#Lore24 – Entry #320 – Fantasy Month IV #15 – Unexpected Complications at the Standing Stones
From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos
I suppose I should likely have been more concerned when we moved deeper into the site of power and my accessories activated once again. It had been such a mild distraction the last few days during my study of the ruin that I almost dared to believe that I had mastered its influence upon me. This proved incorrect, however, for as we approached to within a hundred yards or so of the stone circle, both the nipple rings and my most uncomfortable cage began to vibrate, steadily and with growing intensity, as we drew closer, making me fidget enough to unsettle my horse.
Descending toward the center of the valley, the growth of trees around the stone circle thinned as we grew nearer until we were in a treeless clearing at the center, the circle of ancient stones stood perhaps a hundred feet in diameter, with the stones themselves standing roughly twenty feet high. Some appeared almost like massive claws reaching from beneath the earth, while others formed standing arches at precisely the angles that matched the eight compass points. No trees grew within the circle, the grass remained short, and no moss covered them.
Though we were exhausted from our assaults from the kobolds, and I was growing more aroused by the moment thanks to the incessant and powerful vibrations surging through me, I nonetheless began to study the circle while camp was prepared, just outside the circle. After a time, when it seemed I may actually climax, I felt a most jarring cessation of the vibrations, almost as if a lever had been pulled, leaving me unsteady on my feet for several moments as I recovered. Now that I was upon the edge of climax again, the other function of the items had taken over, and after I had had a few minutes to cool off, the teasing would start up again, ramping up to an almost painful level before shutting off just before I could reach the climax I so desperately needed.
It didn’t take me long to realize that the power of the dragon-rune-covered stones were causing this peculiar behavior, for the nature of the vibrations changed as I touched various stones and traced the runes upon them, transcribing them into my notes with what light we had left. I wondered if I would be able to find rest at all within the radius of the circle without magical aid to suppress their activation or to put me into a deep magical slumber. Although this did give me a clue on the origins and nature of the magics that had been worked into the devices attached to me, even though I wouldn’t make pondering upon them a priority.
The party, while not completely unaware of the nature of my predicament, as we had discussed my relationship with Lady Armenia during our travels, and Gresilda and Risai were quite well aware of situation as we had bathed together on multiple occasions to this point, certainly found out that night. Shassk was indifferent or perhaps unreadable to me, Ellisar and Korvalis seemed quite amused with my predicament, Gresilda sympathetic and understanding, and Risai…perhaps envious? She is rather stoic outside of battle, showing a remarkable control of her barbarian bloodline, but I’ve noted that she has been watching me for some time with a rather obvious curiosity.
Still, once we had settled down around the campfire for the night to recover, I had began to form some idea of the nature of these standing stones, perhaps cluing me into the reasons why the magic within my accessories had activated so intently. The nature of the site, and perhaps of this particular dragon’s domain, was to celebrate fertility and propagation of the species, and thusly, the ritual that must be performed in the name of the dragon ruler was one of a distinctly sexual nature. This I kept hidden at the time, for I still had over half the stones to study to confirm this theory, but it would prove true enough by the following evening once I had had time enough to compile everything I had collected. I found my rest through another sleeping enchantment from Ellisar, thankfully, though I was exceptionally aroused and quite wet by the time morning arrived.
Our respite was uninterrupted, the kobolds not willing to cross into the stie’s radius to hunt us down, and by noon the following day Shassk had already found two other routes out of the valley along the ancient, connected roadways that would undoubtedly lead to other standing stones. After a very long and frustration-filled day, I would have conformation of the nature of the ritual that we would need to perform to show our devotion to the “Blinding Golden God”. Though not an actual orgy, it would skirt very close to it, given the highly sexualized nature of the ritual movements that must be enacted in the center of the circle to receive the dragon god’s blessing. The first of six such blessings, I might add. I detailed what we must do and was met with a range of reactions, from incredulity to indifference to eager curiosity (again on Risai’s part). Gresilda seemed to think that some of Erisaya’s rituals, and likely Yurisaya’s as well, were quite similar to what I described, and were likely of some ancient, shared origin.
Once we had debated what must be done, only Shassk declined to participate, stating that as a drakonae, he was already quite devoted to his draconic ancestors, and would have no trouble entering the vault once it was unlocked to the rest of us. He said it with such conviction that I dared not say anything to the contrary; I know little of the drakonae and their modern religious practices, so I took him at his word.
I won’t detail the nature of the ritual in my journal; that has already been done in my notes regarding the entirety of this expedition and the draconic city ruins, but needless to say, I remained the only one to be highly frustrated through shear arousal after the event, though my accessories did not hinder the ritual’s completion. When it was done, the runes on the stones glowed and pulsed with the primal essence coursing through the earth beneath us, and we received the blessing as promised, a singular draconic rune upon our foreheads that roughly translates as “One Seeking Enlightenment”, which then faded from sight after a few moments.
Following another night’s rest, we would take the route Shassk had discovered that led to the southeast, hoping to finish a second ritual at the next site before returning to Vindinium to resupply before we continued our pilgrimage to the other locations that remained hidden from us.
If only things had remained so simple as that.