reeked of boiling saltwater as the laser prepared to fire again. “Come on!” Eloise shouted to Amani before jumping in after her sister.

Eloise was catapulted through dark waters, following a winding path across the ocean. She had an impression of being inside a fragile tube or bubble of air rushing through the depths, fish and other aquatic life blurry shapes in her peripheral. She wondered where Altrea had learned this trick, or if the idea of it had sprung from her fertile imagination—

The trip was over in a flash. Eloise was spat out not on dry land, but in shallow waters. She kicked her way to the surface, coughing up saltwater, and her hand touched smooth, carved stone. A set of marble stairs leading down to the sea.

Altrea lay prone upon the steps, wet and shivering. Eloise scrambled for her side, heedless of the bitterly cold wind cutting through her soaked clothes and hair. There were no injuries or blood apparent on her sister’s body, but she wasn’t responding.

“Master?” Eloise called out hoarsely. Had she even made it? “Amani!”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani struggled to maintain her balance, barely able to comprehend what was happening between the shifting waves and the breaking ship. She heard Eloise's voice, and spun back around just in time to see the two sisters disappear into a portal. Following just behind, she leapt through right after the laser fired again, propelling her into the sea even faster.

The whipping water batted her around, her senses overloaded with the pungent saltwater that filled her airways and the swirling blackness that clouded her vision. Then suddenly she emerged from the waves, fell back under, then finally pushed herself through to supririnsgly shallow waters. Whatever that little trick had been, she didn't have the time to process.

A voice called out. The water in her ears almost made it hard to make out. Amani forced herself onto her knees and shook her head, a wet mop of hair weighing down her neck. She retched, coughing up briny water and bile until her lungs were dry enough to breathe. The voice called out again. Her name.

Recognizing it, Amani sprung to her feet, nearly tripping over as equilibrium betrayed her, before catching herself, "Eloise?!" She replied back in a scratchy voice, finding her nearby on the steps. She nearly stumbled again reaching her, falling back down beside Eloise to see Altrea prone and unmoving. She got to work immediately with chest compressions and resuscitation.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Altrea coughed up water easily enough, groaning at Amani’s poking and prodding. Exhausted from the use of such a powerful spell, she had passed out.

“She’s weak,” Eloise said, holding her sister close. “Can you give her something to keep her going?”

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Altrea recovered relatively quickly, which was a good sign. She spit up some water and awoke, but was weak from using such a spell as she did.

At Eloise's request, Amani fished around in her medkit, and retrieved a small stim, which she then injected in Altria's arm, "That should help." The healer patted her on the shoulder, and slowly stood up, "What was that? They clearly aren't interested in talking." Shoot-first, ask-questions-later types certainly streamlined their options, if nothing else. "We should probably get a move on, in case they send a search team out."

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Altrea whined at the needle’s poke, but soon opened her eyes and looked around. “I guess reading those spellbooks Mom got me for Life Day paid off,” she said. “Where are we?”

“I dunno. Whoever lives here doesn’t like visitors,” Eloise muttered, wiping a few drops of water from her brow before they could trickle into her eyes.

Right as Amani suggested they get moving, the sound of footfalls, growls, and other noises approaching foretold the arrival of potential threats. About a dozen strange and startling creatures appeared at the top of the marble stairs, their bodies resembling twisted versions of native species. Many of them sported sharp teeth and claws, and some even carried makeshift weapons, but none moved to attack the trio. Instead they stood still, as though waiting for orders.

<Hello, you’ve reached Eshara, the Goddess of Madness, Obsession and Desire,> a sultry voice filled Eloise’s head, followed by laughter. <You must be the twin sister, Damara. You don’t look like much of a goddess.>

Eloise stood up and drew her lightsaber, leaving behind Altrea and Amani, neither of whom would “hear” the voice. “Where is he?” she demanded.

<He’s inside.> The ground rumbled faintly as the walls of the fortress behind the monstrous soldiers parted, revealing a hidden doorway. Eloise started toward it, only to be stopped by the creatures, who blocked her path. <You think I’m going to let you in looking like that?>

“What the feth does it matter?” Eloise growled. But if this goddess wanted a show in exchange for Marcus, she’d give her one. Reaching into her pocket, she clenched her fist around one of the smooth pebbles and concentrated. Mist engulfed her. When it dissipated, her old clothes had vanished. A regal black gown swathed her in the night, the fabric shimmering with starry diamonds. Her purple hair was darkened with oil and coiled into an elaborate jeweled headdress. But most significantly, her face was painted white like the moon, dark streaks trailing from her eyes like tears. The mask of Damara. She had tried so hard to avoid embodying the twilight goddess ever again, yet here she was, donning her costume on the whims of the woman who abducted her brother. Black lips pulled back in a snarling grin. "Happy now?"

