Up above the bustling city of Vinedenne stood a tall and imposing tower made of stone. Its very bricks were laced with all manner of magical enchantment which served to protect the mages that lived within its walls. Here they were protected from not only the elements of the outdoors but also from the prying eyes of those who might scry upon them, with the notable exception of goddesses as there was simply no magic known to shield one from their view. It was here that the powerful yet elderly Ferherlyn was currently engaging himself with some rather important research.
It was immediately after the young goddess Jenna had reminded the mage of the existence of lichdom that Ferherlyn had decided to look into it on his own. The mere fact that humans could gain eternal life, well in this case un-life, fundamentally changed the way he viewed the world. Eternal life was the ultimate goal of all magecraft after all, a powerful gift that only the most privileged of beings received from the universe. Even if one's existence continued as mere bones the price was well worth the effort for the majority of mages.
Certainly it did not escape him that such a power was exceedingly dangerous in the wrong hands and though he claimed to be researching lichdom for altruistic reasons he couldn't help but feel the draw of its alluring promise. How much good could he do for the world if he persisted forever? A goddess such as Jenna was still young and unlearned compared to her own kind. Would it be wise to trust her future to the hands of her elders? Her kind who originated so much suffering in the world? He could serve as her confidant forever if he could avoid death.
Such thoughts crept into his mind and he could feel them begin to cloud his judgment. He stood in his personal study in front of a table piled high with tomes and papers and caught himself honestly pursuing a line of thought that ended with him committing such a sin against nature. As clarity returned to his mind he stepped back from the table and slapped himself in the face, the stinging pain bringing him back to his senses. No. He could not, he would not, go down such a path lined with evil power.
As if hearing his very thoughts and passing judgment he heard his goddess's voice echo in his mind. What would Jenna think of him if she found him in such a shameful state? His question to himself was left unanswered as her voice called out again, this time clearly not a figment of his imagination.
“Hey old man!” Jenna's voice rang in an annoyed tone.
Ferherlyn jumped in surprise. He remembered being contacted mentally by the goddess before but it was not something he could see himself getting used to.
“Goddess?” He asked in his own mind in equal parts confusion and nervousness.
Jenna's voice came again with the sound of a mental sigh.
“Finally! I've been trying to get your attention for a while now and I've been being gentle.” She still sounded annoyed. “I was about to get a lot less gentle. What the frick were you so focused on you couldn't hear me?”
“Oh just some research.” Ferherlyn answered quickly and timidly.
Thankfully for his nerves Jenna didn't inquire further or read his mind, as she surely would have found out the source of his shame and commented on it.
“Fine whatever.” Jenna echoed in his mind. “Just get your ass over here. There's someone I want you to meet.”
Ferherlyn was suddenly snapped back to reality as a glowing golden portal appeared in front of him. Its mysterious symbols swirled with such beautiful light around the rim as it beckoned him in. Normally the goddess would simply reach through and grab him so her allowing him to walk in himself was quite special.
Just as he thought these things a small pale hand reached out of the portal attached to a small slender arm. Jenna then grabbed the old mage by the robe and tugged him forward and into the glowing circle. In an instant he was whisked away and to a new location, his eyes blinded by the brilliant light.
“You were taking too long.” Jenna said with a sigh.
As his eyes readjusted to the light of the new location Ferherlyn found himself wondering why he assumed the young goddess would magically be more patient. She was easily excitable and must be excited about something else she wouldn't have grabbed him in such a rush.
His vision returned and he found himself standing in one of the rooms of the lord's castle, the study to be specific. Here sitting on the various fabric-laden furniture were two figured he expected to see plus the one he was supposedly here to meet. The regional lord Quarely was sitting on one chair near the fireplace, Jenna was sitting on the couch to his right, and next to the goddess was a robed figure of frightening visage.
This clearly was the lich Barthenor that had been mentioned before as although they were dressed in clothing their face was nothing but a skull. They were also clearly in the robe of a mage, though its white and gold coloration was strange. This was an obvious statement about the great power and mastery of their wearer in some kind of arrogant display. The majestic pauldrons and crown of gold and other metals with inlaid gemstones only added to the truth of this speculation. This mage's ego was certainly not understated.
Upon the appearance of the newcomer Jenna jumped up from her seat on the couch and smiled happily.
“Hey welcome to the party!” She said energetically. “I just wanted you to meet Barthenor.” She added gesturing to the lich with both hands. “Here he is!”
Barthenor turned to look at the old man and give him a nod of greeting, though he did not stand from his seat. Having long lost his ability to smile there would be no clues to the skeletal mage's emotions given away on his face.
Quarely smiled weakly and stood up to be polite. There was a slightly embarrassed look on his face.
“I apologize for so dramatically pulling you away from your work old friend.” He said in a apologetic tone. “You know how our goddess gets.”
Jenna scoffed and flipped her long golden hair to one side before sitting down again. While she did her arms crossed over her chest and a somewhat pouty look came over her face.
