Prologue: To Boldly Go Where People Have Not Been in a Good Long While!

Hunter turns his nose up at the dwarf and turns to face Eninahes again, forcing his arms down and back to his sides again.

When she gives her ultimatum, he winces as the others accept.

"What concerns me is..." He has to stop himself and add an 'if'. "If we find out her role has been the same as the hierophant's, will we be able to overcome her together in spite of the pact she's made with you?"

"I'll give Katheryn a token of my power. If you find that she has betrayed me, hold it in your hand, say my name, and then accuse her. I'll hear it, even across the planes and revoke our Pact."

"Me?" Kathryn is surprised by this. "Are you sure, Eni? It looks like a huge responsibility..."

"...Very well. I accept." It's a noble quest, but...

"I think you're the one for the job, Katita. Just don't go kicking any Stepfathers in the face for now." - Carlos muses - "As for the rest, we can still confront Nesme and Allinandra without giving ourselves away, depending on what words we choose. Best to try and lure the truth out of them than drag it."

"Yes, I'm sure. You are decisive when you decide to act and you have been very kind, maybe to a fault when it comes to the Feywild, but I think those traits will serve you well in this."

Looking solemn, Eni walks you through the ceromony, "All of you, please swear it once more."

If you do, "Swear it now three times and be done."

"I accept your quest." The repetition perturbs Hunter a great deal. The tiefling's neck is swollen with the pill he's being asked to swallow.

"I accept your quest."

Carlos scratches his head - "Can't just do it the good old way of trusting when we offer, eh?" - he sighs - "I'll do it, i'll do it, i'll do it."

Kathryn pronounces the words too. "I swear to complete this quest. I swear to complete this quest. I swear to complete this quest."

As you guys say the oath three times the following happens in order--a shiver travels up your spine, a sudden tingling occurs upon your tongue, and finally your hearts are filled with joy for an oath freely given. You know this, but not how or why you know.

Eninahes completes her part of the oath, swearing it three times. She is filled with the same joy, "Go my champions. I await your return."

She points at the oak tree Eyton and a portal shimmers into being. It clearly shows the Grove and a surprised Liam and Zoe back in the Mortal World.

Kathryn's eyes widen at the sight of the portal. "Wow..." She smiles at Eninahes and takes a step forward, but before she crosses the portal, a thought occurs to her.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot." The young woman joins her hands together, closes her eyes, and whispers, "I swear to free Eni from her prison. I swear to free Eni from her prison. I swear to free Eni from her prison."

Hunter smiles in spite of himself. He may not agree with this, but his..."trust issues" as the others would say, have backfired before. And this is the right thing to do, even if it means going above and beyond the call.

Then, he stops in his tracks and looks at Kathryn with wild eyes. "Kat! What...!"

Carlos begins to walk over to the Grove, when he hears Kat recite the Oath three times. He jolts back around and exclaims gravely in a voice that loses all it's Dwarven accent - "Kathryn!!"

The oath is made with the usual side effects. Eninahes says, "I thank you for the oath Katheryn. Here, take this and go with my blessing." The eladrin raises her hand and leaves blow from Eyton's tree and attach themselves around Katheryn's neck in a necklace pattern. The largest leaf--a red, heart-shaped leaf a few inches in size--forms the "stone" of the piece. She can take it on and off but the leaves cannot be pulled apart.

Magic Item:

Kathryn is unfazed by her companions' disapproval, and she smiles at Eninahes after she receives the magical item.

"Don't worry Eni, I got this!"

She gives the eladrin a thumbs up, and steps through the portal.

Hunter's tail slashes through the air as he shakes his head. "Well, it's official now, and I have to help her. She kinda needs us."

"I'll help her keep her promise to you. I'll help her keep her promise..."

And then, instead of repeating himself again, he offers Eninahes a sly grin, and turns around and walks through the portal.

Persuasion - 15
To be charming about the way I do that. Not deceptive or flippant. I imply that I am binding myself to my word, not to the Feywild through a magical "on your head be it" oath.

Carlos just sighs, frowns, and steps through the portal.

A pleased Zoe smiles as you guys emerge from the portal. "You're back! What happened?"

Kathryn clumsily relates everything they have learned so far about Eninahes, how Allinandra may be responsible for the tragedy that has taken place here, and that they swore to unravel the truth. Once she finishes recounting all the details, the young swordwoman also adds, "Oh! I also swore to free Eni from her prison, and as a token of gratitude, she gave me this necklace." She points to the chain of leaves around her neck. "Isn't it pretty?"

Zoe's countenance falls. "I wish you guys hadn't made any oaths. You don't even know who her aunt, mother, or stepfather are. Especially you Katheryn. Her enemies are now your enemies."

"Zoe is right, you've put a great big target on your back making long-term deals with the fey. But what I don't understand is this business with Allinandra. If she is making a play to remove her mother why didn't she strike before the attack? And if she did why is she still alive?"

Carlos is still out of it, and just shakes his head in dejected frustration - "I'm guessing we'll find out if we go out there and start talking about the Fey lady. Allinandra may find herself put on the spot without even having to accuse her, considering how volatile she's seemed."

Hunter's tail continues to flick at nothing, showing his irritation.

"It wasn't a token of gratitude, Kat, it's a way for us to tell her what we learn without having to leave the druids to flee, so that we don't have to fight a pact-fused warlock in the event we learn she's deceived the archfey. Until then, you just hold onto it tightly, Kat. We're sort of counting on you now, but don't worry, even you of all people should be able to manage that menial feat."

He continues without missing a beat. "We agreed to help Eninahes find out if Allinandra had deceived her, or her mother. I'm still sane, I don't trust Allinandra for one wit, but she wouldn't have helped us if we didn't. And I'm not numb to the plight of her position minus the Harken's Heart druids, but Nuts-for-Brains over here decided to bind herself to help," he says, jerking a thumb at Kathryn, "And now we're under oath to play matchmaker under pain of god-knows-what."

Kathryn frowns in displeasure at Hunter's words, and crosses her arms.

"Don't worry, Red-Tail. If you don't want to help, you can just sit back and let us take care of the rest."

Carlos lets out a grumpy sigh - "You know, it's hard to be a bumbling ol' Enano when everyone pulls this thing their own way."

He shoots an annoyed glare at Hunter - "Oy Cazador, we don't need the snark if it serves no purpose here. You wanna vent, fine. But do it after we don't have lives on our hands anymore. And for pity's sake, get over your girlfriend out there and start seeing this past your own nose. There's more to how we deal with Allinandra than just what names she called you when you tried to come on to her."

He shoots an annoyed glare at Kat - "Oy Kathryn, you may think you're only risking yourself by recklessly swearing your life to an Archfey you only just barely met, but try to remember whatever you do affects the rest of us. If you go and kick her stepfather in the face, there's no way we'll just abandon you to it. Because it's you. And we'll all share in the trouble if and when it happens." - he sighs again - "You go, we go. And i don't need to swear that three times to make it real."

Hunter nettles under Carlos' browbeating. "No...no purpose!?"

K wrote:He shoots an annoyed glare at Kat - "Oy Kathryn, you may think you're only risking yourself by recklessly swearing your life to an Archfey you only just barely met, but try to remember whatever you do affects the rest of us. If you go and kick her stepfather in the face, there's no way we'll just abandon you to it. Because it's you. And we'll all share in the trouble if and when it happens." - he sighs again - "You go, we go. And i don't need to swear that three times to make it real."

"Here here. We can't just walk away, Kathryn. You know us better than that."