Dances-In-Moonlight's Story

Dion offered up a slight chuckle at Moonlight. “Our religion? We don’t believe in that ascension nonsense, I know what you’re talking about, but that’s some of the more fringe beliefs, and conspiracies.” The former Imperial commander explained.

“I believe that when we die, Charon ferries our souls to the afterlife, The righteous go to Elysium, and the damned go to Tartarus, or I suppose you call it Hel, or whatever one chooses to call it. But if we’re not truly dead, then perhaps somehow, we all survived whatever was to take our lives.”

He looked towards the rock, and grimaced. What did the gods have in store for him.

He turned back to Moonlight, and cantered his head.

“You sure seem to know a lot about us, for an Alien that I’ve never seen before.” Dion added.

Peter kind of shook his head. He didn't know if he died, and he didn't think it much mattered.
He taps his fingernails against his plated armor and remarks, "If we are to leave, why not get to it?" He was slightly impatient, but it didn't much bother him.

With a calm shrug, Moonlight explained to Hazel, "Yup! That blue light can simply take us out of here. However, I've tried to escape that way before, and it failed spectacularly! It also won't take any of us home immediately." Clearing his throat, he extrapolated, "I can't reach the light." It was a lame finish, and he knew it, "I was hoping you could since you are smaller than us, the Aether would let you through; and the rest of us could follow, since we're in your war-band."

He gave Hazel a moment to think, turning to Dion with a stoic look of determined analysis. "So... You are... an accountant?" Moonlight's face went through several phases of grief in a record two seconds. "The records led me to believe you were the least common denominator..." Resisting the urge to poke and prod at the Aschen relic, Moonlight asked something he probably shouldn't have, "You speak Ancient..." He cleared his throat, looking around to make sure the four of them were alone; the rest of the thought was slow and cryptic.

"That tongue was granted to you for a reason, don't squander it because your birthright sent you down the wrong path."

He leveled an eye towards Peter, levity returning to his voice, "If you can squeeze through this barrier and open the Gate, be my guest; you're almost twice my width in your armor though."

Peter shrugs. "I don't think I could fit, even without my armor." He faces Haze. "Haze, do you think you could try?"

/write Haze stuttered slightly, taking a moment to look at the towering mountain before replying, "Y-yeah, I think I could make it through." She walked closer, placing a small hand on the rough stone and slipping through the crack.

Peter looks on as the young girl moves into the crack, then remarks, "Well, here goes," and then walks into the opening.

With a wild smile, Moonlight followed the two into unknown

Moonlight's plan had worked, and he managed to slip into the crag with Hazel leading the way. The inside of the mountain was entirely hollow, a pale blue light illuminated the damp air. The heart of the mountain was a cerulean glow, one that promised to take anyone who touched it far away. Would Dion make it through?

"Well, that was fun..." Gesturing to the light with his chin, Moonlight explained, "That's it. The legendary Roll Play Gateway. Should put us back in the land of the living..."

Peter takes a long look at the so-called 'Gateway,' and takes a couple steps closer to it. He peers into it, not quite seeing anything.

He turns around, facing Haze and Moonlight.
"See you on the other side. And if not, stay safe, and I'll be looking," he remarks, then he puts on his helmet and takes a backwards step through.

Strycker stumbles slightly as all of a sudden, he's in a new place. How odd. The sudden change in scenery almost gave him vertigo, and he clutches his head for a second. He closes his eyes, then looks up. This place was way different than the dark hole he was just in. What was this place? He shoulders his weapon, and gazes around. Strange place, for sure. He looks around, noticing some banners. He's surprised to see that he does understand the language, and reads it for a second. "Do no harm to others." He wonders for a minute how they enforce that, if it's against the law to do harm. Isn't the only way to stop those doing harm to do harm? Whatever, the place seemed peaceful enough. He glances around at all the people standing around. Quite a few individuals here, and each of them seemed rather odd.

Waiting for the newcomer to fit the pieces together, the Captain reached into his coat and produced an anemometer, pretending to check the weather. Blackheart watched the man's face as he quickly started to figure out where he was, "Klendath?" He looked the man up and down once more, "How long ago did you leave the land of the living? If you're from Klendath, you're a living relic. I could help and take you there, but..." He spread his hands in the air, "Not much there yet."

"Heard they started terraforming the dirtball. Hell apparently even the Aschen took an interest in it at one point," Scratching his head, he continued, "But I can't imagine anyone you knew still being there." Blackheart made a show of looking at his nails, and upon finding a bit of dirt underneath, he began to pick at it with a small knife. "No one worth returning to the realm of man for at least."

---

The ears on a nearby Drow began to twitch, he couldn't help but overhear a conversation two new arrivals had struck up. Moonlight wasn't sure how long he had been sitting on the ground, it felt like centuries. Millions of people came and went through here, though usually, all he saw of them was their feet. These two were the first ones he remembered having any sort of meaningful conversation. "Did you two say you were leaving the Spirit Plane?"

They were too far away to hear him, it'd been so long he had forgotten voices needed to be heard. Slowly he made his way over to the two and thrust his hand out towards the man not dressed as a clown. "Dances-In-Moonlight, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Any chance I can hitch a ride to Svartalfheim with you two? I'll do more than my fair share of work."

"I must return to my Empire."

His voice cut through the din of the Port's walkways. Where did he come from? Was it sheer fanaticism that propelled him forward? The answer was elusive for the scarred, and tattered Imperial officer.

Quickly, he regained his composure, and his demeanor changed, he pulled what remains of his uniform close, and surveyed his surroundings. Whatever this fantastical place was, he had a sole purpose to return home.

"I need a fresh set of clothes." He said to himself aloud.

Strycker looks up, hearing first the one that calls himself "Dances-In-Moonlight." The first thing that really struck him was the pristine white hair, then he realizes there was a question to be answered.
"I'm not sure, I assume Mr. Blackheart here knows more about that than I."
He looks off to the side as yet another new individual makes themself known. He silently watches as a man in ruined clothing walks through the port, a rather odd spectacle, but after short consideration he supposes that everything is rather odd now, so he might as well get used to it.

"Well..." Blackheart scratched his chin while Stryker put the onus of a plan on him. "I know how to get back... in theory." The Captain reached into his coat and fumbled about for a second before producing a silver sphere about the size of his fist. Holding it with one hand, he gave the other half of the sphere a few twists before pressing the primed button he had primed with the action. The sphere began to float out of his hands and it projected a three-dimensional image of the Realms.

Moonlight's eyes went wide as he pointed to a map section near the bottom, "That's Svartalfheim!"

The Captain nodded, "Yes, and we're here." He tapped a gloved finger to a section near the middle of the map, "And just on the other side is Midgard." He used his other hand to indicate a part of the map almost horizontally opposite their location. "So in theory it's just a hop, skip, and a jump away. In practice, however..."

"In practice there is a reason you are still here." Moonlight jumped quickly to the conclusion, eyeing the man up and down. He didn't want to trust the man, but for now, it seemed he had no choice. "Well, I guess it's good there's more than one of us then."

Blackheart clapped his hands together, "Exactly! What say you?" He eagerly awaited the response of the man with the broadsword. "Feel free to grab whatever, or whomever you need from the Port before we leave."

What...is this place?

Loki, not wishing to be noticed, slinked through the shadows as the Port slowly came to life. With the leadership of Proxi away, what would become of all the refugees from the lower realms as they filtered their way into the safer bastions of the heavens and beyond?

Alas, more pockets for picking, he thought to himself before vanishing back in the direction from whence he came.