Visna hefts her axe to collect an appropriate trophy as proof. "Once his troops see that their master has been cast down, the fighting spirit will leave them."
As Visna predicted, once it becomes clear that the Prince of Wolves is dead, the other remaining demons quickly flee into the Abyss. A cheer goes up from your allied armies. The battle is won!
With the Prince of Wolves and his demonic minions defeated, you enter the ruined fortress. The central chamber contains shadowy version of the towering crystal stele that interdicted your planar travel into this realm. It radiates intense shadow magic, and is likely the source of the Prince's ability to create his own umbral duplicates, as well as other abilities. Fortunately, it doesn't take long to shatter the crystal into a million pieces, thus ensuring the Prince's reign of terror is truly at an end.
Another chamber here contains the Prince's treasury. White continual flames illuminate this room, and the chamber contains chests, a table covered in red cloth with two stools, and several niches with display pedestals. On display are myriad items related to harrow cards, all arranged around a recently constructed stone statue of the Prince of Wolves. Chests and other containers hold coins, jewels, and art objects worth a total of 25,000 gp. Leaning against one wall is a broken Huge-sized ranseur blade with the name “Mogaran” inscribed on it in Abyssal—a +3 greater striking anarchic greater corrosive ranseur once wielded by its namesake vavakia. Thirteen elaborate and incredibly rare harrow decks of varying ages are stored here as well, each featured in an ornate carrying case with an antique harrow mat. The harrow collection is worth 32,500 gp in all, as among these sets are no fewer than a dozen rare harrow cards, including two copies of the Prince of Wolves. Ten oversized metal tiles with harrow images made of rare materials hang on the wall, each of which is worth 1,000 gp. One niche contains two potions of undetectability, while another has a particularly powerful deck of illusions [ooc](this is an 18th-level item with a price of 19,000 gp, and the illusory creature spell it casts when activated is heightened to 7th-level)[/oob]. A circlet of persuasion sits atop the crown of the statue.
Perhaps the most important item here is a lacquered black box on a pedestal that contains the Deck of Harrowed Tales. Returning this item to the corrupted Sonnorae in the Harrowed Realm will allow her to finally undo the damage to that place the velstracs caused.
|
After getting out his anger on the Prince of Wolves' body by kicking it in the torso, Belmont caught up and just...stared at the inside of the treasury. There was enough money here for him to open his own gambling den. Enough money to bet on ten card games! At least.
He barely could stop himself from smiling devilishly.
Still, his thoughts of greed were interrupted by Briar's words then throws his still pistol wielding hands in the air. "Yeah sure! Say, do any of you wanna go halves on a lucrative investment in a business idea I've always wanted to do? Trust me, I got it all figured out!"
He then returned to reloading his guns, holstering them and looking around for an appropriate casket or chest to use as a means to bankrupt the wolf kingdom for good!
"Sonnorae's freedom, then rest," Visna corrects with a gentle, weary smile."[/b]
Pen is busy making notes in her journal, ignoring the vast wealth before her. Tapping pencil, scratching out a dragon, pausing to do complicated math, but when the next task is announced she stands off the chest she had become perched on and is ready.
As your allied armies return to Golarion, you make a detour back into the Harrowed Realm and visit Sonnorae in her ruined keep. The corrupted woman sighs in relief when you return the [i]Deck of Harrowed Tales[/i[ to her. "Thank you. You've done me the greatest kindness I could imagine," she says. Already, you can see the twisted flesh of her velstrac form beginning to soften as her eyes shine with clarity. It will take some time, but you're certain that soon Sonnorae will transform back into her original form and start to heal the storykin and the Harrowed Realm itself.
When you return to the Harrow Court, the new cards you have gathered epitomize themselves.
Critical Success: The PC reaches the mountain’s peak! The PC gains the ability to cast a spell as a primal innate spell, choosing from fly (once per day), gust of wind (at will), wall of wind (three times per day), or wind walk (once per day). In order to choose a spell, the spell’s level must be equal to or less than half the PC’s level (rounded up). The spell is automatically heightened to half the PC’s level, rounded up, and uses the PC’s class DC if needed. A PC can change the innate spell they gain by successfully climbing the mountain again.
