Not in Kansas Anymore

I had a talk with Tetsuko. She apologized for how she'd been acting. I guess seeing me react to Alanna's barbs made her realize something. I'm not sure I can figure the girl out, sometimes, but she's taken to calling me -chan so I guess that's a step in the right direction. She's also starting to teach me Japanese, which is nice.

Anyway, the Irish girls got back with some volunteers and we began the ritual. It was a lengthy bloodletting ceremony and I led it. I was mostly flying by what felt right and what I knew of old lore. And it worked. Sort of...

We were enveloped in blackness and found ourselves in Erebus; the massive gray plain in the center of the underworld. Yeah, we were right next to the shattered prison of the Titans. That was a bit scary. Worse, though, it's not just us Scions in the underworld: the mortals came with us and there's no sign of the town.

At Alanna's suggestion I cast the bones and I was granted a real vision this time. I saw three possibilities: We cross the plain and end up in either Yomi, Nifilheim, or... I forget the name of the third. Alanna knew what it was. Either way, once we make it out of any of those underworlds, we meet a massive stone figure.

We're all at a loss, right now. We don't know if we should set out or wait or what. I'm going to ask Moira if she can use her mystical abilities to grant us some insight so we can figure out our next course of action.

AAARRGG!

I find myself wondering just why the hell my father grouped me up with these people.

Am I undergoing some test of patience? To see how long I can endure the verbal snipes from people I'm supposed to be calling my comrades? Is this in object lesson in how the Aesir feel about him?

I'm pacing around the top of the mountain we appeared in, helping Hiroku, the Scion of Hatchiman we rescued, plot out the method of a ritual we're going to try to hopefully get us and the town home. Tetsuko is standing nearby, keeping guard, though she keeps glancing at me.

I know what she's thinking. It's not hard to figure out what manner of things she was saying whenever the subject of the svartalfar comes up. It's probably the Japanese equivalent of "whore". She gives me dirty looks whenever that comes up. Alanna doesn't even have the courtesy to hide her comments behind a language I don't speak. Moira seems to be the only one who isn't out to make me feel unwanted.

Long story short, we had Hiroku use his powers of Psychopomp (finding places, going between worlds, ferrying the spirits of the dead) to lead us back to the mountain and to a spot where the connection between this world and the real world is strong. We started to spitball ideas when Alanna decided to let me know that she holds me responsible for the mess we're in.

Yes, it all comes down to the fact that I was getting fucked when the girls rushed in to bail me out. Never mind that I was in there alone. Never mind that I was inches from blowing my cover. Never mind my life was on the line. Noooo. All I was after (apparently) was some svartalfar cock.

Then she gives me this speech essentially laying blame on me for dumping the town in HER lap, like it's HER sole responsibility to make sure the people survive. That if she doesn't she might as well let her mother sacrifice her. There's a reason I'm venting here, because that just sounded like the biggest pile of selfish bullshit I've ever heard.

I'm furious, right now, I can hardly think straight. Though I think I've made up my mind: I'm seeing this thing through to the end, I wont abandon anyone, but once this crisis is over, I'm gone.

Tetsuko is approaching me.

Great... now what?

Going Underground... Again

I need to find out if theres some way to increase my power reserves, changing form is really taxing. So much so that I could have really used it. It would have been handy to change into something big and unbelievable. I guess I should explain.

When we gathered back together, Alanna and I had gathered material for going underground (I can't tell you how tired I am of going down into dark holes in the earth) and we were faced with a crowd of scared and confused mortals. The girls (Well, Moira and Alanna) insisted I tell a big fat lie to lull everyone into a sense of false security. Ugh, just because I'm the Lie-Smith's daughter doesn't mean I enjoy misleading people.

Anyway, I told a fair approximation of the truth. I told the crowd who we were, what happened, and what we needed to do... with no divine influence on my words. Proof was needed, so I started ice skate across the pavement. That helped. Then Alanna took over, giving orders, while Moira and I divided up the gathered people. Alanna also grabbed a few that stepped forward to lead and gave them instructions.

With the townsfolk doing what they needed to last a few days in this Terra Incognita, we went back to the dome and headed undergound. We encountered some giant, but cute, ferrets. The led us to their master, a Scion of Hatchiman, that had been imprisoned. We let Tetsuko talk to him. I don't think we learned much that was useful, he'd ended up trapped there in a similar manner as us.

Fortunately, we learned that the two tengu we killed were the only guards, so we should have free-run of the base we're now in. Hopefully we can find this "Stormy Key" that my vision spoke of. Then, maybe, we can find a way home.