The Fiend Defeated

The Castle on the Edge of Waking

The guests have departed -- though, as Telamon graciously remarks, if things -ever- calm down they'll have to return for a proper party. Auranar will be filling Lana in on what happened, factoring it into their plans. Magpie probably has enough material for several papers, and Dremarim will get the opportunity to declare his death a bit premature. Albus, sadly, will have to remain as a book -- for now. "There's got to be a better way than a golem body," Tel muses, as he tidies up. The containment circle is dismissed, the large bowl drawn back down into the castle kitchens, and the dust of the late, unlamented Koz'gon is collected into an empty winebottle, the mouth corked and sealed.

The half-elf picks up the bottle, nodding to the translucent servitors, as he ambles down to the small 'family dining room' he prefers to use when it's just Lana and himself. He seats himself, and gestures to the waiting servant. "Tea, please. Lavender-mint. And fire up the kitchens... I think I'll be receiving guests shortly."

He smiles, remembering the sight of Auranar, the lines of age fading with Koz'gon's demise. "How many others are receiving an early Yule gift, I wonder?" he muses to himself.

She arrives a short walk from the Castle on the Edge of Waking. For a few moments, she peers off into the distance, looking across the Sea of Dreams. The Goblin then turns and walks towards the keep. Having been made a guest before, she heads inside.

"Where is the castle's master?", she asks of one of said servitors. And so it is that she arrives /with/ the lavender-mint tea, trailing a step or two behind the nearly invisible servant. Perhaps it is unnecessary, surely the master of the Castle on the Edge of Waking should know of people inside his domain. But she clears her throat anyways.

"Telamon.", she says evenly.

Telamon glances up, and the look on his face is... actually somewhat amusing. For a moment, his expression is of a lad caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Not exactly guilty, but 'Oops'. Then it passes in an instant and he smiles broadly, rising from his seat. "Simony! I didn't realize you'd arrived... truth be told I was expecting other guests. But you're welcome here as well. Please, sit down..."

The sorcerer returns to his seat when Simony has taken hers, offering her a winning smile. "If you'd like something to eat, I've already alerted the kitchens. How can I be of assistance?" He resolutely does -not- look at the sealed bottle sitting on his table that does NOT contain wine.

If Simony has noticed the ... urn, she makes no sign of it. Telamon /is/ a sorcerer of renown and power, it is not strange or unusual for him to have many an interesting thing. "I am here because you have slain Koz'gon." A pause, a moment of doubt in her expression. "You have slain him, haven't you?"

The diminutive woman moves to settle into a chair comfortably, letting out a small sigh. "He took some of my time. It felt terrible to lose it... quite the reverse when it came back to me. He took it slowly, as if he were sipping at my life like one sips one's tea. Having it returned was like a cold bucket of water in the middle of winter."

Telamon's never been really good at lying to his friends. Oh, he can prevaricate, and bluff, and jest. But push him, and he's just too darn good. "Yes," he says with a small smile. "It's... a bit of a story. I'm sorry you missed it." His eyes, starry and calm, regard Simony. "He won't steal any more years."

Then a mischievous look moves across his face. "I'm wondering what to do with what's left of him. Granted, there wasn't much, but I hate leaving the castle untidy."

She's off the chair in a moment, and hopping into Telamon's lap. There are tears and sobs, and the hugs of a Goblin. "I am sorry I missed it. But I won't miss him messing with my friends' lives, stealing their time to extend his." The rest is just tears of relief.

That was unexpected, but Telamon wraps his arms around Simony regardless. Hugging her back. "No more circles in heads, no more lost years," he says firmly. Letting her get it out of her system. "Easy now. I think you need a meal and..." He pauses as far off, there's a familiar howl. "-There- they are." He waves a servant over. "Please allow my guests entry, They and their kind are welcome here."

The Goblin manages to look embarrassed, and composes herself, retreating back to her chosen chair. Her ears perk up a little at the howls. "Oh, you've invited the hounds?" She dabs at her eyes a little bit. "They were very helpful. As well, their presence was reassuring."

Simony sighs and rubs at her cheeks. "I was a little cross once I figured out what had happened. It's difficult to miss the extra spring in your step, and the feel of your vitality returning, of your youth returning... the crow's feet disappearing from the corners of your eyes. And that furrow on the brow disappearing."

Telamon nods. "They were called to harry Koz'gon. With his demise, they are free now. But as they are Ni'essa's faithful, I would be remiss in not offering them the hospitality of Leca'fi Amdamu."

