After contacting Eugeni, Setsuna seeks out the authorities of Sandpoint.
"Mayor Deverin, Sheriff Hemlock, Father Zantus, I have something to confess," she says after collecting them all.
Setsuna proceeds to tell them everything.
"I know what I did is wrong. I apologize for being so foolish to think that Azathoth was benign in any sense and for... any other harm I might have caused. If you... want me... to be executed, then may I at least write a final letter to my Mom? For everything I did wrong, I recall the only casualty of my... foolishness was the Rusty Dragon itself, so... Sorry. No more excuses. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit."
Despite being on the verge of tears at points during her confession, Setsuna somehow manages to maintain some dignity through it all.
Still, part of her hopes that they see that she was similarly deceived by a supposedly non-evil, non-malicious deity that she once admired more than anything else...
As something alien emerges from the cocoon, Zoli looks on in horror and fascination.
She doesn't understand the first few things he says, but she recognizes Eugeni's voice--and the horror in it--when he yells in Thassilonian to stop looking at him. She opens her mouth to reply when he disappears through a magic portal.
"That...was that really Eugeni? Oh dear, what's happening?!?"
Zoli sees Setsuna vanish into her shadows, leaving only Rilee and Zoli in the room. When the druid reaches out, Zoli eagerly accepts her hug. Rilee's tears trigger her own, and she clings to her friend with her all her halfling strength.
After some time passes and they both stop to catch their breath, Zoli asks, "Do you understand what happened? That was Eugeni, right? Only he's...way more different than a reincarnation should be able to do. I mean, his body is twisted--poor, poor Eugeni!--but it's more than that too, isn't it? He spoke Thassilonian. He's never done that before. And he's certainly never created a magic transport portal before!
"What's...what's going to happen, Rilee?"
Zoli mentions to Rilee that Grettela needs to be buried. "I've wrapped her in cotton cloth for now but I...I feel called to make her something special, to bury her in. I know, you might find a coffin unnatural for an ermine but...well I feel like I can still hear her, somehow. There's something she wants."
She goes to work with some wood, platinum inlay, and a chisel. Though Zoli's never really tried her hand at woodworking she finds--as with other creative pursuits--that Myrianna boon guides her hand. She spends a full day carving, and then inlaying platinum as accents. When she's finally done she finds Rilee again. "I know you are a protector for animals and I was wondering...would you say a few words over Grettela's body? I'll dig a hole. I've made her coffine" Zoli holds up a beautiful mahogany box with platinum trim in the shape of a ermine transforming into a bird. "So...can you say something for her?"
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"I-- I don't know, Zoli, I don't know. That can't happen - it shouldn't happen. The Wheel is eternal, neutral. It shouldn't be corrupted like that. I can't believe Setsu would--" She cuts herself off before she goes too far in blaming her, but she longed to. The Wheel was her one constant and true companion in all her lives, ever-turning, never judging. But this, she doubted the alien stain would infect it for long, but for how long would her own mind be tainted with the memory of that thing crawling from the cocoon?
"I don't know. But we must prepare ourselves for the possibility that Eugeni is lost to us, forever."
Rilee places one hand upon the lacquered box as she sighs in sadness.
"What makes us worthy of such devotion? The good, brave and true souls of the Wild that find something in us to protect and guard with their very lives. Laying down one's life for another would seem to go against the natural order. But it isn't. It's in finding those bonds of friendship and more that makes the natural... ordered. And gives it meaning. Grettela, we thank you for your life, and what you have done for us. Rest now, rejoin the cycle of life knowing you have done well."
While you are in hiding in the woods, a lone, beautifully colored butterfly flits over towards you. It is still way too cold and early in the season for such a creature to be out, but here it is nonetheless. It flies over and lands on your third arm, looks at you intently, before beginning to glow brightly and erupt in a flash of light. As your eyes recover, you see you are adorned in new clothing, gear, and equipment!
Eugeni feels the chill keenly, and already regrets his impulsive decision to flee the only people who might help him when he looked like this. Then the butterfly comes. Eugeni recognizes the aid of Desna instantly, though his religious knowledge was not so sure before his death.
"Interesting," he says to himself. He takes off the pack and begins rummaging through it, finding that he is muttering to himself in a couple dozen languages that are suddenly floating around in his head. His clarity of thought is astounding compared to before the change. If his thoughts before were chilled tar, slowly seeping through his brain, they were blazing lightning now. He comes immediately across a large tome, and cracks it open. Without knowing how, Eugeni sees that the tome is a spellbook, and he can understand all the spells written inside.
Fascinated with his new intellect and possessions, the arcanist loses himself in study for some time. He revels in the feeling of power as arcane energy fills him until he feels like a demigod. The things I am capable of now...this erudition...The improbability of such an occurrence is astounding. I wonder if the others even understand the mighty work they have wrought? I am born anew...a hideous hide to hide all the power of the universe.
With a thought, Eugeni concentrates briefly. His body shifts as he alters self into a half orc, vaguely resembling his old self. Looking down in approval he nods to himself. Much better. With this power...I need never fear my appearance again! I can be whatever I want...whoever I want, whenever I want. Yes.....yessss.....yes!
