Vex says to the child, "Don't cha worry little pup. It is safe for now."

The Alpha's form is extremely tense now. His eyes glance over you all carefully before returning to the still whimpering child. "Elf-boy. Be careful what you say in here. Despite how... unexpectedly polite you've all been, I assure you if my guards detect the slightest threat to me or Teki, you will be slaughtered. The fact that you are hearing voices leads me to believe that you might be some danger to my village. However, you've shown no ill intent, and I'll forgo any... cautionary measures. Teki's eyes are a gift from Aurast himself, a sign of his destiny and purpose." Again, the Alpha's hand makes several soothing strokes on the boy's head. Suddenly, a muffled voice comes from the Alpha's chest. He chuckles and shakes his head.

"Teki would also like to know which of you smells funny. I'm not entirely sure what he means, but I assume he's referring to you," the Alpha points to Jack. A few more mumbles, and the Alpha hugs the boy and shakes his head.

"No, they're not going to take you away. They're friendly.. a bit strange, but friendly. Aren't you?" he glares at your party. Then, as if he already knew the answer, he turns the boy around and sits him on his lap. Smiling, he leans down and nuzzles Teki's cheek before resting his chin on top of his head.

"Teki yentspi saru nae saeosin." The Alpha grins at you.

The little boy stares wide eyed at all of you for a few minutes before nervously mumbling "Saru..."
 

Sir Alpha, has our Lord asked you nicely for the gem he seeks? We are simply retrieving for him if possible. Where is it , if I may ask?

The Alpha smiles fondly at you. "As I have answered his... Excellency... the gem is not ours to give. Our very existence is tied to the stone. No amount of gold or threats could pry the Heart from my grasp. And beyond that, a man like Diaza must certainly never have it. The Heart has powers you cannot begin to imagine. I am sorry, friends, but your journey here was... wasted. I will see to arrangements for you to leave as soon as possible. It is best that you don't stay much longer, least it notice you. There is another who has been waiting a while for transport out of our home. I'll send you with him. Guards, fetch the stranger," Scratching the child's head, he sighed. "Say good-bye to our guests, Teki."

Suddenly, the little boy seems to have been struck by pure insanity. He rapidly starts babbling in their native tongue and pointing wildly at various things, all while vilolently clinching his father's vest in his other hand. Occasionally, he shakes the Alpha. His rambling suddenly stops, and he looks at the man holding him and nods. "Nana saru salash. Oke." He nods firmly, and the Alpha sighs.

"Apparently, it is a bit late for you to leave. In that case, I have a favor to ask of you. As you may have noticed... our people are in a bit of a rut. To be more precise... we've been repeating the same few weeks for... a long while. I see a solution for at least one of our mutual problems. While building the temple a long time ago... there was an issue in the inner chamber. Something went horribly wrong, and a spell was unleashed against our people. We have need of those not of our tribe to travel through the temple and... correct the issue. It will require some skill, and... certainly, some amount of arcane prowess... It will be dangerous, as well... An excellent reason to get that other traveler involved. Ah, here he is!" The door swings open, and a pale wraith-like figure strides in. Hair black as a moonless night, and skin as white as the moon, the figure exudes a sense of cold about himself. The guards beside him are shivering ever so slightly. "Scarecrow, child, and gnoll, may I introduce Nil."

You must hail from the North, Frost-child, for this icy wind to assault our senses. Wish I knew what "feeling" is. Well, I don't want to spoil anything. And I suppose we can help you, Alpha. What is your name, I forgot to ask. How impolite of me. Companions, do you oppose this decision?

"Why--hello.  I wasn't expecting such a rabble upon my arrival today."  Upon entry, Nil stared at the newcomers, fingering a stray tuft of black hair glittered around his high, pointed ears.  He eyed them coldly, even condescendingly.  As he looked toward them, he began to fidget slightly with his sleeve.  What looked to be a half-elf, a scarecrow(!?), and a wolf...thing...lovely.  "I truly apologize.  I'm sure, by now, that you're aware of some of this situation.  I've been stuck here...for some time--how long, I have no idea.  Nevertheless, it is very nice to meet you--I'm Nil."

Nil bowed elegantly, curling his right hand before him in a gesture that could almost be described as something eccentric.  As he stood upright, he glanced to the Alpha.  "Has there been any improvement?  Have the nightmares ceased at all?"

As he spoke, kept the strangers in his periphery and  continued to fidget with the sleeves of his robes.  What could they want?

"I am afraid not, fair healer. If anything, they've grown worse," the Alpha explains. "I was just about explain the issue to the newcomers. I think, perhaps, we finally have a chance to end this." Shifting the boy so that he was more comfortably settled, he turns his full attention to the group.

"Our people venerate the glorious Aurast, champion of the battle of the sun and sea, above all of Yosei Aval-Nueki, Thorusan's children. Our temple is dedicated to him, but before it was consecrated, Necoc Yaolt, the Enemy of Both Sides, caused one of the sanctification spells to go... wrong. Instead of setting the temple off as a place of high honor, it set the entire village off as a place of temporal distinction. A fancy way of saying we're stuck in the past. All that needs to be done is to complete the ritual. Sadly, our high priest is elderly and incapable of traversing the deadly place that the temple has become. However, he has prepared the appropriate rituals and consecration oils, so any capable of understanding the complexities of the rituals would be able to perform it. All that remains is to recite the ritual and pour the oil on the altar. And, I know for a  fact that our good healer here knows several rituals," the Alpha explains calmly as he gently runs his fingers through Teki's hair.

"Part of my pup's distress is the temple. He is very connected to the high places. A spiritualist is born every generation in our tribe, and as you can see, he is particularly in tune with the divine realms. The massive distortion of spiritual energy has, it's my understanding, caused him no end in troubling dreams. If you were to consecrate the temple, the spell would resolve, and the spiritual energies would dissipate. My pup would be able to sleep at night, the temporal distortion would resolve, and you could leave."

The Alpha pauses for a moment before shaking his head. "My apologies. I totally skimmed over your question, though so few ever ask my name, I, for a moment, forgot my own name. I am Tekan son of Tekai, father of Teki, raeyar of Jaeli, who returned to Thorusan, Aval-Nueki, Yosei long ago. Might I inquire as to your scents?"

'Good sir, my name is Jack. And Jack means...me!' My companions will introduce themselves accordingly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Nil, was it? And, as for introductions, I am Mithanos Yvandari - yes, yes, the Mithanos Yvandari. No autographs. As for your request, Alpha Tekan, I personally would be happy to assist this little pup in getting better dreams. However, what are we supposed to tell our employer? He will be... quite unhappy about our failure. As for little Teki, what exactly makes him a spiritualist? Does that have anything to do with his eyes, or is that just a side effect?"

Softly, I lean over to the scarecrow and very, very, exceptionally softly whisper "Be careful what you look for. You might not like what you find." Then, I demonstrate my abilities to the scarecrow, and him alone.