Tel looks at Simony sympathetically. "It must've been terrible. I only got a brief touch of it, the first time I faced off against Koz'gon. I didn't even feel that time returning when I killed him." He pauses. "Granted, I was a little distracted at the time."

At this point, the moon dogs pad in, three glossy-white hounds that bow to Telamon and Simony. Telamon rises, returning the bow before sitting back down again. "I release you from your oath, Swiftstep. Know also that Leca'fi Amdamu is open to you as a refuge, if you should ever need it."

There's no proper or formal reply from Simony, she simply hops down from the chair to hug at each of the moon dogs in turn. "And you have the gratitude of a Temperance. If you have need of me, you need only ask."

Simony returns once more to her chair, and nods then to Telamon. "You are far longer lived than I, we Goblins burn the candle at both ends, as it were. What was taken from me would be a trifle to you. I suspect he knocked me into middle age. There were... unexpected changes. I admit, I wept later, when I was alone."

She looks to the hounds once more, and then to Telamon. "But, as luck would have it, that has sorted itself out, hasn't it? Has he been cast back to the depths of the hells? Or is he... permanently gone? No chance to return or be summoned. Erased?"

The hounds stare at Telamon -- communicating with him first, and he nods with a smile. They then turn to accept the hugs from Simony, each giving her a melange of telepathic warmth and reassurance. That all is well.

The dogs pad across the hall to the larger dining room, where servants can be seen wheeling in carts. Telamon's expression is one of restrained glee. "They were thinking about bringing some of their packs here that have young pups. Even moon dogs have children, it seems." Pulling his mind back to Simony's question, Tel's eyes become hard and focused. "No. He will not return. I had considered that his theft of time might be an impingement on certain powers... and I used a wish to draw attention to it."

As a cart is wheeled into the little room Simony and Tel are in, Telamon can't help but grin. "Navos says hello, by the way."

"Awww, puppies?" There are a thousand requests reflected in her eyes. She then blinks. "Oh! Any word from the Watchlings? I imagine they might like this serene place, yes?"

Simony looks a bit more at ease. "A bit of an overstep that went unseen for far too long. A wish, was it?" She frowns then. "I now kick myself for not attempting a miracle of some form. I am quite certain that it would have been answered with a rather enthusiastic yes."

It's the last bit that causes her to huff in annoyance. "He ought to drop by and say hello to me himself. He certainly has many opportunities to do so. And I know He is listening, I do pray and I am able to command quite powerful spells now." She goes silent for a moment.

"Excuse me... how were you in contact with Navos, exactly?"

Plates are being laid down in front of Simony and Telamon, and helpings of roasted chicken with vegetables ladled out onto the plates. A basket of bread is set at the center of the table as well. "I intend to visit the Watchlings next. It's been long, and I am curious to see how they've done. But..." he spreads his hands. "When you reach the heights of power, the gods reward you with... more work to do." He chuckles softly, sipping his tea.

"Let me start at the beginning. I had gathered friends here to discuss Koz'gon, and his master Cul, and his mother. We were trying to nail down some of the details -- Core'thil, Auranar, Magpie, and myself. We were aided in this by Albus Kinkade."

While the cant of her ears says she is listening, her eyes are on the chicken and bread. "That is always how it goes. Completing your work is rewarded with more work. Not that I am complaining, it is the way of the world." Simony snags one of loafs, and pulls a piece of it free, quickly chewing and swallowing it.

The Goblin nods. "His master, Cul. And Koz'gon's mother, or Cul's mother? I am curious as to how she fits into all of this." Another piece of bread is had before she continues.

"I know of Albus Kinkade. I helped Magpie with that cursed book, after all. So how..." She blinks. "No. You didn't. That dragon swallowed him..."

Telamon's expression is one of exasperation. "Indeed. Tanith swallowed him and it -still- didn't kill the son of a..." He takes a breath. "After probing into Albus's knowledge, as well as getting help from one of his friends, Dremarim, we decided to call Tanith here and see if she knew what Koz'gon's fate was."

"Whereupon we found he was somehow still alive in her gullet. Fortunately it wasn't affecting Tanith -- gods preserve us from a fiend taking control of her -- but he wasn't -dead-. At which point I directed her to spit him out into a circle of warding I had whipped up quickly."

"Well... fiends are often resistant or immune to acid. I assume a dragon's stomach works similarly to ours, so he was sitting in a stinky, confined space, in a pool of acid. Had he remained there for all eternity, that'd have been a fitting end." Simony giggles lightly.