Success: The PC makes progress, but hasn’t quite reached the peak. The PC becomes fatigued. The PC can either abandon the attempt and end their eight hours back at the mountain’s base, or they can continue the ascent either by sheltering in place for eight hours or attempting another eight hour activity and an Athletics check to reach the peak with a +4 circumstance bonus. Successfully sheltering in place requires a DC 35 Survival check—success removes the fatigued condition, but failure does not, and also makes the PC enfeebled 1 (or increases the value of a current enfeebled condition by 1, to a maximum of enfeebled 5). A character who fails 3 Survival checks when attempting to shelter fails the attempt to ascend the mountain and is forced to retreat to the mountain’s base (see Failure, below)
Failure: The PC falls, taking 10d10 bludgeoning damage from falls and pummeling wind. The PC is fatigued.
Critical Failure As failure, but the PC also suffers a fall near the end of their descent, taking an additional 50 points of falling damage along the way.
Critical Success: You make it to one of the armories and discover a suit of +2 greater resilient armor. The type of armor is up to you, but it must be a common type of armor. For you, The Keep’s armories are now forever empty, and you can never attempt this activity again.
Success: You spend time pushing your way through the maze but don’t quite reach your goal. The next time you perform this activity, you gain a +4 circumstance check to your Athletics check.
Failure: You fail to reach the hidden armory.
Critical Failure: You fail to reach the hidden armory and strain your muscles in an attempt to wrench open a barrier. You become clumsy 3 for 1 week, or until the condition is removed via an effect like restoration.
The six arches in Harrowheart have filled with smoke, unable to create links to the next set of cards. Likewise, any attempts to locate any of the remaining 18 cards with spells or rituals turns up nothing. For now, you'll have to wait for the cards themselves to reach out. In the meantime, you've earned a chance to rest and relax.
Visna's eyes shine with delight at the challenges before her. "A fortress to storm and a summit to conquer," she chuckles. "I owe the winds my gratitude for mandating the joyful strain that this climb shall bring me."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Hah let us see who can reach their goals first then Crownbreaker I shall take the peak while you storm the keep and then I shall do the keep. Then we shall share our stories hmm?"
Briar disappears to the howling mountain for some time, returning after a few days. The rugged barbarian looks little worse for the wear of the dangerous terrain and begins regaleing the others with tales of how she could have gone straight for the top, but the chance to explore the vast range was just too tantalizing to pass up. She speaks of magnificent sights, warm hot springs hidden in the mountain passes and ethereal spectacles of light.
When Briar moves to take on the Keep she takes nearly a month to come back with any fruits from her labors. She explains that it is good exercise, avoiding any details that may suggest she was simply lost.
Pen is unhurried, unrushed, she spends her time off curled in her chair, reading, writing, covered in cats with tea at her side table, absently casting warming spells or telekinesis to gather up new books.
She does spend a small amount of time exploring the unsettling laboratory in the dungeons under the castle, learning from the process of extending one's life, even though she has no interest in doing so.
Then she is back into her chair, now with a stack of honey butter toast.
Part 3: Worst of All Possible Worlds
Chapter 1: All is Lost
Several weeks pass in relative quiet. Then, one day while you are together inside Harrowheart, a pleasant chime echoes as a magical doorway appears from nowhere. The doorway is made of pure light and draped with a colorful beaded curtain that parts with a pleasant clatter as the beads jostle against each other. An elegant boot steps through the doorway, followed by the rest of the figure: an elven man clad in a patterned skirt, a short leather coat, and a turban decorated with a fine, golden emblem. Several items hang from his belt including bottles, instruments, and other talismans. A large satchel hangs from one shoulder while a small gray monkey perches on the other, watching attentively.
With a small bow he introduces himself. “Good day to you all. I am but a humble merchant from distant lands, but I believe I have just the thing that you’re looking for today.”
Visna smiles fiercely, hand resting on the haft of her other Smile. "Well met, traveler, though your words and deeds offer differing accounts of your manner. I am Visna Freydisdottir, Wolftamer, Hingeburster, and Reliever of Age's Sorrows. Make your offer as you wish, but the price of so doing must be your own name."
The man shrugs enigmatically at Briar's statement. "I just appeared where I was needed, I suppose."
He turns back to Visna. "I would give you may name if I had one. I am the very incarnation of The Trader, born from the magic of the cards you have in your possession, the Deck of Destiny." With a flourish, the Trader reaches into a pack and presents an elegant scrol, which he unfurls to reveal a map of Golarion. "I am not the only incarnation born of this very same deck. This map shows the location of all of the other ones who have manifested. I am happy, even proud, to share the knowledge of these locations with you—for the right price, of course. One hundred thousand gold pieces."
