Liam is annoyed by the preening legend's arrogance. He decides to put him in his place.
"Indeed," he says as he rolls his eyes.
"Fortunately, Princess Eutropia already has the blessing of the true Taldaris. The spirit of the First Emperor, who we met in Axis, has endorsed her claim, and yet will allow her to make her own choices.
You are the collective memory that Taldor has of its First Emperor; a distorion, a myth.
The Taldaris we met was the true one. And although he himself had established the traditions of Taldor, he was willing to set some of them aside."
"I am the true Taldaris!" the legend declares. It's almost enough to make Liam waver. Almost, but not quite.
He sighs and shakes his head.
"I see now that you are possessed of silver tongues, young ones. Tell me, what will you do if I leave the boy to your whims? Will you punish him for his transgressions against your patron, his sister? What fate awaits Carrius?"
"No, Grand Princess Eutropia loves her brother and will get him the help he needs to recover from what has been done to him. With her care, he will be a true aide to her, and to the empire. Why would we punish him for what he has been put through?"
"Yes, love. Can't you see that is what drives me as well? Love. Love for my empire, love for my people. I only want what is best for Taldor, truly," Taldaris says, lowering his eyes.
The first emperor's legend pauses for a long while. It seems he is resigning himself to the inevitable outcome of the debate. He waves off the grogrisant, which growls before running off, disappearing as it reaches the horizon. Taldaris sighs as he sits heavily on the broken column, gazing at the sunset. "I concede to you, young ones. Your words ring true to my ears. Taldor was a dream I strove toward, but perhaps that means I am still asleep. The world I knew is the one that needed me, and the world you hold now is one with very different needs. May the gods speed you on your way." After a few moments, he adds, "The boy cannot survive without us to bolster him, you know. Half a life is no life at all..." Then he fades away.
The ruins all around you crumble. Fresh, new buildings constructed in the modern Taldan style spring from the ground until the wild landscape is a flourishing town. As you return to the hub of Carrius's mindscape, the lion door--the final door--crumbles.
Carrius is restored fully to flesh now. The boy looks at you with clear eyes. While his frame is fragile and his face lined with fatigue, Carrius’s expression is peaceful. “They are gone,” he says. “The only one inside is me now. I remember everything—my death, my passage on, and how the circle drew me back here. Thank you. All I ever wanted was the peace that was robbed from me.”
As Carrius speaks, the mindscape begins to shudder and warp. Cracks appear in the floor and walls as motes of light crumble from the ceiling above. Obvious pain crosses his face. “You are free to leave now. Return to my sister. Tell her... tell her I’m sorry I have to go, and that I know she can be... the ruler Taldor needs. But I can’t be there for her. What’s left of me... it’s not enough. My soul isn’t whole—that’s why the circle invited the spirits in. To control me, but also to heal me. Now it’s time for me to return. It was nice to visit. I’m so sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.”
The door that you opened with the ring of the recalled soul appears again now. The exit to the mindscape...
However, the gem you carry which contains a fragment of Princess Eutropia's soul starts to glow and vibrate, echoing the pain in Eutropia’s soul as she is about to lose her brother once again. It may be possible to release the energy within to stabilize Carrius, but doing so would weaken the princess...
Liam breathes a sign of relief as the Legend fades.
It was perhaps wrong of me to say that he was not the true Taldaris - our legend, how we are remembered, can have as much weight and importance as our own thoughts and soul.
He approaches Prince Carrius, hopeful at first, and then alarmed as the mindscape begins to quake. No... he is fading.
He considers the situation and addresses his comrades.
"If we use the gem, Princess Eutropia will be weakened in her spirit.
And if we allow Prince Carrius to die, I fear that Princess Eutropia will be weakened in her heart. Angrier and more resentful, perhaps."
"Milani commands that her servants be ready to sacrifice themselves for the cause of freedom. There is the hope of another life, as we have seen with petitioners such as Taldaris and his Valkyrie general Ohalia. With luck, there may be enough of my soul left to serve Milani in the worlds beyond. But even if not, I believe this is the right course."
"Prince Carrius, I do this for you and Princess Eutropia in the name of freedom. She is the best hope for the freedom of the people of Taldor. I ask that you and your sister remember the common people and put their interests first. I ask - but cannot command - that you grant them the liberty to follow their own path as we have tried to do for you."
