A Critical Role story - In the Shadow of the Titan

A Distant Shadow

Arcanist Allura Vysoren stepped back.

Around her the bustle of the war room continued, clerics and monks from all the major temples here at Vasselheim continued their deliberations. She noted that at least two of the gods with followers within the city weren't represented, but the temple of the Everlight was still newly formed, less than two years, and would be opening its doors to those in need rather than assisting in the defence of the city.

And the Mistress of Knowledge had taken a different tack – Allura wondered briefly how many in this temple of the Platinum Dragon, with it's lofty perch over the ancient city, had any idea what lurked underneath the Slayer's Take.

She stretched – the last couple of hours since Vox Machina had departed she had spent seeing what she could do to help and had come to the frustrating conclusion that the answer, right now, was 'not a lot'.

The temples had established means of communication and scrying, and the Ring of Shrouds now attuned to Vex'alia imposed a restriction on their ability to check the progress of the chosen strike team, albeit a necessary part of trying to defend against a newly ascended god.

Not something she thought she'd ever be thinking to herself.

Feeling the stiffness in her shoulder, a lingering pain from Vex's sea rescue after the defeat of Raishan, the Arcanist naturally looked over the room for her wife. That thought did bring a smile to her lips. The idea of having a wife was still new to her. She had known Kima for many years, though they hadn't been close for some of that time, but after the events of the Chroma Conclave, their bond had been deepened to where they had finally committed to each other.

Allura absently toyed with the ring on her finger as she looked about. Kima may be shorter in frame due to her Halfling lineage but her personality was not a shy one and she tended to stand out in crowds. But Allura couldn't see her.

Fighting a sudden cold fear in the pit of her stomach, Allura left the table she was standing near and immediately felt a fool as she saw Kima on the balcony outside.

Lady Kima of Vord, Paladin of Bahamet, was currently on the balcony balustrade that overlooked the city below. Her gauntlets were to one side, and her greatsword, the weapon Avenger, leant within easy reach but otherwise she was in her full plate armour.

Allura walked out onto the balcony, past the pair of guards who had overwatch in this section and approached her diminutive partner. For a moment Kima's face was serene, her eyes closed and the lips ever so slightly moving in that unconscious way she had when praying to her deity. Then her eyes snapped open, straight out towards the horizon and her faced hardened.

That cold feeling in her stomach returned as Allura knew that Kima must soon leave this place and head out with her follow paladins and clerics to defend against what approached. As she reached Kima, she moved one hand up to gently rest on the back of the head of her wife and joined her in looking out.

The view was to the north west of Vasselheim, cradle of civilisation. The mountain range that rose out of the forests were vast but on this day seemed much smaller as the couple looked upon the figure clearly visible. From this distance, it seemed small, it's form hunched under a dome of green hued light. But for the form to be this visible at this distance spoke volumes to the true scale of the titan lumbering towards them, the dome of light in fact a force shield around Thar Amphala, a city lost to the Shadowfel realm in a distant age and now returned, forced by the power of the Whispered One in the push for his final ascend from the unlife that was the archlich's existence unto his godhood. Allura, a powerful magic user in her own right, shook her head at the thought of the amount of power needed to lift a city to the back of a titan, itself brought back as a creature of undeath.