“Oh come on!” She retorted. “I'm not that bad!”
Quarely just smiled again, this time less nervously, and gestured to one of the remaining free chairs.
“Why don't you sit down friend and we'll have some tea?” He said with a kind tone. “Goddess Jenna wanted you to meet our new- erm- friend for yourself is all.”
Ferherlyn nodded and stepped over to the open chair that was closest to where the others were and sat down. After he had taken his seat Quarely also sat down. There was a teapot and several cups on the table between them all, though it was clearly empty.
Quarely looked over to Jenna with a shy smile.
“Shall I call for some tea?”
Jenna shook her head.
“I'll take care of it.”
The little girl lifted her left hand and waved it around in the air. Suddenly a small stream of water appeared out of nothingness at her fingertips and flowed through the air until it drained down into the teapot. Then with another flick of her hand small intense flames burst forth under the teapot and quickly brought it to a boil, the steam puffing into the air while the table itself remained unburned.
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Once the tea had so been magically made the teapot and cups floated up into the air to dance about. All the while the goddess's eyes were aglow as the tea was poured without anyone touching a thing. Then just as silently everything settled down to the table once again, there now being four cups of tea with one in front of each person.
Quarely clapped his hands together and smiled pleasantly.
“Well that certainly was impressive my goddess!” He exclaimed. “I've always seen the untapped potential for magic as party tricks.” He then looked over at Ferherlyn and shook his head. “Tis a shame you've given up on such things since your youth.”
Ferherlyn narrowed his eyes in annoyance and leaned forward to collect his tea as his lord followed suit.
“Magic is not for party tricks.” He firmly stated. “Though the individual mage can use it howsoever they wish.”
This entire time Barthenor had been sitting there on the couch a short distance away from Jenna in complete silence. He was just sitting there watching and it was making Ferherlyn quite nervous. This display of power from the goddess finally got him to speak, though as expected he did not claim the tea poured for him.
“I would have never partaken in such a flippant display of magic.” His eerie voice echoed from a skeletal mouth. “It would seem however she feels the need to impress you. Not surprising for her kind.”
Quarely took a sip of his tea and returned his cup to its plate before speaking.
“Something I've been meaning to ask you about esteemed mage. You seem to refer to Goddess Jenna in a peculiar way.”
Despite not needing to eat or drink Jenna had reached down for her own teacup and taken a sip. She held the cup to her lips for a moment while she replied.
“Oh he doesn't like calling me goddess. He had a bad experience with a b-o-b.” She said with her eyes slyly looking over to the lord. “Big ol bitch.”
Barthenor sat back in the couch and the flickering of his light eyes almost made it appear he was frowning.
“An apt description.”
Hearing this news made Quarely sit back in his chair and look down in a mixture of embarrassment and surprise. Though it was obvious he was deeply curious.
“Oh sorry for bringing it up.” He apologized. “I suppose it would be too much to ask you who.”
Jenna let out a small sigh and put her teacup back down on the table, her left leg lifting up over her right as she relaxed into the cushion.
“It was Hala, goddess of dreams. I've met her myself.” She then looked to the side. “In a dream anyway.”
Both humans looked quite shocked to hear this news with the skeleton looking as black as usual.
Ferherlyn had scooted forwards to the edge of his seat. There was both eagerness and fear in his voice.
“Y-You've met another goddess?” He asked.
Jenna's response was very lackadaisical, though wither this was for show or not no one but she knew. The young goddess lifted her left hand to scratch her left cheek before dropping her arm to the couch again.
“I'm not worried about her showing up or anything.” She replied. “She seemed... Distant.”
Barthenor looked down for a moment while thinking before raising his head again to look at the two humans across from him.
“As the goddess of dreams she spent much of her time in a state of slumber. I doubt over such a long amount of time with such low ambient mana that such a thing would change.”
Quarely let out a deep sigh of genuine relief as he sat back up in his chair. He had slumped down shortly after the mention of the other goddess.
“Well that is truly a relief!” He commented with a smile. “Knowing how large Goddess Jenna is I could only imagine how immense a fully grown goddess would be! Terrifying!”
This got a giggle of delight out of Jenna as she dropped her left leg back down to the floor.
“Oh you have no idea!” She exclaimed. “I'm sure she could fit a whole village under a single foot!” She then looked down and lifted her left hand to her chin in thought. “Though that would probably hurt. She did seem to like going barefoot.”
Ferherlyn turned towards the lich and cleared his throat to clear his nerves before speaking.
“What footwear goddesses choose aside.” He said. “Might I ask you Barthenor what your plans are for the future. Specifically should another goddess arrive. Surely you and goddess Jenna have spoken about such things.”
Barthenor nodded and turned to looked at the young goddess sitting next to him before returning his gaze to the human mage.
“Yes. The... Goddess and I have spoken about such collaborations.”