Eugeni starts laughing. At first it is only a low chuckle, but his mirth continues to grow. With no one to hear him, and feeling a bit cracked anyway, Eugeni keeps laughing. Before long he is cackling at the top of his voice, shaking the very boughs of the forest...
Father Zantus follows along with you as you seek out Hemlock and Deverin, eventually settling in to the Sheriff's office. As you confess to the destruction of the Rusty Dragon, the others listen intently, and somewhat in awe of the idea that such power exists. When it is clear you are finished, Hemlock opens a drawer of his desk, producing a pair of manacles.
"What are you doing?" Zantus says in surprise.
The sheriff steps around the desk, "She just confessed, Father. What more is there to it?"
"She admitted that Azathoth was the culprit, not her! He channeled his power through her!" the priest protests.
"By her own choosing!" Hemlock adds as he snaps the iron cuffs around your wrists, eliminating any chance of you making the proper gestures for most magics. He then reaches over and picks up a strip of cloth off his desk.
"A being who she has now rejected, openly! And besides, no one was killed during the ordeal, and the one person who was hurt, Bilivar, I healed up free of donation!" the cleric says animatedly.
"He has a point, Belor," the mayor interjects.
The Sheriff shakes his head in thought, "There is still the destruction of property..."
"Oh badger s&%#," Zantus says in a huff. "With Ameiko missing, the property is essentially vacant, and do you plan on arresting the Giants of the Plateau for their part in all the rest? Besides, she brought back enough goods to rebuild the Rusty Dragon as well as several homes. I think that more than makes up for it!" he puts his hands on his hips as if chiding the Shoanti man.
Belor looks to Mayor Deverin, who nods. He then unlocks the manacles and takes them off of you. Zantus looks to you and adds, "Daughter. I know what is in your heart. If it would make you, and others," he says with a look towards Hemlock, "feel better, would you like to seek Atomement?"
Setsuna does not resist when Sheriff Hemlock attempts to arrest her, and she does not fault the man for simply carrying out the duties of his office. However, the Oracle is also pleased that Mayor Deverin and Father Zantus seem keen to giving her a second chance.
When asked about Atonement, Setsuna nods decisively and confirms, "I would. What do you have in mind?"
Despite her horrible sense of direction, Setsuna manages to stumble her way to the designated meeting point.
"Eugeni? Hun?" she calls out tentatively.
"We perform the atonement ritual," Father Zantus says. "We gather your friends and loved ones that are in town, as well as invite anyone who wishes to attend from the community, and you will be cleansed of your transgressions in the eyes of the gods and man." With his last comment, he glances at Sheriff Hemlock, who nods and folds his arms together.
Eugeni emerges from the forest where he had been waiting for Setsuna in the shade. He floats a foot or so above the ground, rather than walking. His eyes are covered in dark spectacles, which allow no unfiltered light through. He is wearing the practical robes of an adventuring spellcaster, with various rods and scroll cases tucked about his person.
"Greetings, Setsuna. I appreciate your punctuality. Your presence here goes some small distance towards proving your good will." Eugeni makes no effort to come close to Setsuna. An orange ioun stone winds a lazy orbit around his head, a femur also floats in a slow orbit around him. The edges of Eugeni's form shimmer slightly, as if he were inside a nearly skin-tight bubble of heat mirage. He 'sits' cross-legged in mid-air, resting his three hands lightly in his lap.
"As you can see, I have metamorphosed." He pauses to let her take him in fully, and process. "Now, our first order of business will be your informing me what transpired two days ago, and what part you played in this...." he says gesturing to his body. His expression is cool, neutral...expressionless even. Eugeni's accent is no longer that of rustic Varisia. It rings with the crisp and exacting tones of a highly educated graduate of one of the Inner Sea's great universities.
"...Okay. First thing's first, though. I need to... make amends with Eugeni. I've... arguably wronged him more than anyone else."
...Sabrina would totally give him a top hat and monocle.
Possibly much to Eugeni's surprise, Setsuna does not seem bothered or repulsed by his appearance.
"The Scribbler had two demons disguised as statues of Lamashtu," explains Setsuna with a weary sigh, clearly not particular happy about reliving the recent experience. "One of them... killed you. They nearly killed us too. However, at the cost of her own life, Grettela absorbed just enough damage to save Zoli from death, and Rilee and I managed to field Super Olympus and a celestial ankylosaurus respectively, which greatly turned things in our favor. The Scribbler was slayed in a later skirmish; I have strong reason to suspect that he was a champion of Lamashtu."
Setsuna takes a deep breath.
"After everything else I've endured lately, seeing Zoli nearly die and you actually die caused me to have a nervous breakdown, and I fled to Elysium to seek comfort from Lady Desna. Meanwhile, Rilee... decided to use that... Reincarnation method that she likes to bring you back... instead of arranging for Resurrection," further explains Setsuna, doing her best not to speak ill of her great grandmother. "While you and I have seen how... messy the results of Reincarnation can be, another entity interfered with Rilee's attempts to bring you back, which resulted in your... current appearance."