<That’s more like it,> the voice purred. <Come in. Bring the little sea goddess with you, and your Mirialan pet.>

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani's poorly timed suggestion was met with the arrival of a strange animalistic force. Twisted beasts that looked feral but kept themselves at bay. Amani grimaced; it reminded her of Sithspawn. Eloise suddenly stood up, and demanded to know where her brother was. Amani, unaware of the voice she was speaking to, thought her padawan was about to do something rash. "Wait!" She stumbled to her feet and put a hand on Eloise's shoulder.

Then the fortress opened itself to them. Amani stepped back as the girl magically changed into her divine raiment, and was seemingly permitted access. She looked back and forth between her padawan and the fortress, "…Did you do that?" She asked, at a loss.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Eloise whirled around. But it was only Amani. Altrea had gotten to her feet and stood behind the Mirialan, beaming at her big sister’s transformation.

"…Did you do that?"

The Padawan hesitated, still tense and on edge. “That voice—didn’t you hear her?” she asked. “It was Eshara. She has Marcus. She said I had to look the part, or she wouldn’t let me in—” A pause, as she grew more self-conscious of how all this must’ve looked to her master. She didn’t want Amani to see her like this, but it couldn't be helped. “This isn’t the real me,” she said. “It’s just a costume. I’ll do whatever I have to do to save Marcus.”

She strode forward then, passing the bestial guards and the great doorway, entering into the fortress.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

“That voice—didn’t you hear her?”

Amani just shook her head. Eloise quickly explained the strange turn of events, and defended her little wardrobe change. Her master remained nonjudgemental, "We'll get him back." It wouldn't do good to get on the girl's case anyway; She needed to stay in a right state of mind, and that meant being focused and supported. Amani followed her padawan into the fortress, a hand close but not touching the pike on her back.

"So she knows we're coming," The Jedi assessed, "And she's inviting us in." A trap, almost assuredly. Or Eshara had a distinct enough advantage that it was equivalent to a trap. "How do you want to play this?"

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Of course it was a trap. Or maybe it wasn’t. Eloise didn’t know enough about Eshara’s motivations to conclude one way or the other. At Amani’s question, she stopped and turned around (the giant high collar of her dress made looking back over her shoulder somewhat difficult). That was when she caught sight of the stimmed-up Altrea skipping after them. She too had changed her clothes, putting on the costume of the sea goddess, shiny scales painted on her face marking her as Thalassa.

The sight gave Eloise pause. Better this than letting her catch cold in wet clothes, she reasoned. “I don’t know,” she finally answered Amani. “See if she leads us to Marcus, I guess. If not, we find him ourselves.

“Do you mean how will I present myself to her? How will I get her to hand him over?” She shrugged. “I’ll ask nicely. And if she says no…” She left the thought unfinished. No doubt Eshara was listening.

Inside the fortress, they found a massive great hall that seemed to stretch on forever, lined with pillars and doors. There was a strange chill to the room, like a cold wind blowing, and yet it was not of the air. It threatened to steal the heat from her flesh regardless, biting down to her bones. The opening of a door nearby brought with it a rush of warm air, inviting them in.

Casting a final glance at Amani, Eloise went through the doorway. The chamber beyond was dimly lit with candles; an open door led out onto a balcony, where the waning light of the setting sun cast shadows on the cliffs leading down to the sea. Eloise scanned the room, one hand gripping the hilt of her lightsaber, until her eyes fell upon a figure hunched over a canvas in a corner.

“Marcus?” she whispered his name, creeping forward cautiously. The figure looked up, and a ray of light from the window fell upon his eyes. Green like hers; green like their mother’s. Marcus wore white, with a circle of gold upon his head. He was outfitted as Dagda, Damara's counterpart, the personification of the Zaathrian moon which was visible in the sky at dawn. A god of prophecy, knowledge, and wisdom, as evident by the rays of light painted around his eyes.

Altrea ran forward at once, rushing to embrace her big brother. Marcus let her hop into his lap and loop her arms around his neck, dropping the brush he had been holding so that he could hug her back. The brush fell soundlessly on the carpet.

Eloise was full of questions. “Are you okay?” she asked first. “Are you hurt? Amani, have a look at him, please. What happened? How did you end up here?”

Marcus did not answer. He didn’t appear to be injured, nor was he starved or dehydrated. But something was off, that much was clear. His face was expressionless as he buried it in Altrea’s hair, his movements slow and strange, as if he were drugged (or under a spell, as Starlin had suggested). And the canvas he had been working on was… blank. Completely empty, with not even a single stroke of paint.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

The plan was a bit barebones, but then again it's not like they had much to go off of anyways. They were heading right into the enemy's lair, with no real knowledge about them beyond hearsay. Options were limited, and the only path presented to them was straight ahead. Amani went along with it silently, trying and ultimately failing to formulate something better.

They entered a massive great hall, which in turn lured them to another smaller chamber. The only thing they found inside was a canvas, and Marcus Dinn. He seemed unhurt, and even accepted his little sister's embrace. But his expression was withdrawn, his movements stiff and uncanny. Something was wrong. Amani approached slowly at Eloise's behest, noting the blank canvas before she carefully reached out, trying to connect with the young man's mind.