"Amelia. Katria. It has been an honor."
"No, you don't need to do this, Liam. You're too important," Katria objects. "We can all give up a piece of our souls! Perhaps it will leave us weakened, but we can find our path again. Think of what we've done together to help end this war and restore stability to Taldor. We can continue to work together to help!"[/b]
Amelia raises an eyebrow, "I'm sorry Katria, but this is where my goodwill has to end. I've lived my life in the literal shadows and gutters. I can't give this up now; I've come so far to become someone." She clutches a necklace and looks toward the floor, "I've sold enough of my soul..." Her voice becomes forceful but starts to quake, "I won't do it again."
Her eyes genuinely water, unsure if it is from reminiscing of her own journey or from what Liam is proposing. "There must be another way... But if you insist I will not stop you." The Lady Amelia Reed stares into the half-elf's eyes, "Whatever you choose you must be okay with, and if that is truly what you want I will ensure that your legacy lives."
She slices her hand against Koriana's Blade, "You joked before that such a bloody act wasn't necessary, but I offer it again. My oath that I will continue to strive for a Taldor that we can all be proud of."
Focusing, she takes a deep breath to steel herself, "If I could have one request from a devout man..." She moves toward Liam.
"Tell me I will be fine; that I will be free from the Reaper's clutches when I die. That I'm allowed to be selfish this once. I'm allowed to be happy, and not just as a facade. That I'm not a bad person for wanting my own life." The words almost choke out of her throat.
Liam looks to Katria.
"If I am important, then I pray that Milani may make use of what is left of me as She sees fit. Those of my faith know that a revolutionary does not often have the luxury of stopping to smell the roses when the war ends."
Liam smiles at Amelia.
"Yes. You will.
This is a path that must be freely chosen. It can never be an obligation. And you have done much for Taldor.
I do this of my own free will.
Go forth in peace and liberty."
He prays to Milani, approaches Prince Carrius, and offers his soul.
Katria blinks away tears as she realizes her longtime companion does indeed mean to make this sacrifice, one that will help ensure Taldor's survival.
"Liam, I know you will help guide Carrius to what's right. You will continue to be saving Taldor," she says quietly.
She's not sure it's right to allow this -- Liam always served as the conscience of her fellow agents -- but she knows it would be wrong to force Amelia to give up part of her soul.
Prince Carrius's eyes widen in awe as Liam approaches him. "I will never forget what you have done here today. You will always be remembered as my savior and a hero of Taldor," he says.
A rosy glow surround Liam's body, which then begins to flow into Carrius. As the cleric's consciousness slowly fades away, he can hear voices raised in song, and he sees a glimpse of his goddess smiling down upon him. Milani offers a hand, and Liam takes it as the Everbloom calls him home...
Liam's body sags to the floor as Carrius is restored to full health. The young prince sobs and kneels beside Liam, placing a gentle kiss on the cleric's cool forehead. ”Thank you,” he whispers.
And with that, the mindscape crumbles around you, and you find yourselves back in the Imperial Palace. Only a few minutes have passed in the real world. Liam's body lies in repose, his eyes closed, a peaceful expression on his face. In his hands he holds a single red rose.
Carrius stumbles out from the hidden room behind the throne, exhausted but alive, and for the first time, fully his own man. ”Guards...” he calls weakly. ”It’s over. Tell my sister... The throne is hers...” He sits down heavily and slips into a deep sleep.
The Ulfen Guards seem surprised, but one carries him gently to his bedchamber while the others move to fulfill his command. It would seem that, at long last, the War for the Crown is truly at an end...
Katria stands over Liam's body, weeping . She looks around for something she can use as a shroud before her eyes finally alight on the obvious choice: The standard of conquest. He bore it proudly, and it seems only fitting that it would be used for him. If she has her way -- and she suspects she might often get her way -- it will be placed on display above his tomb, taken down only in great need.
While Katria Delaval has often been remembered for her intelligence and knowledge, but she's never been the emotionless agent that many lesser histories have remembered her as.
Amelia moves toward Katria and puts an arm around her. The scholar always seemed more detached but this single moment right here reminded Amelia otherwise. "It is what he wanted."
She notices the rose before Katria puts the Standard over him, "Milani didn't just make a hero, she chose a proper champion."
