|
The colossal ruby phoenix grows more resplendent and terrifying with each restored feather that soars into the sky to meet it. The magnificent bird lets out a final screech as its shroud of flames intensifies, utterly consuming it. The phoenix is gone. As ruby ashes drift towards the tapestry, the invaders, seeing the tapestry’s last defense has failed, pour through, their entire force pushing through the largest rift in a massive final attack. The entire world shudders as the rift widens.
Aram Zey steps forward to rest under the falling ashes. “Pathfinders, you fought bravely and well, and your sacrifices were not in vain.” Aram Zey pauses, and his expression turns pensive. “But, the tapestry’s tale has not yet ended. There is clearly a force at work here that is greater than we realized,” he gestures out toward the invaders, “Furthermore, we have not permanently repaired the demiplane—we have only patched the worst of the damage and prevented irreversible catastrophe. I fear that…” Aram Zey’s voice trails off for a moment, “Yes, just as I thought.”
The ruby ashes begin to glow, faint as smoldering coals at first, and then intensifying, coalescing, and swirling in beautiful patterns as they lift Aram Zey into the air. “It seems the key to defending the tapestry is allowing its guardian to be reborn. I will do whatever I can to provide the arcane energy necessary to keep the tapestry stable. In the meantime, I hope the Society will search for a more permanent solution. I refuse to believe that the knowledge of the legendary Ruby Phoenix herself has been lost to us forever.” The ashes and Zey converge on a single point, a great ruby ember in the sky. There is a spark, and then the ember explodes. A wave of fire engulfs the tapestry as the Ruby Phoenix emerges from the explosion with a triumphant, piercing cry. Aram Zey floats within its heart, his body engulfed in ruby fire. The explosion’s flames reach the invaders first, turning them to ash and cinders. The flames wash over the tapestry’s defenders without harming them. The tapestry burns—but the fires replenish it, scouring the wasteland and restoring the tapestry’s original environments. The phoenix beats its wings, sending wave after wave of fire into the Astral rift and searing the portal shut. The phoenix soars in a great arc across the sky and flies off toward the sun.
