Your exit from the Aspis building is safe if not exactly comfortable. You are greeted with looks and expressions of gratitude, suspicion, hostility and hate by the few people you encounter on the way out.
The chaos in Ostenso is starting to come under control and the guard patrols either don't have time to bother with you or have already gotten word that you are to be given safe passage.
The ship that brought you is ready to make weigh when you arrive and you are joined by the teams you were supervising. They are notably the worse for wear, perhaps a not unexpected result given the danger of this mission.
The Axe-Fixers tell a tale of being caught outside the shipping entrance, even their strength and vigor unable to get them past the defenses or protect them from harm.
Notably, Visbaron Adelum, the human magus from the team is nowhere to be seen. When asked about his absence the Boartusk Twins and Eskaravarn swear never to forget his glorious, foolhardy bravery.
The Scroll-Seekers have a similar story, as they tell of their failed attempt to breach the main entrance of the Aspis facility. While they have all made it back physically, Tarys, the dwarf inquisitor's mind has been broken and she will need extensive treatment back at the Grand Lodge to recover.
Only the Kernaug Group came back unscathed and having successfully breached the Reporting Entrance. They are clearly pleased with themselves but are somber in the presence of the other teams who have suffered losses.
Yet, they are all proud of the work they did under your mentorship.
The voyage is quiet and only a couple days after your return you are called to a meeting with Marcos Farabellus at the Grand Lodge.
When you arrive, you find he is joined by Ambrus Valsin and a dark-skinned woman wearing a mask shaped like a steely whorl with three eyeholes—a member of the Decemvirate.
Farabellus speaks first. "Not the clean victory I might have liked. I have no love of the Aspis Patrons, but Iaovin's death is unfortunate as is those of those Aspis guards. And, of course, I would like to have Suliji in our custody, whether dead or alive."
He pauses, though as he contemplates the results further. Then, in one of his mood changes, he laughs heartily and proclaims, “Still, a success is a success. I knew I could count on you! You’ve made the Society proud."
Meanwhile Valsin stares off into the distance, deep in thought, with a slight frown on his face.
"Suliji was assuredly a threat, but I can't help but wonder if we haven't missed an opportunity," he says.
Marcos makes no comment to that statement and lets quiet hang in the air for a few moments before moving on.
"As you have no doubt learned, the weight of leadership is a heavy burden," he says. "Would any of you like to say anything about the people under your command who were lost? I find it is something that helps me remember that the people that I send out to risk their lives are not pawns in some game but a person with a name and a past but no longer a future."
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Being asked to speak on the occasion of untimely death is a routine occurrence for Mother Nadya. She duly speaks regarding the demise of the Axe-Fixer magus.
”I will make no claim to knowing your colleague Visbaron well. My colleague Diazepane gave most of your mission briefings. But let me say a little anyway.”
“Visbaron seemed to me to be a man who was actively looking for his place in this world. It was hard for him to fit into the normal places this life offers us. His was not to be a simple or quiet life. But is that not so often the case for we Pathfinders? Are our ranks not filled with the misfits and oddballs of this world? And it is the genius of this organization to spot the talent for greater things in those misfits who cannot find peace in a simple home or business. Clearly, your friend had such talent, and great potential, and the loss of that is truly saddening to me and I’m sure to all of us.”
“But there are no guarantees in this life we’ve chosen. We court death routinely, and we take upon ourselves the burden to fight evil and corruption and the dangerously unnatural, so that all those people who wish for a quiet life with their families and businesses can shelter behind us. We seek knowledge and understanding, and to preserve the truth and relics of history. What we do is important and noble. We accept the risks gladly because we believe we make the world better, safer and fairer. Because there are monsters to be slain, and someone must stand forth and do that deed. Someone must be the hero.”
“Your friend was impetuous and rash, but he was equally brave and capable. His life is no less memorable or valuable for being short. His name will feature on the Wall of Names, with all the hundreds of our brothers and sisters in this Order of ours. So many of those names mean nothing to us, but now we all have one that will have a face and a voice in our memories. Let us all pledge to visit this Wall when we can, to remember him and to honor him, and to validate the important sacrifice he made for all of us.”
