DM Don - March 07 - 2016

Connections - Midnight's Watch, The Daggerford Dozen,

 

Mask knew he couldn't avoid him too much longer, things hadn't gone the way Talos had hoped and with his temperment it was probably best to let things cool for a while, but leave it for too long and the avoidance would become a problem of its own.  He entered Wayrock Tower and found Talos seated on the steps, his molten core glowing through small cracks in his surface. 

"You have gone to great lengths to ensure this meeting, should I be flattered?" Mask quipped.

Talos remained frozen in his position on the stairs. "Flattered, concerned, contrite maybe even humbled, all of which I doubt you are actually capable of, but perhaps that is our inherent nature as Greater Gods?" he said in a voice equal parts grinding fault line and steam vents.

"Deep stuff.  Maybe we should start a book club?".  In his deep cowl only the unnaturally laser red grin and eyes were visible. The grin grew wider, and his eyes narrower, reflecting Mask's approval of his own humour.

"And review the Cyrinishad?". As he spoke, Talos moved for the first time to gauge Mask's response to the first shot of this confrontation.

"The what?" Mask tried his best to sound sincere.

"The book you transcribed to scrolls in order to convert powerful mortals to Cyric.  I know of your dealings and your grand plan." Talos accused.

'Well that's inconvenient', thought to himself. "That you think there is just one plan, is so naively adorable" Mask said with obvious condescension.

"M...a...s...k!" Talos said in along drawn out, rising warning. His fist clenching and spilling lava onto the floor as the sky outside the tower lit up with a simultaneous display of both thunder and lightning.

Mask stepped backward and gave a deep mocking bow, "I have overstepped my bounds your Most Horrible Destructiveness" his grin now so wide it threatened to consume his face.

"Don't patronize me Shadeling" Talos warned.

"Stop pretending to threaten me and I won't feel obliged, correction less obliged." Mask shot back with a playful note to his voice.

"I claim count for what you took from Cyric." Talos demanded.

'Ah, here's the heart of it' Mask contemplated internally. Probably justified given that Talos and his cronies will receive far more of the blame than they are entitled.  Also justified in that Mask profited hugely from the parts he was directly responsible for and handsomely from the parts that he had lucked into.  Still conceding anything to Talos is a slippery slope.

"So what if you know," he countered, "Cyric will catch on soon enough. His count was already in my favour plus what he consolidated from Bane, Baal and Myrkul on his ascension. He had no business ascending like that, mortal to the most powerful of us.  The others thought I was best suited to right that wrong, and who am I to disagree with the will of the Gods." he sneered with a smaller mock bow.

"Besides," Mask continued, "delivering dozens of the most powerful wizards across the Realms, he should be overwhelmed."

"Oh he will be, and he will move the Underworld to see you dead."

"It isn't his to move anymore" Mask quipped. "and he will have his hands busy with Xvim, Kelemvor, you and yours."

"We had nothing to do with his fall." Talos said defensively and Mask was easily able to read the truth of it.  This was the first Talos 
had considered the implications of his guilt, despite being utterly innocent.

Mask couldn't resist the opportunity to pour in some salt even though it undermined his own standing. "Good luck convincing him that your simultaneous rise was purely coincidence."

Talos reacted to the wound by going on the offense. "You failed to mention that you crippled his church, killed his two largest concentrations of followers and by the new rules power, damaged his spy network and triggered two additional portfolios to be lost besides the one you stole."

Stole definitely stung, so Mask allowed it to sit for a few seconds before responding. "With all that has transpired I doubt anyone believes Cyric to be the rightful God of Deception.  I prefer to think I liberated from someone who was holding it against its will. As to his house crumbling from within, he got greedy and overstepped. Who sets plan in motion to nearly obliterate their own followers, just to milk extra power from them, present company excluded of course."  

"Mask!" Talos issued in his usual voice of warning.

Mask chose to take Talos' response as confirmation his jibe hit its mark, and continued "I may have been involved in distracting him, but it was his many well deserved enemies that took maximum advantage of the precarious position he put himself in. Besides, if I had planned it from the outset I could have collected so much more from Xvim and I would never let a portfolio as powerful as death fall to Kelemvor, a mortal and ally of Midnight."

"I recently came from the City of the Dead and I am not sure that Kelemvor and Midnight are as bound in ascension as they were in life." Talos offered.

"We'll see."

A moment of silence passed between to two before Talos reengaged. "That is a long way for one as powerful as Cyric to fall."

"Ao giveth and Cyric giveth away" and Mask's disturbing smile broke into a soundless laugh.

"In any case, our score is not settled" said Talos trying to keep focused on his agenda.

Mask was quick to reply, "I agree, and I am already working on a couple ways in which you can repay me"

"Repay you?!!!" Talos said as he stood.  Unable to contain his rage the sky made a sound like it had split beyond repair.  Even the air around him shifted uncomfortably as the his temperature boiled over.

"Tsk, tsk." Mask waved a finger. "There are rules to this game my friend...recently changed rules, but rules nonetheless, and I followed them flawlessly. About the only thing that could make this sweeter would be a formal dispute over this, for Ao to sort out. Should we notify Him?"

Talos' tone changed, as he spoke "I didn't say..." but Mask cut him off, "Then the count is settled, besides how can you not be happy?  Are the Gods of Fury not empowered by the destruction visited on the realms? Are its creatures not calling to each of you in record numbers?  Shar, Talona and Tempus are indebted to you. As requested did you not benefit most and Malar least?"

"In fact I did not benefit most, I did not get my prize."

Mask tilted head head and the edges of his blazing smile turned down at the edges "I meant amongst your Furious clan.  Of course I benefited the most, you know how I play.  As to your failing to return the Wild Magic portfolio to its rightful place, that was a disaster of your own creation...pun intended.  I provided you the Seeds of Sylavanus, divided the three bitches by corrupting Aravor and forced the faith vessels into the open.  You had a burgeoning demi-power on the ground and all you had to do was stop Midnight's meddling minors from Mt. Waterdeep...consonance also intended."

Talos winced slightly at the truth of it.  He took a moment to recompose himself and replied, "I underestimated them, a mistake I will not repeat, and besides you will help me solve them next time."

"I think you also underestimate how difficult another attempt at that portfolio will be.  It involved capitalizing on a major mistake made by Mystra as well as taking advantage of the inexperience of the interloper Midnight. She'll see you coming next time and besides your count runneth over." Mask assessed.

"It will be worth it, I recently have discovered one of the Lost Writings."

"And you can recover it?" inquired Mask.

"Only if I accelerate the Wasting, but enough of that, you know the truth of it, after all what dolt would dare to deceive the God of Deception, present company excluded of course." Talos smiled at the chance to give Mask some of his own medicine.

Mask seemed to genuinely approve "Nice, we understand each other then. I clearly have work to do. On a side note it seems like Urux'inadrath is back in play.  I assume the Nahardrakhan and their Hadraas are fair game?"

"A solution that consumes every Nahardrakkhan doesn't phase me, but it will be you not me that generates count with Xvim." Talos warned.

Mask dismissively waved, "He's my next visitor, and your presence won't make him easier to deal with.  I will let you know when the pieces are in place."

With that Talos left in a sulfurous cloud and Mask turned back to the open doorway.  'That had gone better than planned, if a Lost Writing was in play he had some planning to do indeed.  Good that he decided to speak with Talos now before his inevitable visit from Xvim, son of Bane.  Ah yes, these times of troubles have been poorly named, they just keep on giving.