"That's funny!" Irzen grinned as he took his seat directly opposite Zesstra, "Because I was thinking about Dungeon Master when you referenced someone popping up or in, your majesty. In fact, it was he that directed us here."

Arathorn blinked, "Thee, Dungeon Master?"

"The same," Irzen replied flatly, "He mentioned in one of his riddles something about a popular ruler among her people facing a threat from within. When I first heard about it, I thought he was referencing an old friend of ours, Baroness Meleranti of Deeping Dale, but I think he might be referencing your liege."

Zesstra turned towards Tarendil, "That would explain the timing of your brother's return and the timing of their arrival here. None of this is a coincidence. This is fate!"

Madeous glanced towards Alyson and then over to Lazheros, "I wouldn't call it fate, per say but Dungeon Master's advice usually gets the adventurers where they need to go and do."

"Madeous has a point," Irzen added, "It's less fate and more Dungeon Master sending us into harm's way to clean up either a mess he made or someone else's mess."

"I see," Zesstra responded with a snap of her fingers, "Then if it is not fate surely it is the divine word of Elistraee herself."

Irzen turned to Madeous without skipping a beat, "Didn't she hear a single word we just said?"

Alyson shook her head, "Ah, she seems too focused on the queen and keeping her safe. I don't even know if she actually met Dungeon Master, Irzen."

"I think there's a more simpler explanation," Irzen replied before he turned to Zesstra, "You're an Oath of Devotion Paladin aren't you?"

"For Elistraee I live and for Elistraee I die!" Zesstra declared proudly.

"Yeah, I thought so," Irzen replied flatly before he turned back towards Alyson, "That explains everything. She's a zealot! She's got nothing but her god on the brain."

"And proud of it!" Zesstra beamed from ear to ear, "Elistraee cherishes her most devout children."

"There are different levels of devotion. Some like Zesstra venerate their deity. Others like Perceval in Asylum, are devoted to the people, not just to his service and belief in the Lord of the North Wind." Madeous stated.

"But the TRUE Oath of Devotion types concern me," Irzen replied honestly, "The TRUE ones have only one deity or one service or one belief they cling to--often to the exclusion of all others. I know from experience that such single-minded and fanatical devotion can be a dangerous thing!" The Swordsman eyed The Paladin, "A very dangerous thing indeed!"

Lazheros sighed, "Zesstra. When Dungeon Master appears it is usually to give advice or add more clues in order for adventurers to succeed in the quest."

"I have never met him," The Paladin replied, "I have heard of him yet I have never met him. Does he frequent your company often or favors you as much as my god favors her children?"

"I appear when I need to be Paladin. I see you have all made your way here to Skyfall Aerie. Beware of those close to you for there are some who favor the weak over the strong and powerful." Dungeon Master materialized before them and raised any eye brow towards the platinum knight, "I see you have ventured more in the Realm of late, Platinum Knight."

"Where in the Underdark did you come from?" Zesstra gasped at the appearance of the Gnome.

"Don't mind him, that's just Dungeon Master." Irzen waved him off, "He puts in sudden appearances like this ALL the time.

Madeous crossed his arms, "My journey continues with my niece, Dungeon Master. It is something I have missed since my days as a young adventurer myself. To make amends and let things happen as they should."

"Then know this, Madeous, king of the Kingdom beyond the Great Veil, continue on this journey and your love may yet return to you." Dungeon Master told him.

For once, the man who was stoic showed emotion in his face. The thought of his beloved returning from being banished filled him with renewed hope.

"Elistraee's blessings be upon you, Dungeon Master," Zesstra smiled at the Gnome, "Pray tell what brings you here to Skyfall Aerie?"

The gnome gestured to the party entire and said, "All of you must come together, or stand alone against a common or uncommon foe. A rival or an ally. One of which seeks to claim what was denied to him. Young paladin, be mindful of your oath, for I know in the past you came close to losing favor with your goddess. Zealotry has its strengths and weaknesses. Family are the ties that bind or break. Duty, honor, and responsibility comes before the heart."

"You sound just like my old Grand Cleric," Zesstra replied, "Did you know her? I swear you two seemed cut from the same cloth. Words filled with riddles hiding double meanings and obfuscated puzzles."

"Now you're catching on!" Irzen added, "The look of confusion on your face right now is EXACTLY the same look we get whenever he shows up! Good for you, Zesstra! You're starting to fit right in with our little band of miscreants."