The man's eyes glitter, as if he knows the price is outrageous and he is eager to haggle with you.
The PCs begin with a total of 5 Negotiation Points, representing the Trader’s eagerness to engage in some haggling. The party can attempt two checks per person to help negotiate with the Trader; some PCs might not feel that they can properly help with the negotiations and can ask a different PC to haggle on their behalf. Once all the checks have been made, the Trader provides his final price.
The following skills represent the most likely ways the PCs can negotiate with the Trader. At your discretion, a PC can attempt to haggle with a different skill not listed here. The DC for all checks is 38.
Crafting: A PC can ask to examine the map and use Crafting to assess the map’s quality and accuracy. Successful PCs note that the map is made of relatively shoddy material and is inaccurate enough to make its use difficult.
Deception: A PC can use Deception to spin up a tragic yarn about having had their funds taken in a diabolic contract, stolen by a nalfeshnee, or any other number of dramatic but imaginary sob stories to soften the Trader’s heart. They might also suggest a payment plan they have no intention of honoring.
Diplomacy: Making use of Diplomacy, a PC could attempt legitimate haggling, expressing a lack of funds but a desire to purchase the map while appealing to the Trader’s sense of duty or goodwill, or honestly propose paying the full cost in installments.
Intimidation: Particularly aggressive PCs can use Intimidation to browbeat the Trader into lowering his price, making a scene of the exorbitant cost and expressing outrage in hopes of getting their way.
Mercantile Lore: A PC with a strong sense of economics can use Mercantile Lore to crunch the numbers on the Trader’s profits, analyzing his overhead costs and fully assessing how narrowly he can maintain his profit margins.
Occultism: PCs with a strong understanding of the harrow deck can make use of Occultism to analyze the Trader’s motives. With a successful check, a PC realizes that haggling is in the Trader’s nature or recalls legends associated with the card, and knows how to play the part of the cunning buyer featured in stories.
Pen showed a quirk of interest at seeing one of her kind, but it disapates once she knows he is not. It is replaced with a whole other interest at him being in incarnation of an idea.
"Can I see the scroll? To validate the quality?" the wizard asks, but does not reach out until he agrees. She studies it with practiced care, before frowning "It will be difficult to use." handing it back as she says it.
"Hwaet!?" Visna barks out a laugh that holds little mirth. "Think you that our hearts are home only to fear and desperation? And can it be that you have not heard the tales of misfortune that tyrants and grasping thieves must wail in our wake? Fate bends to place these cards and our foes squarely upon our path; have a care that you are a waypoint that we may leave in friendship rather than one who would deny fate and her fated."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Pen had just curled out of her favorite chair before the arrival of the Trader. The weeks had allowed her to finish transcribing and analyzing her notes, so the elven wizard had actual free time. Which she spent split between having tea with her companions and reading.
It just happens she was reading a book on Harrow and realized something...
In the other's minds, she gets the soft voice of Pen
According to The Secret Lives of the Harrowed Cards, second edition, haggling is in the Trader’s nature. There are legends I can recite to allow one to play the part of the cunning buyer featured in stories, which should help.
To cover for her mental communication, she looks over the map once again "Are these food stains covering the lands of Geb?" she leans in and sniffs, frowning up at him when she realizes no the stains are not food, but blood.
Belmont weaves fabricated stories of woe and financial hardships to haggle with the Trader. He goes back and forth with all of you, genuinely pleased by the entire process. Eventually, he gives a nod. "You make some compelling points, friends. I will give you an enormous discount. Merely 10,000 gp, and the map will be yours!"
Once Visna hands over the coins, the Trader happily gives you the map. With the transaction's completion, the elf's form shimmers and his body discorporates, transforming into a harrow card! You are free to collect and epitomize The Trader
The Trader’s map is magical in nature. The map itself is rough, with simple lines and a general depiction of Golarion. Several markings dot the map, each glowing with a pale red light. Anybody who checks the map regularly notices that some of these markings move, suggesting that they track harrowkin in real time. Additionally, when one holds their finger to one of the markers, the map changes what it depicts, showing a more detailed version of the marker’s immediate surroundings. This helps to narrow down the location of the harrowkin it represents. If you are to complete the Deck of Destiny, you must track down each of these scattered harrowkin with the help of the Trader’s map.
