Goodparty: Corellon's Bard

Picking up from here...

He did. Of course he did.

"No," said Ruin. "You will absolutely, positively, definitely get slaughtered."

"I do not fear," Aldareis said, straightening. "The Swift Hunter will keep me safe."

"Ah like this fellow," Marshall drawled, apparently completely serious. "He's funny. It'll be a shame when he does get killed."

"No, no, I'll just stay behind you and watch, and then I'll write songs about what you do."

Tavros sighed. "I am not used to thinking of Bards as part of a holy order," he said, "and perhaps that will make some difference... but unless you are somehow able to make yourself invisible to things that can see invisible people, everything in the tower is just going to assume that you're one of us and try to kill you."

Aldareis the bard sighed. "Perhaps so. But I was given this duty by the god himself. I cannot shirk it."

"Hooo boy," said Marshall. "This is going to be funny to watch."

Martini looked the young elf over. "We should let him come. He can serve as a distraction. And he is pretty."

The bard glanced at her and swallowed. 

Tavros sighed, looking pained. Leira was no help; she was still making her goodbyes to Sasha in the shadow of the gates. Geddy seemed indifferent, and Eva was waiting silently, though her eyebrows were raised. And Ruin was, again, just staring at the boy: his full attention, but no hint of engagement.  

"I see," he said finally. "But bear in mind that you can trust Corellon to protect you every bit as much as I can trust Amun or Marshall here can trust Artemis. That is to say that they grant us strength and power and magic, but they do not prevent the consequences of our actions. And we are confronting the Order of Secrets in the lair of Vecna herself, an action with a very definite risk of horrifying death."

"But you're all still alive," said Aldareis, and then blushed with embarrassment.

"True," said Tavros, "but resurrection is neither cheap nor easy. I do not wish to make a merchant's matter of the most sacred of magics, but having you along would force us to waste resources on resurrecting you--" 

"--or not--" Martini interjected. 

"--when we might badly need those resources for ourselves."

Aldareis swallowed, but stood his ground. "I must still come with you."

Tavros stopped, completely at a loss for words in the face of such mindless insistence. Young idiot, he thought, but not without a touch of fondness. Had he been any different?

It was Ruin who stepped forward, planted himself in front of Aldareis, held his gaze for a long moment and said: "Here's how it happens. You come with us on the boat, we reach the tower, you're slaughtered in the first battle or trap or whatever the Order of Secrets have prepared for us. The rest of us leave you there, and if we survive we come back and resurrect you later. You miss the whole thing, and you have to take our word for what happened, just as if you'd stayed here in the first place." He paused, measuring the young bard. "Or, you go to the wizards and see if one of them will lend you a crystal ball. You watch through the crystal, from a good, safe distance -- in a room where you have a writing desk, an inkpot, a quill, and some sand to dry the ink." He moved just slightly closer. "Which -- and I ask this as the, not the Avatar, but apparently as the champion of Corellon Larethian -- Which sounds better to you?"

"Ahhhhh..." said Aldareis. "I suppose when you put it that way..."

"Good."

Ruin: Corellon's Revenge

"Corellon's fleet grace! You're him -- Ruin! I was hoping to find you here." Young, Ruin thought, though by Elvish standards he was not a great deal older than the bard in front of him. "I'm Aldareis." He stepped forward, extending his arms for an embrace, and Ruin automatically took a step back. He had, at least, managed to hand his son off to Anica before the bard accosted him.

The elf hesitated, and his smile faltered for a moment before he brightened again. "Right. So... you might not believe this, but I've been sent here to sing of your exploits and extol the virtues of Corellon Larethian. It's a high honor for both of us."

Ruin just stared at him. He hadn't known what to expect when Grandfather had told him that there were other ways to make the god's influence known, but he wasn't at all ready to deal with... this. 

The silence drew out. Ruin just stood there and stared, waiting for the bard to grow uncomfortable and go away.

Werendril sighed and stood up, stepping around the dining table. "You're not going to get anything more out of him," the paladin said, stopping beside the bard. "Not until he's ready to talk."

"Oh! Hello!" said Aldareis, turning to the second True Elf. "Oh, you're--"

Werendril nodded. "Werendril Al'veLithulrei, of the Order of the Golden Bow."

"Aldareis nav'Edelvorn, of the Order of the Golden Chord."

Werendril nodded. "I recognized the sigil." It was a bit of Elvish musical notation, embroidered in threads of gold on a white background; to anyone unfamiliar, it probably just looked like a collection of lines and dots. "And you've been sent--" 

"By the god himself!"

"--to tell everyone of His glories, by way of Ruin's efforts."

Werendril was trying his best to keep his tone soothing, but even so some of the sarcasm slipped through. Aldareis didn't seem to notice, though. "Yes, exactly! Oh, it's so good to know that we have other worshipers here."

Werendril sighed. "Walk with me, Aldareis. We need to have a talk..." 

"--but--" He looked at Ruin again. 

Ruin just stared at him, stone-faced. 

"...About basic courtesy, and why you shouldn't preach the glories of our god in another god's temple, even if it's only in the dining hall."

"But... Corellon..." 

"Basic. Fucking. Courtesy." 

Werendril's face had hardened, and Aldareis swallowed. "Oh. Oh. I guess I really screwed that up, didn't I?"

Aesa leaned over to Ruin and whispered, "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Ruin glanced at her, and pointedly did not say anything. 