"Thanks!" The Paladin thought for a minute before she added, "I think."

A gust of wind swirled in and around the party and dungeon master vanished.

"He does know how to leave us hanging, doesn't he?" Alyson sighed.

"Indeed." Tarendil added, "It's been a long time since he showed up here. It seems that you lot have frequent run ins with the great one?"

"What's so great about him?" Zesstra asked no one in particular, "He appears out of nowhere, spouts riddles and puzzles that would confuse any oracle and disappears as suddenly as he came."

"Welcome to our world." Irzen replied sardonically.

"Yes and no. The most recent time was in East Port. Issues arose when the city's grand cleric felt threatened by Lazheros when asked for insight about vampires and the history of the region." Alyson replied.

"I've heard about that particular elf. He is not to be taken lightly and is easily offended especially if you're not an elf." Arathorn said across the table.

A servant brought out refreshments for everyone to enjoy. A sorted variety of mellow to hearty drinks. The bronze man asked for tea as well as Alyson. Madeous, a light ale.

"I don't suppose you happen to have, Cannard, your Majesty?" Irzen asked the Elven Queen.

Zesstra giggled at his request but said nothing as she looked to Tarendil for an answer to his request.

The queen snapped her fingers and a servant brought a bottle of cannard over to the swordsman, "Funny you should ask that after meeting Zesstra the first time in Asylum, I made sure to acquire some in case she found her way up here."

"Thank you, your Majesty!" Irzen grinned from ear to ear as he accepted the bottle and poured its contents into a goblet then drained his cup. When he was done, the Swordsman leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and murmured contently, "Just like I remember it--a long hard burn all the way down!"

"Someone misses their Cannard," Zesstra snickered at Irzen.

"It's been a long time since I have savored the dark nectar," Irzen replied still with his eyes closed, "Too long!"

Alyson sipped her wine and put it down, "You wouldn't have some tea, my lady?"

"Yes, if you prefer. I can have them bring in tea instead of the fermented choice of drink. You seem to like it here being high up, Alyson." Tarendil replied.

"Yes, I like being up high. Ironically I feel safer in the sky than on the water, uh past life issues." The elementalist said quietly.

Lazheros raised an eye curiously, "Mmhmm, I wondered about that, Alyson. Perhaps, you would tell me about it sometime?"

She nodded and turned towards the drow paladin, "Isn't it uncommon for drow to become paladins, I was under the impression that most are fighters, rogues, or spellcasters of sorts."

"Most are fighters, rogues, assassins or spellcasters," Zesstra replied to the Elementalist, "We even have Eldritch Knights. But we do have our fair share of paladins."

"But most of those paladins are either Oath of Vengeance or Oath of Conquest," Irzen interjected, "The paladin you see before you, Alyson, is the rarest of the rare in the Underdark--an Oath of Devotion paladin. Even the Servitors of Lolth--"

Madeous took a drink from his cup, "Servitors of Lolth you may find down in the Underdark but the spider queen actually exists on the other side of the Realm in the heart of Venger's territory. She does not take on the form an elf per say but rather a beautiful woman with malicious intent of anyone becoming her next victim. Ran into her a few times before I met Lazheros. Nasty piece of work. The only thing the party did was make sure we gave her hell on our way out."

"May they burn in The Nine Hells forever!" Both Irzen and Zesstra intoned simultaneously in pure disgust.

"--do not boast of having an Oath of Devotion paladin." The Swordsman concluded, "Our new friend here is a rare gem indeed!"

"Apparently." Alyson and Lazheros replied in unison.

"It appears that hell-spawn Lolth gets around quite a bit then," Irzen commented on Madeous' remark, "I find it hard to believe that she would be residing anywhere near the territory of one so powerful as Venger."

"I agree," Zesstra added, "The Spider Queen suffers no rivals and makes no alliances. Simply put, Lolth is so vain that she believes everything is all about her."

"That is because the Spider queen you know of exists elsewhere. This world is where she came into existence. The stories and legends that followed came from those who left this world and went to another." Madeous told Zesstra and Irzen. "Lolth is a true demon queen. Something Venger is used to dealing with. Favors to rid him of problem adventurers in exchange for the magic items he acquires to increase his own power."

"I find that hard to believe," Zesstra intoned, "But I will take you at your word, Platinum Knight. To see Lolth doing favors for anyone that would not directly benefit her is odd to say the least."

"Odd, but not impossible." Irzen added.