There are six locations where the harrowkin seem to have gathered: Droskar's Crag in the Five Kings Mountains; the Dragonbound Archipelago, an enormous chain of floating islands off the coast of southwestern Arcadia; the Desert of Storms in central Casmaron; a remote isle near the ruins of Azlant; near Lake Ocata in the Mwangi Expanse; and the city of Goka in western Tian Xia.
Visna quietly shakes The Trader to see if their coins will fall back out. "To my sorrow, neither wind nor current have brought me to Azlant. I would correct this.'
|
|
Visna quietly shakes The Trader to see if their coins will fall back out. "To my sorrow, neither wind nor current have brought me to Azlant. I would correct this.'
Briar gives her a smile, "Til now, proud Crownbreaker. A new sky and new waves ta see."
The Kholo ruffles her brow in thought, "Sanjana n' I n'er went to Azlant, but Magambaya had scrolls."
The marker in Azlant seems to be moving erratically on the map. Closer study reveals that the movements are mostly focused on four tiny islands by the southeastern-most portion of the broken land.
When you are ready, you transport yourselves to one of these remote islands. A few ancient stone walls and two statues—one toppled over—are all that remain of the ancient building that once stood here. The ground itself is an uneven layer of rubble and vegetation.
As you arrive, the sky suddenly becomes dark; the sun is momentarily visible in the dark sky before it becomes occluded. A total solar eclipse begins immediately, plunging the island into darkness and leaving the visible sun a flickering corona overhead.
Two monstrous beasts lurk here, emerging from behind the toppled statue. They resemble large crimson hounds the size of horses wreathed in flames. Light and shadows morph strangely around them. They howl menacingly as they stalk towards you!
Visna rushes forward, axe shining as she traces along it a rune of the uncovered sun. With a mighty chop she opens hostilities.
Pen chants her arcane echoing words as she spins her staff, then points at the nearest hound, sending a torrent of electricity slamming into the beast's body.
With her other hand ands spins out a transparent shield to protect herself.
The first bul-gae dodges some of the lightning but the other one takes the full blast. Briar's target dodges her snapping jaws, but Visna delivers a critical hit with her axe!
Both beasts release blasts of otherworldy cold as they each bite at Visna and Briar.
Up above, a fiery point of light appears in the sky at the center of the eclipse, swiftly growing in size. It is apparent that a meteor is hurtling toward the island! The meteor slams into the ground in a fiery burst, hurting Briar, Visna, and the beasts.
The view of the night sky shifts and changes, almost as if you had been transported toa different part of the world. A large, broken curving gate inscribed with runes rises up in the periphery of your vision.
Frequency once per round
You focus on the night sky to determine where the Eclipse currently is, either by attempting a Perception check to focus on the Eclipse’s actual location, a Nature check (or with the GM’s approval, an appropriate Lore check such as Astronomy Lore) to estimate where on Golarion the view might be from, or a Society check to recognize a landmark. The DCs of each check depend on the view presented.
Critical Success: You recognize the location and bring the Eclipse into sharper focus, reducing its Distance Score by 1. You also gain a hint about where the Eclipse might go next, granting you and your allies a +2 circumstance bonus to checks to Read the Stars until the start of your next turn.
Success: As critical success, except you gain no bonus.
Failure: You’re unable to determine the Eclipse’s location.
Critical Failure: You misunderstand a crucial detail, and the confusion prevents you from attempting to Read the Stars on your next turn.
Pen likes stories, especially reading them to others, even if they are only her cats. So the wizard knew this one "Sarenrae plunks the eclipse from the sky... hmmm"
"THe object in question is above Varisia, I believe if it comes closer we can do something about it."
Off hand she sends a ray of scorching flame at both creatures.
Visna continues to hew away at her foe, sunlight streaming fiercely from her Smile as she brings the eclipse hound towards its end!
Both bul-gaes whimper in pain as the meteor pummels them!
As Pen reads the stars, the Eclipse now appears closer now, a gargantuan sphere of darkness 1,000 feet up in the air. She hits one bul-gae with a scorching ray, though it resists some of the fire damage. It then reacts by releasing a solar flare around it!
