Arya
While walking Arya would walk beside Tiaumil and say: "You mentioned you could be of help to us if we're going to Merdelain, how come?"
Tiaumil
As Arya came over to speak with him as they walked, Tiaumil would appear pleased to converse.
"Indeed. It is because of this that Jergal, my patron, likely chose me to accompany you, instead of someone else. Although it is not a place I had ever wished to see again, I am familiar with it. I was born and grew up in a rural area outside of the city proper."
Arya
"Oh that is intriguing, so are you very very old or did you grew up where Merdelain is today?" Arya would not pick up on the fact that the subject might be sensitive
Tiaumil
"A little of both I suppose. I was born after the city had been moved, but it is difficult to judge exactly, as time can be a little odd in the Shadowfell. "
He did not appear bothered by the question, not considering it sensitive.
Arya
She smiled in recognition: "Oh yes I know, so what's it like? What kind of people live there?"
Tiaumil
He would nod a little. "You are from the Faewilds, yes? I expect you do, in that case. As for what it is like..."
He pauses, gathering his thoughts, but it seemed as if many of those were not pleasant, for his expression lost it's amiable look and changed to something far more irritated and troubled.
"While the Shadowfell has its own sort of beauty, Merdelain is a blight, mostly due to those that live there. Expect no friendliness, or at least none not hiding a poisoned dagger somehow. History tells that they were already cruel and power hungry, but the Shadowfell has made it infinitely worse. You will find nothing of your companion," he nods towards Siax, "in those there."
[in general he will not have been hiding this conversation while they walk. Any of the group could overhear with a fair amount of ease unless Arya moves/moved them further away]
Arya
Arya is clearly interested, talking about it in a casual tone not trying to keep their conversation to herself.
"Yes I am from the Feywild but I've been to the Shadowfell as well not in Merdelain though.
Did you see any fey creatures there?"
[DM]
[Darren give me a history or arcana check]
Tiaumil
[History= 21 on DND beyond]
[DM]
[So yes you have. Not only that but you know that this is something that keeps on happening.
The Feywild keeps sending invasions against Merdelain. Well invasions sounds grand, often it's more akin to raids or even espionage missions.
They generally attack the city but it's not unheard of for them to roam elsewhere until the Merdelain troops find them and kill/drive them away.
But you've had quite a bit more personal experience with one...
This happened many many years ago back when you were but a growing child. That state of weakness meant that you were already quite practiced at hiding and reacting to danger which is why when the shouting happened you had already leapt into a nearby dwelling out of sight.
The sound of flames and shouting filled your village but there was something else, the sound of blasts that could only be magic.
Not wholly consciously you found yourself risking everything to take a glance. Magic. Here?
Peering out the doorway you saw the first fey in your life. An avalanche of colour, a vivid red mane spilling across her back like a cloak, held back from her face by a crown shaped like horns. But any more detail vanished as your attention was forcefully taken by the beast behind her.
It was busy tearing a nearby building to pieces with its massive jaw. It stood on two powerful legs and it was covered in scales head to toe. You noticed that vines crossed it's back leading to a saddle.
The Fey warrior noticed you peering out of the dwelling and scowled as if you had personally insulted her.
She lined a glowing sword at your residence which burst into flames as the sword hummed and glowed. Thankfully she had missed and the blast merely knocked you to your feet.
Before you could get back up she had climbed up on her beast and joined the rest of the fey warriors.
[Depending how you feel about this memory Arya asking you may have unearthed some trauma - or some curiosity!]
Tiaumil
"Yes, I have seen Fey there. Raids against Merdelain were quite frequent at the time. Thankfully they mostly focused their ire on the city itself rather than the surrounding areas... unless out of spite or frustration. It was strange to see such vibrancy in the Shadowfell, but it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience either. Rebuilding homes takes time."
He thinks on that as they walk; a memory not thought on for quite some time.
"It's quite interesting that they rode one of the prehistoric beasts into battle. We only have fossils in Candlekeep of such things. Quite fearsome to be witness to it firsthand."
Arya
[Does any of what tiaumil say sound familiar to arya? @DM (Charalampos "Babis") ]
[DM]
[Definitely, give me either a history or Religion skill check]
Arya
[15 history]
[DM]
[So you didn't know that Feywild forces have kept attacking Merdelain. But then again the Feywild is a big place and each Archfey kind of does their own thing.
The Beasts mentioned you recognise. They don't roam the lands where you hail from but you know that they are common across the cities of Eladrin that line the edge of the great Forests.
They are used for labour, combat and sometimes are treasured pets.
[With a 15 you know the following]
The city of Shinaelestra was famous for the beasts it had, both in their power and training. Their elite cavalry rode these creatures to great effect to an extent that tales of their accomplishments had spread far. The name of the "W'adrhûn - or Everscaled in the common tongue was spoken by many.
You also know that the city has not been doing well in a large part due to these beasts.
When the Great Forest started turning wild in its center [The same location where the Mere and Merdelain is in as you found out]. As the years passed the creatures have grown larger and more ferocious, often ranging out and attacking people. As this strange jungle spread the forest itself grew outwards forcing many to abandon settlements.
You've had a closer encounter with such a beast as well…
This happened only a bit of time after you turned 100, when you met the person who would change your life from that moment forward.
Reraa Turum, the Tiefling Druid you had met had sat on one such creature.