Jenna nodded with a satisfied look before turning to look at Ferherlyn herself.
“The bunch of bones agreed to help me out in whatever capacity he can.” She explained. “We'll work together for the betterment of humans.” She then shrugged. “And really all sentient races. I won't be the biggest girl in the kingdom forever but I plan to be the best.” A sniffle escaped her nose before she reached down for her teacup again. “The first contribution will be helping with my school program. I plan to take him by there for a quick tour but wanted him to meet you two first.”
Ferherlyn nodded and ran his right hand through his beard.
“A kind gesture great goddess.”
Quarely nodded as well in agreement and smiled happily.
“It truly amazes me how thoughtful you are of us Goddess Jenna and I thank you.”
Once again Barthenor had remained quiet while the others spoke but he broke his silence in speak his mind.
“It is quite interesting how she interacts with humans.” He commented. “There is something fundamentally different about her compared to the chance few goddesses I've met before. This alone makes her worthy of note.”
Hearing them talk about her had made Jenna's cheeks blush a little and she took on a somewhat pouty mood again. She sat back in the couch and crossed her arms over her stomach.
“How nice of ya'll to talk about me like a science experiment.”
Ferherlyn while not understanding exactly what she meant could tell she had been upset. This caused him to become a bit flustered himself, not out a terror of her retribution but more so out of a general want to see her happy.
“Oh we meant no offense dear goddess!” He quickly said.
Jenna just rolled her eyes and looked to the side, though the slight smirk on her lips gave away that she hadn't been quite as offended as originally thought.
Seeing this Ferherlyn sought to change the subject so he turned to the lich once again.
“If I may ask you a personal question sir.” He started while trying to form his words in a non-offensive way. “I like most mages am quite fascinated by your condition.” There was a certain excitement to his voice like a young boy learning a new spell. “The sheer wealth of knowledge you must have from your long life.” He then looked down somewhat solemnly. “Though I know its certainly a choice one could come to regret.”
Barthenor said nothing and first and then turned to look at Jenna sitting next to him as if asking for permission. Jenna just shrugged and gave the lich a dismissive look.
“Believe me.” She said. “Ferherlyn would never be foolish enough to become a lich. You can answer his questions.”
Hearing such a comment from the goddess made Ferherlyn sweat a little nervously, though he quickly recovered himself. Of course his goddess would expect mages to ask the lich how to become one themselves and her trust in him made him embarrassed that he even thought about drinking from that poisoned cup at all. He would give up such a foolish ambition here and now permanently.
Barthenor having thus been given permission to speak turned back to the still living mage.
“The state of my being is beyond what a human can comprehend.” He started. “However I will tell you there have been times in my extended existence I have regretted my choice. My purpose however has always been and will continue to be knowledge. For that I have accepted the price.” He then turned to Quarely. “Indeed many mages have come to me for my secrets, though your goddess has entrusted me to keep them. An agreement I shall honor.”
Quarely nodded and sighed in relief again.
“Well its certainly reassuring to know we won't be having several enteral mages running around.” He then looked between the two mages present. “No offense mind you.”
Ferherlyn shook his head.
“None taken my lord.”
With the most obvious and awkward topic of conversation now completely out of the way those gathered were now free to discuss other things. Though two present were immortals and two mere humans they surprisingly had many things to talk about. Mainly in regards to the future of the kingdom and the current state of the world. There was also some talk about magic and even the history of the kingdom from when the lich had been more alive. All conversations that everyone found quite fascinating.
However like all enjoyable things the little meeting had to come to an end. Jenna collected, to put it in simple terms, Barthenor and the two absconded from the castle. She was a busy goddess after all and she admittedly never got enough time to spend with everyone she wanted to.
This left both Ferherlyn and Quarely alone in the room for the implications of the meeting to fully settle in. Having only a goddess as part of your circle was stressful and overwhelming enough. Now to additionally include a mage of ancient and mighty power who was an undead immortal himself? It was getting to be almost too much for a simple mortal to come to terms with.
Ferherlyn however was made of sterner stuff, the many long years of the magical world he had experienced giving a mental and spiritual resistance to such absurd happenstance. It was his place as one of Lord Quarely's lead advisors to give his liege guidance on even such a fantastical topic as this. So they spent a short while simply discussing the implications of their place in the ever changing world.
They both trusted the goddess to be sure though it was only human nature to fear for the unknown. Even with the support of a mage from the age of goddesses it was unlikely their kingdom stood much of a chance if an adult goddess suddenly appeared to claim ownership of the land. There were truly fearsome goddesses in the past and any one of them would pose a true threat to their young and kind goddess.
In the end it was agreed between the two of them that all they could do is put their trust in Goddess Jenna and give them whatever support they could. Truly the kingdom was lucky that the goddess they got was one as kind as her. Thus did Ferherlyn leave to his tower with his lord in somewhat cheery spirits. The future certainly is wild.