Briar delivers a bone-crunching bite, grabbing the bul-gae by the neck! As she thrashes about, it, too, lets loose with a solar flare!
Visna attacks the other hound, scoring a critical hit as she snags it, the finishing it off with another brutal chop of her axe!
The hound in Briar's jaws once more releases a burst of otherworldly frost before bursting free of Briar's grasp!
Another meteor rockets down from the Eclipse! The stars ripple and shift to a new configuration. A ring of mysterious red stones is visible on the periphery of the view.
Visna weathers the storm as best she can, grateful that at least one of the hounds has met its end. With a quick chop she joins the fray against
"Doorway to the Red Star..." the elven wizard says absently, trying to plot the objects course across the sky. While Pen tries to concentrate on the red stones, she knows that she cannot ignore the battle. Time being what it is, she decides maybe giving more of it will help this conflict.
|
|
Briar struggles past the pain and comes down hard one last time on the hound to make sure it's out of the fight behind Visna's assault before letting go and gasping for breath as the rage fades from her.
She quickly begins applying a soothing compress of aloe to her many burns and takes a gaze at the stars.
"I'd recognize those stars anywhere. We're in Mwangi and not along a good place either, let's hope our travels soon take us from this place as I'd rather keep even my hide than deal with zealots."
Briar and Visna finish off the second hound as the kholo and Pen read the stars, bringing the Eclipse closer to you. It now appears to be a small sphere of darkness 30 feet up in the air. Still, this doesn't stop it from slamming another comet meteor amid Briar and Visna.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Visna is battered once more by the meteor, but Crowstarver keeps her whole. Glimmers of half-remembered songs guide her to the strange eclipse's true home, and she reaches down to pluck it from the air.
"And end to your mischief," she says wryly, as though a meteor hadn't recently struck her.
Once plucked from the sky, The Eclipse reverts to its card gform. The few shadows of the hallucinatory Earthfall fall to the island and coalesce into a sash of the books, a testament to your wisdom.
A thorough search of the island turns up more treasures, including a true endless grimoire, a scroll of dimensional lock, a scroll of magnificent mansion, a scroll of warp mind, a clear spindle aeon stone, and gloves of storing that still hold a +3 greater striking starknife. You also find a rare tome titled Of Observations Alghollthun and Other Esoterica and Theories, a book in Azlanti written by an anonymous author theorizing that alghollthus were manipulating Azlanti culture from the shadows. The book has been heavily annotated by an unknown critic who lambastes and mocks the author’s claims. It is worth 3,000 gp if sold to the right collector.
Pen sighs her pragmatic sigh, a sign of contentment that all her companions have survived yet another encounter with the fascinatingly odd. She scribbles her notes, stopping to help search for loot, much which makes her eyes widen in interest.
|
|
Visna plucking the false moon from the air doesn't happen in time to stop one last comet from pelting the Kholo in the head. She staggers for a bit grunts and shakes it out.
"Okay... I think we deserve a sit after that nonsense.."
Not really up for debate she takes a seat and starts tending to the burns, freeze burns, and bruised muscle with various ointments and tonics.
After resting up in Harrowheart, you prepare to head to the next destination in the Mwangi Jungle, east of Lake Ocota. Briar knows that marker on the Trader's map is at a confluence of tributaries and streams known as the Web of Rivers, which eventually flow into Lake Ocota. The marker can only be pinpointed on the map during the later hours of the day, suggesting that whatever it signifies only exists during the evening hours.
When you arrive at the convergence of waterways, you find a number of different harrowkin creatures. Most obvious is the Queen Mother, who takes the form of an enormous termite the size of an elephant. Dozens of smaller termite servants hustle about, offering food to the Queen, striking up conversation with other guests, or simply filling up the area to make it feel like a full court. The Courtesan sits at a table off to the side. They have a humanoid figure but wear a mask made of pure gold with three eye holes. On the opposite side, the Unicorn lies on the ground as several termite servants attend to his needs. The Unicorn resembles a typical creature of his kind, but appears quite sullen.
Your arrival gives this makeshift court of harrowkin pause. The servants stop moving, and the Courtesan and Unicorn perk up at the sight of the new visitors. The Queen Mother unleashes a delighted laugh. "Ah, guests! Welcome to our court! We haven't visitors in quite some time, and we are thrilled by your arrival. Will you join us in an evening of merriment and entertainment?"
|
|
Briar steps into the area and take in a deep breath of the many strange smells of the lush jungle. "Good to be back. Best ta stretch and prepare yourselves for the journey, Mwangi can be a dangerous place. Even with a good guide."