Nadya lays a hand on the arm of Eskaravarn. ”I know this is especially hard for you. You were a mentor to Visbaron, and you feel responsible for him still. You struggle with guilt and grief. In such moments, we are often tempted to withdraw from the world. But the way forward is to live, and to actively fight your pain by continuing this work of helping others. I would counsel you to write to Visbaron’s father, with whom he had a difficult relationship, but whose opinion meant so much to him. Tell him of his son, what you valued in him, and the good you saw him do. And tell him how he died. Detail is painful, but it also helps us come to terms with a loss.”
”None of us live forever. The embrace of Pharasma awaits us all. The mysteries of the Boneyard are hidden from us, but we may take comfort knowing she is a just and thoughtful steward of that part of us which shall endure beyond our deaths. Whatever awaits us, I do not believe it is pain or torment. Perhaps it is understanding. Perhaps it is contentment. Perhaps it is comradeship with those who preceded us. Perhaps it is even new challenges. But it is not the end. And while death makes us sad, it is not to be feared. It is merely the next step that we all must one day take.”
Her homily concluded, Nadya calls down a Blessing upon all assembled, soothing the hearts of all.
Later, as people are leaving, Nadya approaches Janira and offers her services to aid the healing of Tarys in whatever capacity she can.
Farabellus solemnly nods his head at Nadya's speech.
The member of the Decemvirate watches you intently during this improvised ceremony but nods her masked head after each eulogy.
“The Society has endured for centuries and shall endure for many more—beyond the lifetimes of any of its members yet sustained by future generations and the organization’s guiding principles: Explore the world’s mysteries, report those findings, and cooperate to ensure one another’s success. As evidenced by recent events, we must sometimes go beyond that call to ensure a future in which we can study the past. Even when agents fall in service to lore, we commemorate them and foster another to pursue her objectives.” She reaches for a bag and withdraws an intricate helmet adorned with three gem-studded flanges.
Cradling it in one arm, she continues.
“Even among the Ten, malady and misfortune inevitably claim everyone, and another must rise to ensure the Society lives on, immortalized in deed and legend. We watch for those who might accept—and be worthy of—that challenge. You have earned a rest, brave Pathfinders, but we hope to see your return to the field.” She returns the helm to the bag and adds, “Perhaps then we shall meet again to discuss certain future opportunities to leave your mark on this age and beyond.”
In the weeks and months to come, the Pathfinder Society and Aspis Consortium step back their hostilities toward one another, making several quiet concessions to one another to maintain the peace. It’s only a matter of time before an Aspis agent fells a Pathfinder or a Society expedition thwarts a Consortium operation in the name of historical preservation. Even as hostilities gradually begin anew, both organizations prove increasingly careful not to let the conflict get out of hand—especially true for the Consortium’s Patrons, who are painfully aware how decisively the Society could retaliate if it deigned to do so again.
The End?
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Svetlana regards the Venture-Captains and the Decemvirate member with a certain crispness in her demeanour.
"It has been a journey. I was shown a new life by the Society. I realised I could be more than my abyssal birth—and it was the Silver Crusade where I found my first home. It was my heart’s desire, Otiophon, a paladin in the Crusade, that I followed into Oppara to investigate Pathfinder business there. That was when he was abducted… and vanished forever."
She pulls out her silver wayfinder and flicks it open. Inside is the portrait of a handsome knight in shining armour. A pained look flashes across her face for only half a moment.
"But when he was lost to me, it was Zarta in whom I found the answers to my pain. And through her, the Order of the Gate. They showed me a home, gave me a purpose—and Zarta, she gave me a new world."
"Now, at what I assume is the zenith of my career, I suppose some choices must be made. The Gate? The Society? It’s a good question."
She turns to her companions with a warm, wry smile.
"To my fellows—what a great adventure we’ve been on. From the Ruby Phoenix, and then this latest venture—straight to the heart of the Aspis. Should you call again, I will gladly answer, for I would be fascinated to see what the end holds."
She dons the helmet once more, the exemplar of a Hellknight, of Cheliax.