This was unusual as they tended to only permit Eladrin riders. But it seemed happy to obey her every command. She had been heading into the Great Forest when you met her, the fifth time she was attempting what was truly a dangerous expedition.
As you spoke you found out she had found the creature (which she had named Dulci) injured, caught in one of the many dangerous plants that could be found in the wild jungle.
It allowed her to cover ground quite quickly and in the time you spent with Reraa you discovered that while the creature had a particularly odd cold blooded disposition it was capable of quite complex emotions, including jealousy as its deep rumbling growl would attest if you tried to get too close to it's master.
Image
Arya
"They are impressive beasts." Arya's eyes swept over the area they were walking in and she seemed to drift away in thoughts and continue almost to herself: "the worlds are all connected in this, like a plague spreading."
Tiaumil
"Impressive they might be, but let's hope we can avoid them. But yes, I have heard tell of the taint of the Mere showing elsewhere. I suppose it's another reason why Jergal sent me, but details are slim. "
He shrugs a little, not seeming bothered one way or another about the topic.
"Anyway, what brings you to this merry band of adventurers?"
[DM]
Over the years you've been able to manipulate the weave in a way that your younger self could not imagine @Arya (Sandra)
By now it was an integral part of you, a seventh sense. It was hard to remember a time when you could not see how magic worked, what strands to pull to make flames, heal wounds or even move between worlds.
But this was something different. You suspected it was so but you are now certain that all three locations are connected.
The Mere of Dead Men.
Merdelain in the Shadowfell.
The Wild Jungle in the Feywild.
They are all sides of the same object, connected even though they do not exist in the same reality.
What Merdelain had done, moving an entire kingdom to a different reality was prodigious magic. But it seemed it had a grave cost. You realise that these three places are in essence, a massive rotting wound in reality.
You had sensed it when you first came to the Mere, this wrongness. The fabric of reality is paper thin here and that tear is growing. You don't think it will stop.
[With a 16 you realise this has made all planar intrusion more likely. Zenari and the Quonari. Demons and Devils. Fey/Fell creatures.
What the Merdelainians did with their towers was bad enough but now it's uncontrolled. It has been surprisingly stable so far but if the wound grows too large... What happens then is beyond your knowledge.]
Arya
"I wouldn't mind, they might be helpful."
Arya's eyes were still drifting and you would think she didn't even listen anymore, only her answers suggested she had heard him.
"Hmm I guess they were going to the mere, I wanted to go to the mere, seemed logical to go together."
Tiaumil
He would take in her preoccupation, and the almost absentminded way she replied. In some ways it reminded him of Grid, whose formidable mind was often chasing many thoughts more important to him, even during conversations. The trick was often finding a way to link his interests in with the topic somehow or he would lose interest.
"A place like the Mere, or indeed chasing after an ancient malevolent dragon, is often better done with backup. So what specifically was it you were looking for in the Mere? It isn't exactly a pleasant holiday destination, what with all the..." he gestures in a way to encompass all that he'd heard of, "unpleasantness there. Frankly I'm impressed you only lost two of your number, although I suppose it is truly only one loss, since the Tabaxi isn't entirely gone."
Arya
Arya would laugh: "I don't think anyone would say I go where most do, I go were things are interesting. I heard about a cult in the are and I know about this place connected to where I'm from so I came here to see what's going on." She continue in a more serious tone but still with a smile. "We didn't really loose someone in that way that you would think. Coming here, doing what we're doing now, thats only because of stupid decisions made by a child. He's strong though and a good asset in a fight if he chooses to fight that is..." that last thing is said with just the slightest hint of irritation and she roles her eyes.
Tiaumil
Interest was her motivation then. Curiosity. Far more like Grid than a casual glance might have expected.
"I have also been here and there due to curiosity, although with less frequency than you, no doubt. For the most part I go where my calling takes me, and the repository of Candlekeep is amply supplied."
As she spoke of the paladin, he would nod. It was often difficult to judge the ages of long-lived races, but there was a certain gravitas that lingered around the edges that sometimes told a tale. He did didn't doubt that a young Arya would have been reacting differently. Sometimes it took the experience of age to bring certain understandings.
"I have heard only the most brief of details, but what the group is pitting themselves against here, is not something I would ordinarily have ever contemplated doing. There is little hope for a positive outcome, but here we are all the same, and history is rarely written by those faint of purpose."
Arya
"Even if everything points to success you could still fail and the opposite could also happen. I don't like counting the odds I just make sure to always have a backup plan" she says this with a wink and then focusing her eyes on Tiaumil. "And what is your purpose? Following requests from your patron?"
Tiaumil
He laughs at this, easy with the conversation it seemed. He too liked some manner of backup plan or safeguard, it was only sensible after all.
"In a way, but only because it has always been something that mattered to me," he replied, open in a way that was not universal in people, at least it seemed so. "In short, the scribing of magic. I seek out spells and collect them, transcribe them. It is truly astonishing how many ways magic has been used and manipulated into different forms. I do a lot of that in Candlekeep in exchange for work they have me doing there. It is eminently satisfying, but I'm always looking for more unusual or rare spells to add, so if you happen to come across any, I'd be more than interested in taking a look. Other than scribing, I just try to enjoy life as best I can. There are lots of enjoyable things in the world, after all."
Arya
"I understand the fascination of learning new things. I'll be sure to keep an eye out." She gives a warm genuine smile.