CH 3: Descent into Darkness

[Breila]

"Mishakal..." At last, the Goddess has revealed her name... Goldmoon drops to her knees, too, her eyes overflowing with tears of relief and gratitude. She blinks them away, looking at the Goddess in awe, hoping she will be able to remember this moment until the end of her life.

[Jenara]

Laurana stands in awe, looking at the goddess, the true gods had revealed themselves to a human? She actually wasn't surprised, the elves weren't really known for tolerance and understanding.

"Thank you goddess." She giver a stately bow, her voice full of reverence.

With that she sits quietly, removing her sword and bow for a short time.

"Sturm is moved to tears by the kindness and beauty of the goddess, he stands near Tanis watching the door they entered from. "Rest. Tas, will you help me with these doors? We need to ensure we are safe." he says hiding his tears.

[Kafen]

Tas stares in awes for a few seconds before he runs over to help Sturm with the doors. "That's great! A Goddess!" He's keenly aware of the divine nature of the goddess and plans to pester her for a good story on that staff after the doors are secure. "Wait until the folks back home hear this!"

[JadedDM]

Once the doors are secured, Mishakal continues. "Fear not. This room is safe, if anywhere in Ansalon can be called safe. This was once my temple, hundreds of years ago, when Xak Tsaroth was a thriving city of many people."

The statue frowns sadly. "You have all been led to believe that the gods abandoned you when we hurled the fiery mountain down on Istar and changed the world. But it is not true. The cataclysm was necessary, and it was not an easy decision for any of us. But more importantly, we did not turn our backs on mortal-kind. Rather, it was the mortals who turned their backs on us. We have waited and watched for over three hundred years for the day when mortals were ready to turn back to us. And now is that time."

"Why now?" asks Tanis.

"War is coming to Ansalon, as you well know. But what you are not aware of, is who is behind it. Another goddess named Takhisis is the one leading these armies of darkness. It is her wish to enslave all mortal-kind under her will. And she will succeed...unless the truth can be spread among the people of Ansalon. All people must unite, whether they be elves," she says, looking to Laurana, "dwarves," she looks to Flint, "kender," she adds, smiling to Tasslehoff, "and especially men." She looks at Goldmoon and Riverwind. "For of all the races, men are the most divided. Uniting them will be the most challenging of all."

"Unite everyone? How will we do that?" asks Flint. "They aren't just going to take our word for it."

Mishakal nods in understanding. "You will find the proof you need far below this temple. They are called the Disks of Mishakal: circular plates of platinum that are all you need to call upon my power. You must recover these disks. But the way will not be easy. The Disks now like in the lair of the dragon, Khisanth...or Onyx, as mortals know her. Therefore, I charge your staff; if you present it boldly, never wavering, then you shall prevail. Even then, your journey is not complete; you must leave here, must search for a true Leader of the People to spread the word."

The statue gestures to the blue crystal staff, and it begins to glow just as brightly as it did when Goldmoon first saw its power.

==============================

Mishakal completely recharges the Blue Crystal Staff.

[Breila]

"Khisanth... she is the one who would have killed Riverwind, isn't she?" Goldmoon asks, shuddering, then searching for the hand of her beloved with hers. "Do we need to kill her, or just take the disks from her lair?"

[Jenara]

"My people will not listen." Laurana keeps her head low in reverence. "They are divided, fighting, even the Qualinesti, the Silvanesti are cut off, they refuse to talk to my Father, how can we get them to listen?" She asks, this was not her task, it was for great leaders like Porthios and Gilthanas..

"I suspect the Dragon will not give up such a prize easily, how does one stop a dragon who can melt stone?" She ponders, out of instinct she wanders close to Tanis, her hand finding his for the briefest of moments.

[Jerrard]

"Huma had a Dragonlance, we have us." Sturm mutters, "Goddess, this Leader, will we know when we meet such a person, or will we have to decide for ourselves?" He asks as he watches the others, "As for the Dragon Mistress Goodmoon, we do what we must." He adds darkly.

[Kafen]

Tas is rubbing his ear and twitching his foot with nervous energy before taking a tough post near Sturm. "You have me." He swings his hoopak artfully and looks at the goddess for an answer with eager energy. Seemingly, he ignores the dark side of the dragon question.

[JadedDM]

"The dragon is an obstacle on your path. How you deal with this obstacle is up to you." The goddess smiles at Sturm. "When you find the Leader of the People, you will know at once."

The statue's gaze passes over each one of them individually. "We ask so much of you all, I know. And I cannot promise that you will succeed without incredible sacrifices. But the fate of this world depends on you. Without the Disks of Mishakal, the forces of Takhisis will sweep over all of Krynn. Find the disks, bring them to the Leader of the People, and unite Ansalon together with the truth...or all will be lost. Good luck, my children."

With that, the statue returns to her original position, her hands once again curved as if to hold a staff. The divine presence in the room dims, but does not vanish altogether. Although she has departed, at least a part of Mishakal remains behind to watch over them.

[Kafen]

Tas blinks and shifts his eyes left to right while looking at the group. He leans on his hoopak and says in a low voice. "Can I hold the Disks?" He looks at Sturm with a huge grin and perks up. "That's great news! Disks, leader, uniting...and finding of lost things. We're great at finding lost things. Handlers always find lost things. So, it's only natural that we'll find them and the leader." He says cheerfully and shuffles a little while looking at the statue.

[Talyn]

Raistlin is strangely quiet during the entire affair, simply watching from the sidelines. His expression is unreadable as he watches.

He blinks when Tas asks to hold the disks.

[Breila]

When Mishkal's presence dims, Goldmoon turns to her beloved, takes his face in her hands and gives him a long kiss. "I feared I might lose you for ever" she whispers in their own language.

[Jenara]

"I guess we go down, and face a dragon." She stays near Tanis, he hadn't asked her to move yet.

[Jerrard]

"I suppose we must." Sturm responds darkly, a combination of excitement and wonder apparent in his voice. He then goes to the main door, and pauses. "We should still check these side doors first."

[JadedDM]

Riverwind returns the kiss, although he's more than a little self-conscious with all of these people in the room with them, watching. "You will never lose me, kan-tokah," he says, using the Que-Shu word for 'beloved.' "Even in death, my spirit will always be with you."

Tanis turns away from the plainsfolk and faces the others. "Good idea, Sturm. Let's split up, two per group, and check out these rooms. If you see anything dangerous, call for help. Don't take foolish chances."