Struggling for words, the weight of the choice finally hits her.
"We did it Katria." She squeezes her hard.
You send word to Martella of what you have accomplished. She quickly organize the princess's supporters, who escort Eutropia to the Grand Palace. She meets with the leaders of the sentries and the Ulfen Guard, and by the time Carrius awakens, Eutropia has made arrangements for the guards to stand down and put an end to hostilities, once and for all.
Eutropia sobs with joy as she embraces her younger brother. "I cannot express how grateful I am that you were able to save his life," she says between sniffles. "I'll always treasure this precious gift. And I will never forget the sacrifice Liam made today."
***
Once Carrius recovers from his ordeal, he resumes the personality he always had—that of a gentle and thoughtful young man. He has a knack for politics that he uses to advise his sister, but prefers to remain out of the public eye, especially after his unfortunate episode. Having experienced enough trauma for several lifetimes, he’s content to be as ordinary as possible.
Eutropia’s advisors devise a plan for revealing as much as they deem wise to the people of Taldor. It becomes common knowledge that a plan to assassinate Eutropia was foiled by Taldor’s government and the brave work of the princess’s heroic allies. The announcement of Eutropia’s death and Carrius’s coronation was an unfortunate but necessary ruse to convince the assassins to think they had succeeded, allowing the heroes time to work. Carrius readily confirms this version of events. Eutropia quickly asks that the you keep the truth of the matter to yourselves, to spare her brother the shame and to not disrupt the nation’s faith in its own leadership in an already unstable time.
The Mantle of Kings proves Eutropia’s right to rule, but the path to her coronation is not guaranteed. There remains a strong resistance to her leadership from some of the established noble families in Taldor, and foreign nations take a particular interest in this historic change in Taldor’s inheritance laws. Regardless, with your support and that of senate, and the blessing of the Mantle of Kings, Eutropia eventually proves her claim to the throne, and she is crowned Grand Princess Eutropia, first empress of Taldor.
At the coronation, Eutropia officially knights you all, though she reserves greater titles for the next Grand Day of Exaltation to help wash away the bloody legacy her father left on that day. Indeed, just a month or so after taking the throne, the vaunted day arrives. Grand Princess Eutropia awards you each the title of Countess, granting you the county of Meratt and the Palace of Birdsong as your domain. She also offers positions in her circle of advisors or the senate to the heroes who saved her and brought hope for a brighter future to Taldor. Her financial gifts total 250,000 gp for each you, though she more than likely expresses her gratitude in art objects and magical treasures she knows the you will prize. With the gratitude of an empress, your futures are indeed bright...
A treatise, with proper footnotes, on the 4718 Taldan succession struggle
By Redinald Delaval, written in the year of Absalom Reckoning 4793
And so ended Lady Katria Delaval's role in the war for the crown, and the secret histories that have never been revealed until this tome did so .
With her future secured by Grand Princess Eutropia's reward , Countess Delaval retired to Meratt and the Palace of Birdsong to recover physically and, more importantly, emotionally. But her service to the empire of course did not end there.
After some time, she became more involved in politics again, this time more openly with her service in the Senate. Her efforts there in service of the common residents, however, were too often frustrated by the efforts of followers of Norgorber, who felt (rightly so!) that many of her signature proposals would directly harm their interests.
But as this treatise is intended only to cover one of Taldor's most illustrious personage's role during the war, when she was still little known in the empire. Her later role, and the public attention it brought, will be covered in a forthcoming treatise, "The Mind Behind the Magic, an Examination of Duchess Katria Delaval's Efforts to Save Taldor for a Second Time."
Much of the details of this secret conflict were relayed via the halfling Maya Watersby, whose role in the war for succession seemingly ended partway through, as seen in this treatise. However, she was in fact forced to leave Katria's company -- if not her close friendship -- for another mission known only to the two of them. The details of that story have yet to be revealed, but Maya was made privvy to the truth about what happened to Carrius and since the prince's natural passing in the time since, is now choosing to share it.
As should be obvious from this treatise, Katria came to feel Norgorber was perhaps the greatest enemy that Taldor faced in its efforts to recapture its former glory, and she dedicated the rest of her life to fighting the god and his followers. She was closely aided in this by Countess Amelia Reed, who remained close with Katria despite public knowledge. The two met each year on the anniversary of Liam of Kozan's death at his memorial to pay their respects and also secretly exchange details about what they would be working on in the next year.