"Let's be honest here, uncle, Venger has a god complex. He wants to be the master of the Realm entire." Alyson added.

"True but not all of the Realm is within his reach and control especially when he has to avoid a certain dragon queen to keep him in check." The platinum knight replied.

"I doubt he would gain any ground here in the Fire Sea region. There is enough opposition and the old alliances are still very, very strong. The Council of Wyrms would see to it that he stays on his side of the Realm." The bronze man rubbed his chin.

"And I have no doubt that The Thing in the Pit would be the strongest to object to his presence as well." Zesstra added with a shudder.

Irzen silently nodded in agreement before he took another swig of Cannard.

**********

Nothing but grumbling came from Quake as both Caliaphy and Serverus kept up the 'pun war'.

Serna giggled before she ushered both Serverus and Caliaphy away, "Okay, you two, let's leave Quake alone so she can adjust to her new surroundings. So, Serverus, where do you play your version of tag."

Serverus grinned and pointed up, "There on the plateau. There's some hills with bushes, kinda like capture the flag. There's two teams, one blue, the other green. The goal is to capture the opposing flag without getting caught by the other team."

"Sounds like fun," Serna headed off towards the plateau, "So which team will Caliaphy and I be on?"

"You're with me. Both of you and Glint. Two teams of four. We're blue, they're green." Serverus pointed out.

"Neat!" Serna turned towards the Fairy, "It's time to have some fun, Caliaphy! Are you ready to take on some flying elves?"

The kurori wrinkled her nose, "You bet! I played with Alyson when she was little. Man, she was good at a lot of games, Serna. She bested me, well almost bested me."

Quake sat up and said, "I believe the lady did best you, or have you forgotten what happened in Westfall. Yeah, she shares a link with all of her creations. I had to calm myself down from time to time in the middle of a magic lesson because it was distracting."

"Oh-kay!" Serna snickered, "It seems someone has a better account of your time with Alyson than you did, Caliaphy."

Serverus grinned, "And we will not be flying. That would be unfair to a grounder and besides I've been wanting to win at capture the flag for awhile. I've come very close but always get tackled or ambushed while going for the flag."

"Don't worry, Caliaphy and I will have your back!" Serna smiled, "So, is there anyone in particular I should watch out for?"

The other group of elves and avariel kids had their game face on. Stoic and focused as they studied their competition. The leader of the group walked forward, hand outstretched before the start of the game, "May the best team win. Good luck, Serverus!"

"Aye! Right back at you, Caerin!" Serverus shook his hand and stepped back turning towards Serna, "Remember, we need to get a hold of the flag to be the winner. Watch out for the other members of that team, if you get tackled, you're out of the match."

"Good to know!" Serna set her shield down and turned towards Caliaphy, "Are you ready?"

The kurori winked, "We got this Serna, girls rule and boys drool!"

Serverus shook his head at Caliaphy's statement.

Serna smiled at Caliaphy, "You know it!"

"What? It's a human expression. Have you never heard of it? Alyson would say it all the time when she was little. It's rather catchy!" Caliaphy replied to the avariel boy.

"Pay attention or we'll be over run. We need to work together in the game." He said.

"No problem!" Serna readied herself as she studied the field of play. "We'll follow your lead until we get the hang of it."

The opposing team of children came rushing in all together and then splitting up into two groups. One to distract them, while the other went in for the tackle.

"Watch your flanks!" Serverus snapped over the noise.

The kurori wrinkled her nose, "Uh, why are they not rushing us all together?"

"Divide and conquer."

"Oh...what?!" Caliaphy dodged suddenly as one on each side collided with each other. "Whew!"

Serna not only was able to dive out of the way when Caliaphy moved but also shoulder checked one of the kids to the ground before she moved to protect Serverus' flank. The advantage of being a Human kid taking on Elven kids was that Serna was physically stronger and stouter than they were. "I got your back, Serverus, now what?"

"Follow me and stay close!" The avariel jumped over an incoming opponent only to get clipped by a teammate.

Serna reached out and grabbed Serverus to steady him so he could keep his feet. When another one of the opposition came towards them, Serna clotheslined the kid to the ground but still clung to Serverus flank in order to protect him.

"GO! GO! GO!" Yelled the boy on the opposite team motioning to his friends. He turned his attention back to the human girl, "You're not bad but my team is better, hah!"

"Your team maybe better but they're not proving it!" Serna smiled back with a vicious grin, "I already dropped two of your friends, pal, if you want to be the third step right up and come get some!"