Naturally

"Of course, beloved. I just got you back, I am not going to let you out of my sight for a while." You smile at Brighid and give her a kiss in reply, then quickly sponge yourself off from the grunge of your pre- and post-nap activities and slip into some clothes. The Sun-ray Spear is on a weapon rack against one wall -- Brighid must have retrieved it from where you dropped it fighting off the Taig and brought it back with her -- and you grab that as well and put it into your haversack. Your magical amulet and ring are also on the top of the chest of drawers your clothes are kept in; you slip them back on and head towards the door. Riama twines around your legs as you make to leave; you send her a feeling of <love> and she purrs.

The pair of you exit Brighid's home and both Llwyd and Cai stiffen to attention and press a hand to their hearts, bowing their head to you. You roll your eyes and tell them, "Oh, stop that, please. We're going to have to work out some ground rules for all of this, but we can talk as we walk. I'm going up to see Sarpedon."

"Of course, my Lord," they both reply in unison, and you groan in frustration.

You start walking towards the hill, a hand on Brighid's furry flank. "OK, look. I accepted your Oaths of Fealty because you made compelling arguments which proved to me that you had actually thought it all the way through and weren't just reacting to a perceived debt." You wave away Cai's objection before she has a chance to voice it. "Perceived debt. You were under my command and it was my duty to see you through the fighting to the best of my ability. Bad things happened which I had the ability to fix, so I did. My ritual would have ended the same way regardless of whether I made the other choices I did, it just would have taken a few seconds longer. Like I said, if that was your only reason for pledging yourselves to me, I would have turned you down as gently as I could, but it wasn't. You both made good points, and you're both right. I do need help. But I do not need people bowing and scraping to me; I may be your liege lord by convention, but I am not a noble. I do not own land, nor do I have any authority beyond what you three have granted to me. If you absolutely must call me your Lord, I can't really stop you, but please, no bowing or saluting."

"Of course, my Lord," they reply again. The complete deadpan tone of their reply makes you grind your teeth, but you leave well enough alone. Either they're going to obey or they're not, and you're not willing to outright order them as you're still a bit uncomfortable with the whole situation.

It takes you a good hour to navigate the low hill, but there is still daylight left when you approach the stony figure standing, perfectly immobile, at its top. The gargoyle turns to face you as you approach and says cordially, "Greetings, Chosen Aidan and company. I am surprised to see you so soon. It has not yet been a day, has it? I confess, I sometimes lose track of the time."

"Greetings, Sarpedon. No, you are correct, it has not been a day yet. After taking a nap, doing a little thinking, and consulting with someone I trust about the deal -- in general terms, do not worry -- and about the Sapphire Sky Horde in general, I found that the decision was not too hard to make." You bring up the quest prompt again and mentally hit the ACCEPT button. "I accept your offer and look forward to working with your people now and in the future."

The gargoyle smiles -- it is more than a little eerie to see a statue smile -- and presses his hands together, palm to palm. "Most excellent! I am overjoyed to hear this. As a first token of our pact, I know a secret within the city which you so recently cleansed which will aid you greatly. Do you wish me to tell you alone, or may these others hear?"

You cock your head and say, "I trust Brighid, Cai, and Llwyd with my life, but if you do not mind waiting just a little while longer, there is someone else who I would like to hear this."

"Of course, Chosen Aidan. I was expecting to wait until at least tomorrow, regardless."

You turn to Cai and Llwyd. "Would one of you mind going back down into the village and carrying another message to Ailis for me? I know you aren't really messengers, but it will be faster if one of you goes. Just tell her that if she wishes, she can collect the secret she has paid for now if she joins us up here."

Cai nudges Llwyd. "I did the running last time. Your turn!" He grumbles, but sets off at a trot.

You return your focus to Sarpedon. "While we wait, would you mind telling me more about your culture? I do not mean to offend if you would prefer to keep such things private, but I am intensely curious. No one seems to know much of anything about the Sapphire Sky Horde except that you keep to yourselves."