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

In a last desperate effort to coax a reaction out of Marcus, Eloise grabbed his shoulders and gave him a shake, to little avail.

“Hey!” Altrea whined as she was nearly knocked off his lap in the process. “Stop that.”

“Something’s not right,” Eloise said. “Get off him. It might be dangerous.”

Altrea glumly hopped down. Marcus hardly reacted to her leaving, his arms falling limply against his thighs in her absence. Upon examining his mind, Amani would find him firmly under the control of an exterior force. The enchantment was complex—the person who had cast this spell had done so over a period of time, perhaps weeks or even months, weaving strands in a web of power, slowly but surely exerting more and more influence over him.

His consciousness stirred, reacting to Amani’s prying. “Where is Eshara?” he asked. “She wants me to paint what I see, but the visions have stopped…”

Eloise was growing more freaked out by the second. “We need to get him out of here,” she hissed. Hooking an arm around Marcus, she pulled him to his feet. He walked wherever she led him—which was straight out the door.

But when they crossed the threshold, they didn’t return to the great hall. Instead, they found themselves in a throne room carved from black rock that glittered with mineral deposits in the flickering candlelight. Shaalite soldiers were posted at every exit; more mutated creatures stood guard on either side of the throne. And in the chair reclined Eshara. Marcus had captured her likeness well in his painting, but there her expression had been serene. Now her face bore a cruel smirk as she looked down upon them.

“So Damara and Thalassa have come for their brother,” she said. “But he will not betray his mistress.”

She stretched out her arm. Despite Eloise trying to stop him, Marcus walked over to her and clasped her hand. “Let him go!” Eloise snarled. “Marcus, she’s manipulating you!”

If her words even reached him, Marcus showed no reaction. He was completely under Eshara’s thrall.

“Your father killed my husband Kolinahr,” Eshara said, her voice laced with loathing. “So I have taken his son. Be glad that I have decided to let him live. He is less than Kolinahr ever was, but he will suffice as a mate.”

Anger and disgust roiled in Eloise. “Kolinahr tried to kill us!” she exclaimed. “It was self-defense!”

“It was a failed attempt at nipping your Pantheon in the bud.” Eshara rose to her feet, her dark wings fanning out behind her. “But your father isn’t here to protect you this time. Is Desdinova a coward, that he sends his daughters to retrieve their brother rather than coming himself? Or are the rumors true, and both of your parents are finally gone?” She spoke of their demise with unabashed glee, a smile curling her red lips.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

"He's under some kind of spell," Amani confirmed, "He's barely there…" Something seemed to stir in him however, enough to get out a question. Eloise insisted on getting him up and out of here, which Amani had no objections to. She walked close, keep a hand on her pike, tugging it to the edge of her shoulder for access.

Unsurprisingly, their exit was hardly so easy. They walked back through the doorway, but were instead brought to a large (and heavily guarded) throne room. Overseeing it all was none other than Eshara. She made her distasteful intentions for the Dinn brother quite clear, drawing a look of disgust from Amani. "You will let him go," She said defiantly, "Taking out your revenge on Marcus won't make anything better."

Eloise Dinn​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise didn’t have an answer for Eshara, not one that wouldn’t involve revealing sensitive information (or admitting that they were alone). The Goddess of Madness and Desire nodded knowingly, her smile broadening.

But Altrea wasn’t about to take this crap lying down. “My daddy can beat you up!” she exclaimed. “If you don’t let Marcus go, he’ll kill you for sure!”

For the tiniest of moments, Eshara seemed a bit fearful of such an outcome. After all, Arcturus had defeated and then devoured Kolinahr. But then she laughed. “But your daddy isn’t here, is he?”

"You will let him go. Taking out your revenge on Marcus won't make anything better."

“It will be quite beneficial to me.” Eshara steepled her hands. “This isn’t about revenge, not really. That’s just a convenient excuse. I want the boy. He’s mine.”

Eloise searched for any sign of defiance or willpower in her brother’s blank face. “Yeah, well, he doesn’t want you,” she snapped, igniting her lightsaber. “He’s not your fething boytoy. I’m not going to let you treat him like a puppet for your own amusement!”

She took a swing at Eshara—only for a blue blade to block hers. Marcus had parried the blow. Eloise cursed, backing off. Marcus followed her down, forcing her to retreat further.

Eshara wore a chit-eating grin as she watched them duel. “Bold of you to assume he doesn’t want me.”

Altrea glanced anxiously up at Amani, not sure what to do.

Amani Serys​

 

[Amani Serys]

“This isn’t about revenge, not really. That’s just a convenient excuse. I want the boy. He’s mine.”

"Yeah, that doesn't really help your case," Amani said, drawing her weapon. Marcus was made to engage Eloise, forcing the siblings to fight. While he was busy, Amani decided to close in on Eshara. Igniting the lightsaber she pointed it at the woman's throat, "Let him go. Final warning."

Eloise Dinn​