====== Chapter 15: Queen of Creation ======

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Isha had a few misgivings, but in the end, after retuning the manse, they ended up leaving mister [[exalted:abyssals:Alabaster Twilight]] squatting her manse. From there, the group hoofed it, or rather, tornado'd it, back to the mountain. 

The Sidereals had had some time to take a look at the state of the citadel while they were gone, and group discussed with them at length about how to get the thing back online and back up to full capability. In the end, it was decided that they'd need to get the orphans heading here to be tasked by the Sidereals to get working on the ship.

In the meantime, another Sidereal was dispatched to go initiate a meeting of the Lunars like the Maiden had mentioned previously. He said it'd probably take a month to assemble who they could, so Volty said to get going and get started yesterday.

Once that was done, the group headed to Nexus to speak with Mnemon Berrel.

In Nexus, in the same Inn, the group gave Berrel an overview of the dire situation and told him to get people to the location of the floating mountain as soon as possible. Use what sorcerers he had to get them their quicker. They were needed badly.

In the meantime, the Solars (not that he knew, they didn't talk about what'd happened in Hell) still needed to hit-up Rathess for the final manse.

Berrel agreed to get the Orphans moving as quickly as he could, and get them to the requested location as quickly as they could, and hopefully, by the time the Solars got back from Rathess, the majority would've congregated and everyone could get to work.

With that agreement, the Solars left, and tornado'd for about a week straight down to the first city of humanity.

Once they landed, Volt and Grant headed out into the city to scout the lay of the land and what problems they might have to face heading to the temple at the center of town.

Meanwhile, Isha and Wrath got attacked by a hundred-foot Tyrant Lizard... and made dinner out of him... dinner for about a month.

Grant and Volt returned, and together the group crept through town to the temple at the center without drawing the attention of anything. They began ascending the steps of the Ziggurat, and suddenly Grant shot an arrow at something. Everyone turned to look at him, and he was like "what?"

Nothing did attack them, and they got to the top, rappelled down, and entered the temple through the door marked Queen Merela.

Wrath stated quietly that she was the first ruler of creation. A Solar, and the consort to the Unconquered Sun. They all bowed their heads in a moment of reverence before proceeding forward to violate her tomb.

The first room had a sarcophagus at the center that had to be opened without the light of the sun or sky being filtered in through a series of mirrors. If the light showed down into the sarcophagus, a set of crystallized guardians would activate and attack the intruders. This was easily solved by Volt's cloak being placed over the hole at the top of the roof.

Down everyone went into the next chamber, except Grant who got trapped at the top while a trap sprung in chamber number 2. The light in the room generated by the Solars was magically focused and intensified to cook anyone alive in the room. Wrath pointed out four mirrors that had to be destroyed to end the effect.

Isha attacked two and did some damage, but didn't destroy them. Volt had an area of effect attack that managed to take all four out at once. The effect ended. Volt then went back up to retrieve Grant. We all headed to chamber #3.

Immediately Wrath and Grant were compelled foward to a glowing stone in the center of a rickety glass floor. Isha grabbed Grant and grappled him, but was unable to reach Wrath. Volt floated across the glass and intercepted Wrath as he reached the platform with the stone and tried to reason with him about why this was not such a great idea.

After some discussion, suddenly Wrath seemed to snap out of it. He returned to where Isha and Grant were, and talked Grant back into sense as well. Once everyone was on the same page, they each crept, one by one, across the crackle glass, being very careful not to put too much pressure on any one pane.

Fortunately, everyone, including Isha in her heavy plate, made it across safely.

The next chamber was the inside of spherical white-marble orb, and contained blowing, razor-sharp sand. Isha placed her hand into the dust storm and pulled it back in after it was battered by the flying dust. It was also extremely far across. Isha could perhaps leap it in four jumps, but there was also sand coating the bottom that was who knows how deep, and she was pretty convinced her armor would get her stuck in it and unable to get out. Furthermore, the walls of the room near the two doors were so steep she wasn't sure she could really actually make it back up if she jumped down.

Grant attempted to shoot at the vortexes spewing high-powered air into the room causing the sand to fly around violently, but was unable to get an angle.

So they were stuck with what they had.

After pondering it for absurdly long, Wrath suggested he could use his tornado to get everyone across. He had full control of it and it may provide some protection from the sand. But it did require a huge expenditure of essence.

More discussion was had, but with lack of a better plan, they decided the tornado was their best bet. Wrath started up his own violent storm, and with surprising ease, carried the rest of them across to safety.

And now, before them, the final chamber awaited.