<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/FMJsgg3.jpg)</div>"Indeed, I can see the foul monstrosity clear as day..." the witch said, not stopping their steady approach towards the group even as the druid readied his spear, "Hmm. Perhaps not the best metaphor, all things considered" they mused, amused at the notion of applying "clear as day" to a creature that so often hunted at night on behalf of the goddess of the moon, "And your friend speaks true. I also happened to witness the scene, though I sadly lack the same heroic instinct that spurred her to action" they added. It seemed that they had been watching the entire time, simply observing from the outside. "As for being an undead..." they took another step forward, putting themself under the light of a nearby street lamp, and tilted up the brim of their hat to reveal their face....<br/><br/>The witch was...quite beautiful. Pale blue skin stretched across perfectly sculpted features, framed by darker blue locks of hair. Hers was a classic feminine beauty, however there was something...off about it. Her face had an almost doll-like quality to it, in an uncanny way. One of her eyes seemed to be permanently closed, while the other held a cerulean glow that cut through the shade cast by her hat. And if they looked closer they could see what appeared to be cracks running down one side of her face and neck, with similar cracks on the wrists of her four hands. Juro in particular would spot a faint ethereal visage floating beside the witch's head, a ghostly copy of her own face, "I'd say it's debatable, though the Lunar Knights seem to think I've disrespected Madam Death enough to count"<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spout Lore: automatic success</div><div class="spoiler_body">"Madam Death" is another name for Madama Muerta (https://i.imgur.com/eRkqbtO.jpg), the Goddess of Death. It is said that Madam Death appears before everyone at their moment of passing, greeting them into death and escorting them to their destined afterlife. You all know from firsthand experience that these stories are true, for each of you have encountered Madama Muerta, multiple times in fact. She has embraced you, kissed you, taken your hands in her own. Despite her intimidating appearance she is quite kind and gentle, and each time you've met she's greeted you with tenderness and love, as if you were her own children. And no matter how many times you've slipped away back into the world of the living, she never seems to hold a grudge against you, though you can tell she is a bit sad that you are so adamant about staying away from her</div></div>she explained, and Juro would see the spectral face give a coy little smirk.<br/><br/>"And I am indeed happy to see the Knight fall, as it makes for a much greater bounty" she said, crouching down and picking up one of the still-glowing shards of it's moon head, "See these Lunar Knights, they go around slaying those who have, in their belief, "cheated" death in one way or another. They absorb the very essence of that person's soul, converting their life force into a sort of raw material, completely wiping away the person attached to it in the process" she explained, "This essence is exceedingly valuable, the sheer power and raw potential of someone's soul refined into a form that can be manipulated in near limitless ways. It's similar to the Moonlight Shards left behind by followers of Lun, without all the baggage of having someone's consciousness attached to it"<div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spout Lore 7-9</div><div class="spoiler_body">Each of The Three, the sister goddesses of the sun, moon, and stars, offer a different form of afterlife to their followers. Those who worship Lun, Goddess of the Moon, have their souls condensed into a shard of solid energy known as Moonlight Shards (https://i.imgur.com/WYE211R.jpg?1), the size of which corresponding to that person's power. These shards act as a house for that person's soul, giving them a physical anchor to the mortal realm. From this shard the person's soul can astral project across planes, allowing them to visit various worlds and other afterlives as they please, or commune with the living in the mortal realm. This gives followers of Lun incredible freedom after death, though comes with the risk of becoming lost between worlds should their shard be destroyed.</div></div><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spout Lore 10+</div><div class="spoiler_body">While it is possible to destroy a moonlight shard, with the use of specialized techniques they can be safely reshaped without harming the soul inside. This allows them to be crafted into a variety of things. Most commonly they are made into jewelry (https://i.imgur.com/G1noy8h.jpg) that is worn by a loved one, or a commemorative decoration to be displayed in the home or other place of significance to the deceased. The shards of exceptionally powerful followers can even be forged into weapons (https://i.imgur.com/sJzG7rn.jpg). Such weapons are highly coveted by many, some for their power, and others just for the prestige of owning one. (You can recognize at a glance when an object has been made from/with a moonlight shard)</div></div>she added, holding the shard up to the light and inspecting it, "Normally when I spot a Lunar Knight doing it's grim work I just hang back and scrounge up any traces of essence they leave behind, but thanks to you three so heroically vanquishing this creature..." she trailed off, motioning to the shattered pieces of it's head scattered all about, "Like I said: a much greater bounty"<br/><br/><hr/><strong>Juro</strong>uses Discern Realities:<em>"What here is not what it appears to be?"</em>A: The witch's body does not appear to be flesh and blood, and when you look closely you can see what you think might be her spirit, or some other projection, tethered to her body. Whether it's her soul loosely clinging onto her body, a projection controlling the body remotely, or any other kind of strange phenomenon, you have no way of knowing.<br/><br/><br/><hr/><br/><div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/TcyN8Ce.png)(https://i.imgur.com/NPPMq1R.jpg)<br/></div><br/>"Heh, I just might take you up on that offer" Elis'na cooed, returning the thief's tender kiss. She chuckled a bit when she mentioned asking for gentle next time, "I'd love to give that a try" she said, tenderly caressing Valna's face before stealing one last kiss.<br/><br/>Valna would find all her clothes and equipment intact. Despite being merciless with her body, the elc had at least been delicate with her clothing. So fortunately Valna wouldn't have to make the walk of shame naked. Granted it wasn't like her scanty attire was too far off from naked anyways.<br/><br/>Making her way back down to the 1st floor, Valna was once again greeted by the many offerings and distractions the casino provided. However as she weaved her way through the crowd she started to pick up murmurings of a group of wackos pretend fighting outside. The descriptions of it were all rather vague, and it probably wouldn't have stood out much, had she not overheard mention of one of said wackos being a fairy.