The kholo practices what she preaches and begins limbering up for the journey, moreso than even the usual activities before beginning an adventuring day. One may think it's just her trying to soak it all in for a bit however.
During the trip through the dangerous jungle Briar assists and offers tips on how to best protect yourself through the trek making things go smoothly while saving the party some energy for whatever they may encounter.
When they reach the harrowkin gathering Briar raises a hand in greeting utilizing her native tongue first before switching back to common.
"A fine greetings to you as well harrowkin. We come searching for the remains of the deck of fates. As our journey has led us here, one can only guess we're ta join you for the evening. Though manners be as they are, I believe we need bring food for a banquet as customs demand in these places."
Pen finds the entire array fascinating, just as she had done so with the jungle that Briar showed to them like an affectionate and potentially lethal treasure.
She smiles at the Queen, the Unicorn, and the Courtesan, bowing as that seems fitting, but doesn't talk since the others are SO much better at that.
The Queen Mother waves her hand dismissively. "We need not eat, for we are beings formed from the very cards you seek, of course! If you seek to claim us and bring us back into the fold, then we are amenable to the idea. But first, we must insist you enjoy our court for a nevening of entertainment! Let us begin the Battle of Lies!" She laughs giddily, and the entire court erupts into excitement as they prepare for the event.
The Battle of Lies is a regular occurrence in the Queen Mother’s court, but without new participants it grows stale. During the battle, the court’s regulars attempt to fool the latest visitors. The game is intended to test the wits of the guests and offer them a chance to showcase their knowledge and skills. For this Battle of Lies, you will be the ones undergoing the test.
The Queen Mother is quick to explain the rules: you must uncover the lies of the court and prove yourselves capable of handling the intrigue that comes with visiting royalty. You have free rein to speak to any of the court’s attendants and learn about them and their lives. Once the night nears its end, the Queen Mother will call you before her and request you declare all the lies you've discovered. If you manage to discover enough lies, the Queen promises to turn herself and the rest of her guests over to you as cards.
"The fun then is in carefully separating and paring away falsehood from the body of a good story? An exaltation of truth's unsparing edge, it must be said, yet I feel the stories may be the poorer for it."
Visna pauses with a wry smile. "Yet it is for the hosts to name the tune, and for the guests to dance or depart at their will."
Pen's hands tighten around her staff as she stifles her displeasure at such a test. Flying into a maelstrom, countering hellfire lightning while disintegrating hordes of imps would be a more desirable 'test' for someone like herself.
But she doesn't say that, she manages instead to smile and nod, holding to her knowledge that Visna and Briar are much better at courtly intrigue that herself.... maybe she should go back to her room?
The Courtesan is the first to speak to you. They share their tale of awakening as a harrowkin and traveling with the Queen Mother and the Unicorn. This journey begins in the forests of Taldor, where the harrowkin had to fend off the legendary six-eyed lion Grogrisant. They then journeyed through Absalom where a friendly doppelganger helped the trio procure a journey south. After traveling to Osirion, a meeting with Ruby Pharoah Kemet III secured a caravan through the Barrier Peaks. Finally, after speaking with the arboreal Umdasi-Umalo at Ranage’s Circle, the group was able to earn permission to place the queen’s court within the Mwangi Jungle.
"Oh" Pen brightened considerably.
Briar spots the lie: Ranage's Circle is home to an arboreal named Silang-Sefa, not Umdasi-Undalo.
***
You mingle with the court for a bit before the Queen Mother herself calls you over to tell you a story. She talks about her former paramour, a dragonfly named the Gossamer Prince. Their courtship was a long-lived one, taking place over 50 nights, as they could only visit each other when their respective kingdoms were asleep. On the fifty-first night, the Queen Mother visited the usual meeting place only to find that the Prince was not there. Fearing the worst, the Queen Mother sent her servants in all directions to learn of the Prince’s fate. While they couldn’t enter the dragonfly kingdom, a spy returned with news that the Gossamer Prince had “found a new life to lead.” The Queen took this to mean that the Prince had married another, abandoning their love. In her fury and heartbreak, she swore she would never love again.