"However, I suppose it was a situation you figured you could capitalize on. And if he could take control of dragons... we would have known it already. He no doubt would have immediately used it to further his own purposes. He didn't hesitate to try to kill people with fire in the circus, or use Jacob to break people out of the Arcanists' Dungeon, or use the Crimson Pen to try and get Magpie."

"So... a circle of warding, and then a well worded wish?"

"Pretty much. The circle wasn't going to hold him -- Koz'gon was a very powerful fiend. I could bring the full power of the castle to bear against him, but I had my guests to think of and protect." Telamon's eyes glow softly. "And so I wished that all the years he had stolen be stripped from him. Returned to their rightful places for the living, but should those be gone, let the years be turned over to the Historian Navos as he is the guardian of time."

"And Navos answered. His eye fell on Koz'gon, and every stolen moment was rent from him -- and it destroyed the fiend utterly." Tel grins, a hard and triumphant expression. "And now all that remains is..." He reaches over, and picks up the tightly sealed bottle which holds a great quantity of dust or ash. "I thought about dumping it in a privy, but..."

Her eyes go to the bottle, and they widen slightly. Her hammer is in her hand a moment later. "We smash it and scatter him to the winds..." She falters then and sighs. "I suppose that would just be spreading his taint, wouldn't it."

She looks very disappointed, her hammer being slipped back into the loop on her belt. "What if we found a pocket plane and tossed that into it? Or uh... maybe put it into a bag of holding, and stick that into another bag of holding, I hear the interaction basically sucks everything in the bag into oblivion..."

Telamon hmms. "Hence why I had the servants collect every particle of dust. I wasn't sure what leaving this garbage around would cause, and I didn't want to find out." His expression becomes quizzical. "Honestly, I was going to pay a visit to the temples. Talk to Zeke about it -- although he spends a lot of time now at his homestead with his new cihuaa, Cuemoni." He chuckles. "Married life agrees with him."

"It agrees with many people.", she replies.

"Erm, I am sure you will find a solution. I am just happy to put this behind me. And us. Though, uhm..." Simony frowns lightly. "You will have to explain it to Aelwyn. He will think that I conspired to keep him safe and out of danger. He, like I, wanted a hand in Koz'gon's demise. He was cross with me thinking I would keep him at arm's length, when I had helped Magpie catch the person who'd been following her."

"There is much more to be done." Telamon steeples his fingers. "Dremarim was taken off the board -- he was almost killed, in fact -- by someone masquerading as a fellow mage. In retrospect, that seems very convenient, as Dremarim is a notable sage with a lot of experience in countering fiends."

"I'm also curious as to how Cul will react with his fiendish ally removed. I'm hoping for him to do something foolish, but you can't count on it." Tel shrugs. "So I'm sure you and Aelwyn will still have challenges ahead. I'll talk to him though."

The Goblin's stomach interrupts things with a loud gurgle, and Simony's cheeks colour a deep red.

"Perhaps we could continue after we've had dinner? And I think we should focus on moon puppies and watchlings. It would make for lighter conversation."

She nods then, "I would appreciate it if you would. I feel he would be less annoyed if you explained that it was an off-the-cuff idea. And point out that the people behind Koz'gon's antics are still out there, and that they are responsible for Aelwyn's pain and the assault on his brother."

"I wouldn't say 'off the cuff'. More the perils and fortunes of war -- sometimes, things happen." Telamon forks up some chicken and vegetables. "However, I think you're right. This sort of thing shouldn't be discussed over a meal. Especially one as good as this."

"So to turn to lighter news, my thought is that I'll try and ascertain where the Watchlings are -- or better yet, where my ancestor Feadril is. He's responsible for instructing them. Once that's done, we'll take a little trip and see how they're doing." His eyes glint merrily. "I admit, the idea of moon puppies gamboling around the courtyard makes me grin. But what's a castle without guests?"

Simony waits on Telamon, before helping herself to the chicken, at last, loading up a plate.

"A castle without guests, much like a home without guests, is a lonelier place. But, that may be desirable at times."

She giggles lightly. "I like the idea of puppies running around, chasing a ball or a stick or each other. I could watch that for days." She nods then, grinning. "And I would rather enjoy a trip, even if we don't find them. A quiet adventure sounds very nice right about now. Oh. I used gate to get here, I picked a spot near the front door, where we paused once to look out over the Sea of Dreams."

"That reminds me. I also need to take a shopping trip, as it were. I've been working on warding the castle, but I need some information. I have something to trade, but I got sidetracked with this mess." Telamon grins. "Ever been to Cloud City? I'm thinking of taking friends and family along. It'll be educational, and we shouldn't have any problems there."