Werendril sighed. "It certainly could have been worse. But... well... walk with me, Cousin."

"I... um... Yes, as you wish."

Werendril started for the door, and Aldareis followed. 

"Okay, so what in the world was that?" asked Anica. 

Ruin sighed and sat back. He considered for a brief moment, then said: "Amun has a single, unified religious order. The priests and paladins live together, work together, share duties and resources. Corellon's worship is... less organized. The primary priesthood is the Order of the Budding Leaf Green With the Coming of Spring, but there are others -- at least three that I know of. His paladins belong to the Order of the Bow Made Golden by the Touch of Dawn... most of them, anyway. And, well, he also has an order of bards, the Order of the Golden Chord That Carries Wisdom." He paused to draw breath, then added: "I'd honestly forgotten they existed until this moment."

"But this is because you prayed to him, isn't it?" asked Aesa. 

"You did what?" asked Anica. 

"I didn't pray to him," Ruin said. "I went up to the Chapel of All, and touched the altar, and told him that there was a lot going on and it involved his people and he really should be paying attention. That was it."

"Ruin..." Anica shook her head. "That's praying."

Ruin scowled, because he was pretty sure she was right but he didn't want to talk about it at all. "Anyway, he asked me what I thought he should do, and I told him to make up his own damned mind, and then he offered to make me his Avatar and I told him I didn't want that. And then he said there were other ways to 'make his influence known' and, well, here we are."

Aesa was frowning thoughtfully. "Do you think he's going to want to come along with you and chronicle your..." She hesitated, then settled on: "...achievements?"

Ruin scowled darkly. "He'd better not."

Ruin: The Coming of the Bard

Ruin reached the doorway of the dining hall just as the song began. He hesitated immediately, and might have just left, but he was carrying his son Rune -- and Aesa was right behind him, carrying their daughter Rose -- and Anica, Tarric, and Werendril were already seated at one of the tables, waiting for them to arrive. Vendril, at least, was nowhere to be seen.

"What is it?" asked Aesa, slowing automatically to match him and looking around for danger. Then she focused on the song and said, "Oh."

Come now and sing of Ruin's worth
And of the god that called him forth
From Duendewood his place of birth
a'roving would go he

For Ruin was a hero bold
His rage was fearsome to behold
He swore to cost them blood and gold
'Til Duendewood was free

Ruin, Ruin, brave child of Corellon!
Ruin, Ruin, will fight until he's won!

Grandfather, you utter bastard, he thought immediately, which was the second-closest thing to an actual prayer that he'd ever offered in his life. Somewhere, he was sure, the All-Father of the Elves was looking down on his circumstances and laughing His divine ass off.

The elf was young, only a century or so old -- loosely equivalent to a human just coming into their twenties. He'd turned one of the small tables into an impromptu stage, and was playing this... thing... at the priests and paladins and others who'd gathered for their morning meal. 

"Oh," Aesa repeated, and then added: "Oh, my."

But then at last he chanced to die
Was slain by Vecna's evil eye
But he refused to merely lie
And rose again as bone

And with companions just as brave
Swift justice to the priests he gave
The four returning from the grave
Were known as the Twiceborn

Ruin, Ruin, brave child of Corellon!
Ruin, Ruin, he'll see the god's will done!

"So this is what he meant," Ruin said absently, half-frozen by the mixture of amusement and dread that swirled within him. 

"What who meant?" asked Aesa. 

"Corellon," said Ruin, and glanced at her. "I... I kind of prayed to him last night. Just to let him know what was going on."

"Really?" Her face lit up. "That's..."

Ruin shook his head, fondly exasperated at her enthusiasm. "You know my relationship with the gods is more... adversarial... than yours. I'm beginning to think that I might know how I came by that."

But Corellon had more in mind
A plan to help restore our kind
A mission Ruin soon would find
In Amun's sacred shrine

Eight maids or more by now he's laid
Of children he is unafraid
He's come to clean the mess he made
And bring back Elves' bloodline

Ruin groaned. Annnnd of course he went there. There was a looming presence behind them, and Tavros said, "Pardon me." Then the half-dragon paused, listening, and looked over at Ruin.

"Oh, good," he said. "It's not just me anymore." Aesa stepped aside, and Tavros strolled off towards the counters where the acolytes were serving the food. 

Aesa started laughing, and in fairness he couldn't blame her. Anica's face had gone red with (he thought) a mixture of humor and embarrassment, but Werendril had sunk down on the wooden bench and was laughing almost too hard to breathe. Tarric was laughing too, but his expression was half disbelief. 

"Hold the toddler," Ruin said. "I'm going to murder him."

Aesa turned to him, still laughing. "Come on," she said. "If you're going to be punished by the gods, it's best not to do it on an empty stomach."

And at that point Ruin gave in and laughed as well. "Fine, fine, I won't kill him." But I might ask Geddy to make fun of him, if this gets too bad...

And soon by Corellon's great grace
The dark one of Fanax he'll face
To keep the sacred seal in place
And cast the dark one down

Ruin, Ruin, Corellon's Champion!
Ruin, Ruin, he'll cast the Dark One down!

 

Honestly, I'm not 100% sure whether this is actually a bard, or whether the young man is a charisma-focused cleric with a solid perform skill, or some mixture of the two. I'm sure at some point he'll tell me.