Though she never formed as close a circle as Lady Morilla did when she formed Eutropia's Elites, Duchess Katria continued to associate with many of the allies she made during the war, enlisting them on missions to help her. Histories of Bernal Iacomo, Doritan Ambreal, Elif Aylin, Seth Torvalan, and Thanara Stormborn discuss some of those actions, but more shall be explored in the "The Mind Behind the Magic."
Amelia finally had everything she could have wanted. As she looked across the county through the palace windows, there was always a tinge of sadness to it.
She busied herself with advising, enjoying parties and courtly functions and quickly became known within the nation as an extremely shrewd and highly competent Countess.
It didn't take long for her to quickly realize that there were still problems that needed to be solved, and she worked to help pull youth off the street, to provide them with opportunity like she had. With her wiles it took nearly no time at all to get many of Taldor's elite on board with the idea. While some realized it was altruistic, others saw opportunity to increase Taldor's glory; she cared not for what their reason was because it was ultimately her choices that nudged them where she wanted them to go.
In time, the sadness started to wane as she realized that while this all came at a great loss, it allowed her to salvage many lives; and more importantly keep them out of the clutches of the cult that scarred her.
However in all of this time, she never once missed an anniversary of Liam's sacrifice and constantly kept a watchful eye at Katria's back.
What makes a queen is far more than her bloodline, her goals, or her best wishes. A queen is as much her road to power as what she intends to do with the power she gains. Every action taken, every compromise, every new agenda either magnifies or obscures the guiding light that set her on the path to glory. While Eutropia began her long journey to the throne 20 years ago with simple and kindhearted intentions—that no one should feel the sting of losing a loved one too early—she made compromises and employed dubious agents in her quest to obtain the Lion Throne.
Grand Princess Eutropia was directly accountable for the actions you took in pursuit of her goals. She understood on a deeply personal level that she was culpable for every life taken in her road to the throne. Thus, your decisions and victories, your choices and solutions, all influenced the type of ruler that she became...
The PCs befriended Malphene Trant: +1 Compassion
Regarding the nobles trapped beneath the Senate, the PCs brought them out: +1 Compassion
The PCs gained the assistance of the Pathfinder Society: +1 Practicality
The PCs negotiated a surrender from Count Lotheed: +1 Compassion
The PCs built improvements in Stachys worth at least 25,000 gp: +1 Compassion
The PCs allied with the Night Swan: +1 Efficiency
The PCs allied with Baron Okerra: +1 Practicality
The PCs befriended Lieutenant Gallindra Jonrek in Yanmass: +1 Compassoin
The PCs fought the mercenary group called the Kozan Bravos: +1 Practicality
The PCs worked to reverse the petrification of any of the medusa Aresphena’s victims: +1 Compassion
The PCs destroyed Milon Jeroth’s spy network: +1 Efficiency
The PCs solved Tae Amalon’s murder: +1 Compassion
Prince Stavian was handed over to Eutropia: +1 Compassion
The PCs negotiated a surrender from Maxillar Pythareus: +1 Compassion
The PCs left Taldaris's grave goods undisturbed: +1 Compassion
The PCs reasoned with the Crowntop Coup: +1 Compassion
The PCs saved Carrius: +2 Compassion
Final Scores: Compassion 12, Efficiency 2, Practicality 3
Eutropia the Kind
Kind words and extended hands proved more effective than drawn blades in winning Eutropia the throne, and she honored this simple truth through outreach and empathy for her subjects. Eutropia the Kind took from those with much to give—the nobles, the merchants, and the coin generated by Taldor’s many trade routes—and invested it in the common good to provide education, medicine, and a higher standard of living to all Taldans. To ensure that the needs of even the meekest citizens are met, she borrowed from Andoran philosophy and introduced a publicly elected counterpart to the Senate to advise on government policy. While her reforms made Eutropia the Kind wildly popular with the common citizens, her heavy taxes and flouting of Taldan tradition enraged the nobility. Her reign saw a resurgence in aristocratic conspiracies and secret societies dedicated to usurping the throne.
But those are a story for another day. The story of the War for the Crown, at long last, has reached its conclusion. May Taldor endure, now and forever!
The End!