He nods. "I do not mind. We are allies now, after all, and it was never a secret besides. The first gargoyles were created for war, but when our original creators realized that we were truly sapient, they allowed us to choose our own destinies. They were looking for soldiers which replaced the need for sapient beings to fight, so we were a failure in that respect, although still a triumph of craftsmanship and magic. Many of the original gargoyles still chose to fight for our creators, partly out of gratitude and partly because it was literally what they were built for. Others, including the ancestors of those who would one day found the Sapphire Sky, chose to devote themselves to learning. Eventually, over centuries, the scholars and the warriors split off from each other, and then as time ground onward, each of those factions split again and again until eventually you come to the tiny shards of our people which remain today.

"We of the Sapphire Sky are devoted to peace and quiet contemplation. We chose to withdraw from the world, as much as we could, and settle here in the Wildlands. As you say, we keep to ourselves. The only reason we emerged from our homes was that we felt the presence of an Animamancer here among the Starchasers and followed your trail to the dead city."

"Please, pardon me for the interruption," you say to Sarpendon. "But I have to ask -- I have been wearing an Amulet of Non-Detection since before I first learned Animamancy. How did you track me down?"

The statue-like man merely smiles and says, "That protects you from detection magic, but there are other ways for those who know the secrets. Maybe, one day, we will teach you. For now, it is enough to know that we were aware of you, but did not know exactly who or where you were. And here comes your guest, I believe." You turn around and, sure enough, Llwyd has returned with the pale Ailis a step in front of him.

"I do not know if you have been introduced yet, so please allow me." You tell them both. "Ailis, this is Sarpedon, of the Sapphire Sky Horde; he is the one who gave me the Quest I mentioned and who has promised knowledge of Bannagh Macht this afternoon. Sarpedon, meet Ailis Silverhair of the Starchasers; she is the mother of my beloved and one of the Councillors who guide the tribe." The two greet each other formally, then you tell Sarpedon, "Alright, I trust all of my companions here. Please, what knowledge is it that you have for us?"

"The city of Bannagh Macht was not built where it is by accident," he begins. "Deep in its heart -- in the very chamber where you fought the Tannath Taig, in fact -- there lies a chamber with tiled floors and an altar. That chamber is the physical manifestation of a Place of Power." Ailis nods with a grim expression on her face, but does not interrupt; Sarpedon continues, "By your lack of reactions, only the Lady Councillor knows what that means, so I will elaborate. Though most, even most mages, do not realize it, magic is not ever-present in the Realms. There is a sort of magical landscape which most cannot see or detect, with its own hills and valleys, rivers and peaks -- not exactly, you understand, this is merely an imperfect metaphor. But magic accumulates like water in this physical world, and in the places where several rivers flow together, they form great pools with massive magical potential. When one of those pools is discovered and exploited in the proper way by a skilled mage, it becomes a Place of Power. Even when left alone, such a pool will increase the ambient magic in the land around it; that is why the mists are ever-present in these hills, as it happens. When a mage with the right affinity takes possession of the Place of Power, however, they are able to access some of the very energies which power the entire world. The more rivers which run into the pool, the harder it is to properly control; the Taig did not have the correct nature for the Place of Power to submit to it, and it is fortunate for all of us that it did not. The power it was able to siphon from the pool with its crude methods was enough for it to raise and control an army thousands strong."

Ailis can't hold herself back any longer, and as the gargoyle pauses in his narration she interjects, "Which schools? Which schools is the Place of Power attuned to?"

Fortunately, Sarpedon does not seem offended at her interruption. "Currently, Earth and Air. There are also two unaspected streams feeding it."

"Four?" Ailis asks, awe evident in her voice. "And Earth and Air. No one in the village could bind it, then." Her eyes turn to you, and she corrects herself. "No centaur in the village. Aidan, I cannot command you, but you must claim the Place of Power, and as quickly as possible. This is an unprecedented opportunity, for you and for the tribe, and an unmitigated disaster if anyone else were to claim it. I will not lie, being the Master of a Place of Power will not ease your burdens even a little, but it may give you, and us, a chance to weather the coming storm that I did not believe we truly had until now." She looks imploringly at you, desperation and hope shining in her face.

"Please, Aidan. Will you accept this burden and responsibility? I promise that if you do, I will do whatever I can to aid you and ease your burden."