Horn--back in his Triaxian form--wills himself not to wince under the scrutiny of his misshapen and birthmarked face. "What Suchak says is true. You can trust my word as a Season Keeper."
The guards flinch slightly as Horn transforms, but quickly regain their composure. Tyrenna looks up from her writing pad, then quickly down when she sees the man's birthmark.
After taking a minute more to finish writing, she nods and turns back to you. "I believe the word of a Season Keeper, and as strange as Suchak Iskal's story is, there is still stranger evidence for it. I thank you three for saving our city from the strange madness that afflicted Lamid and Hallowfeld, and I think you deserve a formal commendation from one of our commanders, if not from Captain Chand herself. You are free to go, but I have one more question - who is this 'Hastur,' and is there a chance anyone could become his agent like Sophia Lasilaran did?"
"I'm not entirely sure. All I know of him is he's a powerful being associated with madness. I think Podrick knows more. Aught seemed to know something as well. We've been in such a rush that I forgot to ask them. It didn't seem important as much who he was, more so that we stopped him."
Podrick listens attentively, and nods in time as Suchak expounds point after point. "A tale simply but honestly told, oh Suchak; I will consider it deeply when I formally transpeak our epic."
"As for the dread god Hastur- he is a horror worshipped only by nihilists and creatures not of this pleasant earth; the King in Yellow, his vices are decadence and disorder. As for whether this corruptive horror could occur again... I think not, as long as his book and whatever other earthly ties he has are contained or, better, drowned in the deepest undersea volcanos."
"Understood. And his book . . . that is something you can take care of, I hope?"
The guards wait with you in the foyer for a few more minutes, and then hear the sound of tremendous wingbeats from the square outdoors. A tall, white-scaled dragonkin enters through the shattered front doors. Podrick recognizes her as Dagmar Chand, Captain of the Guard. Behind her stand a trio of plate-clad triaxians with bows.
After a short consultation with Tyrenna and the others, the archers enter the theater through the side curtains, and Dagmar Chand turns to you. She towers over all but Podrick, and speaks in a deep, gravelly voice. "If what you say is true, we have much to thank you for, travelers. I would like to extend Indar's gratitude and hospitality for averting the corruption of our city. The first order, I think, would be a funeral for your deceased companion."
Over the next week, a platoon of Indar's landbound cavalry rides up to Lamid and Hallowfeld to provide aid to the shattered communities. Word comes back that Constable Radcliff has been elected interim mayor, and the half-starved Maegen is under the care of the Season Keeper of Glacier. Horn and Suchak are offered high-class accommodations replete with silks and tiled floors, while Podrick is given a spartan suite in the marble-stoned Citadel of Breath (formerly a military building, now a hostel for dragonkin and similarly-sized creatures). Tyrenna, who's taken a bit of a shining to the awkward Ghoan, takes Horn out around the city a few times to see the parks and fountains.
Potifer Gerinaldi's body is shipped south towards Kamora, where it is rumored he had family, and those trampled in the mad rush to escape the Playhouse are buried at the expense of the state. Aught is interred in a small graveyard on the outskirts of the city; the ceremony is short, brief, and quiet, though the high priest of Erastil herself is the one to lead it. The evening after Aught's funeral, the oppressive clouds finally lift, and the sun sets red over the kuyl fields to the northeast.
Several days after the funeral, Dagmar Chand summons the three heroes for a small ceremony in the Hillcastle, home of the Count of Indar. A council of nobles presents Suchak with a second starknife, apparently enchanted to be deadly to creatures like those you faced. They give Horn a small platinum figurine, which has been enchanted to transform into a gigantic dragon-like monster. Lastly, Dagmar Chand removes her golden necklace and offers it to Podrick.
After the ceremony, you spend a few more days enjoying the amenities. Horn and Suchak still plan to make the ascent to the Overlook of Angels, but Podrick must return to the northern polar cap. On the morning of the humanoids' departure, the sky is clear, and a faint breeze brings scents of warm earth and salt air to Suchak's nostrils. Horn hopes to meld Aught's bardiche into the stone of the Overlook as a final farewell, and the blade glitters with the last of the starlight before sunrise.
The same day, Podrick departs towards Preita, flying alone and high over the ocean to maximize his speed. There, he will find Ciphre and inform her of her counterpart's death, then purchase specialized diving equipment. Then, he will fly southwest to the Sephorian Sea, where one of the largest volcanoes on Triaxus constantly pours forth magma and poisonous gases. The sky remains clear, and the ocean is a brilliant blue from above, but in the cetakin's pack, the Carcosa Codex weighs heavily. Despite his hopes, all may not be over . . .
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Onlookers see the curious sight of a humanoid whale blushing a deep rose as Podrick receives the lady's necklace with thanks; along the way to meet his family and dispose of the accursed artefact, he drafts and readies his latest epic, his group's first; 'the Drowning of the Yellow King'.
Suchak graciously accepts the new Starknife, and keeps it with him always. He comes away from the ordeal somewhat paranoid about creatures in disguise as normal Triaxians, but for the most part none the worse for wear as he continues his travels in Desna's name.
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Horn accepts his gift with gratitude. His visit to the Overlook of Angels is all the more poignant for the loss of Aught and the disaster the four companions had narrowly averted.
Afterward he parts company reluctantly with Suchak, heading on a seven week trek to experience the natural bridges of Bhoon before returning to his beloved Ghoan plains.