Gate of Memoirs/Frustrations

N'an-Wang-Mu seemingly refuses to listen to reason; meanwhile the Naga's march is halted for the moment.
Portrait 	Dialogue
Music: "Sky Fort" 	Music: "Sky Fort"
 	
*The dark-skinned warrior monk crosses her arms defiantly in front of the Queen Mother.
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: How dare you.
 	
*Saskya: My Lady, should we not hear these visitors out?
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: Do you question my orders to banish these fools from my sight?
 	
*Tevarius: Now wait just a moment—
 	
*Sero-Anya: Tev, let's not fight...
 	
*Saskya: We would do well for any allies in these dark times. Will that not sway your decision?
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: Saskya, you...
 	
*A stilted silence washes over the group before the Queen Mother closes her eyes out of frustration.
*Tevarius, too, gradually relaxes the tension in his body.
 	
*Sero-Anya: Ahh...
 	
*The warrior monk nods at N'an-Wang-Mu before turning back to the visitors.
Music: "Land of Giants"	Music: "Land of Giants"
 	
*Saskya: I am Saskya, gatekeeper of the underworld Di'yu. 
*Saskya: This hall you are in—the Pagoda of P'an-ku—has long been a connection to the entrance of the spirit world.
 	
*Saskya: Lady N'an-Wang-Mu, esteemed Queen Mother of the South, is responsible for protecting this barrier between life and death.
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: ... ...
Portrait	Dialogue
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: Zeruiah and I...Deities.
*N'an-Wang-Mu: She, born of prayer, and I, made one by my people.
*N'an-Wang-Mu: The South grew out of an intermingling with the native fairies and spirits.
*N'an-Wang-Mu: We each had responsibility to bear. A balance to keep.
*N'an-Wang-Mu: But dead is a world that does not pulse and shift.
Portrait	Dialogue
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: We were content with our place in the world...
*N'an-Wang-Mu: Until the arrival of that foreign goddess.
*N'an-Wang-Mu: The one who carved out a place for herself in the East.
Portrait	Dialogue
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: The balance of this world became skewed the moment Juno-Seto arrived, for little did we know she was not complete.
*N'an-Wang-Mu: No, she brought with her her own imbalance, her own darkness!
 	
*Sero-Anya: No...I...
 	
*Tevarius: ... ...
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: This irreversible change has set off a string of catastrophes. Cascading, falling, one after another.
*N'an-Wang-Mu: The Naga—those hateful serpents—have crawled out of their antediluvian pits, fast on the heels of the Voidborn.
*N'an-Wang-Mu: And you dare to petition me for aid with this cursed child?
 	
*Tevarius: Wait, please!
*Tevarius: The Great Sage, she...She has been broken by the horrors of human cruelty.
*Tevarius: And now, the Naga have risen in full force. You've seen them at the steps yourself.
 	
*Tevarius: As Queen Mother, I know your priority is to your people...but surely there is something you can do!
*Tevarius: At the very least, there must be a way for Sero-Anya to reconcile her own disparate selves!
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: That is a matter best left for you to ponder.
*N'an-Wang-Mu: No malignant force shall pass into my realm while I am here...
*N'an-Wang-Mu: At the very least, you shall have protection from those wretched creatures.
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: Now...I tire of this conversation.
*N'an-Wang-Mu: Leave me.
 	
*Saskya: ...As you wish, my Lady.
*Saskya: This way, please.
 	
*Tevarius does his best not to glare at the Queen Mother as he herds Sero-Anya out behind the monk.
*As soon as her impromptu guests and her gatekeeper pass beyond the doors, N'an-Wang-Mu wills it shut with a flick of her hand.
*The atmosphere within the Pagoda shifts dramatically—a palpable sense of determination and cool resolve.
*A dark mist, barely perceptible in the corners, slithers away from the oppressive celestial and vanishes.
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: ...You've been watching long enough.
*N'an-Wang-Mu: Come.
Portrait	Dialogue
 	
*N'an-Wang-Mu: I've been waiting.
Portrait 	Dialogue
Music: "Source Hall"	Music: "Source Hall"
 	
*Uln'gha: <Hhrrgg...>
*A stream of dark energy trails back into Saerenthis's skull relic and settles back into one of its glowing eye sockets.
 	
*Saerenthis: ...Hmph.
*Saerenthis: So this crone believes she can stem the tides all by herself...
*Saerenthis: Curses. To think even scrying cannot fully penetrate the barrier around that blasted pagoda...
 	
*Naga Warrior: Hafh'drn. The probing force... none have returned.
*Naga Warrior: The scouts we sent after them report skid marks etched down the steps, and little else.
 	
*Saerenthis: Unbelievable.
 	
*Saerenthis whips around in seething anger, fangs bared.
 	
*Saerenthis: First the Leviathan, and now the entire first scouting party!
*Saerenthis: Pull back from that area immediately!
 	
*Saerenthis: Concentrate our forces in the lower plateaus.
*Saerenthis: Until we find a way to circumvent their defenses, keep the patrols around the perimeter!
 	
*Naga Warrior: Understood.
*The high priest slinks off his rocky perch in frustration, gliding one hand against the rocks behind the waterfall.
*With an angry hiss, Saerenthis digs his nails into the stream-carved stone.
 	
*Saerenthis: There must be another way around.
*Saerenthis: There was something else in that hall...
 	
*Uln'gha: <Rrgha.>
*Uln'gha: <Hafh'drn.>
 	
*Saerenthis: What is it?
 	
*Saerenthis: ...This is...