Setsuna quiets greatly.
"That is the objective truth of what happened. Now is where things get... more subjective. Before I go further, if you want me to stop, I will, but I ask that you let me say everything before... judging me. If you want me to cut to chase, I will, but I really think you deserve the full context of everything. More importantly, I am very much aware that I have wronged you, Eugeni. My ultimate hope is to... make amends... somehow."
The Oracle takes a deep breath and continues.
"You really need the full context to understand what happened, so here it is. There are... deities in this universe known as the Outer Gods and the Great Old Ones. The Old Gods. The Elder Mythos. Beings of great and terrible power. My family has a very... strange connect with them. When she was very little, Mom was given a spark of divine power from the Great Old One known as Bokrug. To my knowledge, He is like a more tempermental Gozreh. Sabrina and I inherited that spark. My twin sister was chosen by the wicked Hastur, but she more recently made a pact with Yig, who is the most benign of the bunch bar none . Me? I was chosen by the greatest of them all: Azathoth. I think you saw him briefly... before we went to confront Mokmurian...?"
"I grew up thinking Azathoth to be like Nethys, Calistra, Pharasma, Gozreh, or Gorum: a deity capable of both Good and Evil; that's how he sold himself. Azathoth is... chaos incarnate. He is entropy. The Primal Chaos. Until recently, that is all I thought he was, and chaos is not inherently evil or malicious. He is supposedly not very aware of reality. He is called the Blind Idiot God. The Elder Mythos say that everything, existence, reality itself is his dream. As such, I thought him to be the God of Creation. The Lord of All Things. For all the ill he unknowingly dreamed, he also conjured many things truly beautiful and Good. As such, I held him in high esteemed. I have never hidden my worship of him. However, unlike Mom and Sab, another deity took interest in me: Desna. She has been so wonderful to me, so I naturally held her in the same regard as Azathoth. I also got a spark of Her power..."
Setsuna pauses for a long minute.
"I thought my destiny was to use Azathoth's infinite power to right all the wrongs that he unknowingly created. I thought that he needed someone to guide him. That's why Azathoth chose me... Like Bokrug with my mother and Hastur with my sister, it wasn't just something he did at random by accident."
She sighs and takes a seat next to Eugeni.
"I was a fool for thinking such things. Azathoth is also known as The Daemon Sultan, and what do Daemons want? Destruction. I thought, truly thought that he was the God of Creation who unknowing dreamed a few terrible Evils. I now know the truth: he is the God of Destruction who unknowingly dreamed a few Good things. Mindless, mad destruction. And he is vastly more powerful than Rovagug... No wonder Desna tried to pull me away from him. If Azathoth ever achieved any measure of constant sanity..."
Setsuna shivers; however, her expression then softens.
"That said, until just after the Giant invasion of Sandpoint, he never wronged me. He never hurt me. He never hurt anything anyone who I loved. Every time Desna offered me something to pull me closer to her, Azathoth offered me something even greater. One of them was a selection of Dreamed Secrets. Ever notice how I casted arcane spells on occasion? That was because of him."
"The Dreamed Secrets do have a cost. With Bokrug and Mom, from what I know, it is just some occasional mental strain on the caster, which is easily healed. I think there might have been one or two occasions where I suffered the same thing; I don't really remember anything specific, though. Until just after the Giant invasion of Sandpoint! I loaded up on divination spells to find the missing, and when I tried to cast one, I was a little too stressed to focus properly. However, instead of mental strain..."
Setsuna whimpers.
"Azathoth tried to kill me! He tore open a portal to the Rusty Dragon and promptly leveled the place! Despite every praise and prayer I gave him, he tried to kill me, Eugeni! I... was so shocked that I went into denial. Moreover, I was terrified that I would be lynched of the citizens of Sandpoint. So I shifted the blame. I said it was Mokmurian. He was the perfect scapegoat. When he was axed, I said it was Karzoug. When we dug up all that information about Leng, it sounded occult enough to act as "evidence" for my wild story. I lied..."
The Oracle sighs.
"I was wrong to lie. I am sorry for lying. And yet... I feel so conflicted, Eugeni. Some dumb part of me keeps insisting that my lies were self-defense and that I was the one wronged. That's incorrect! However, no matter how much I try to stamp them down, the thoughts still linger. I mean, for all the horror that happened, no one was killed by my actions, and the one guy who was hurt was fixed up easily enough by Father Zantus. While I suppose I owe Bilivar a personal apology for hurting him, objectively speaking, I minorly wounded one man, destroyed a legally vacant building, and scared some people. Do I deserve to be killed for that? Was I supposed to confess right then and there and hope that no one would hurt me? I... Maybe."
Setsuna takes a moment to collect herself.
"I refused Azathoth's Dreamed Secrets until we faced Mokmurian, and I immediately stashed them back on the shelf. I no longer trusted him.
"However, when the Scribbler and his demons were murdering us, when you died, in what might be a rare moment of sanity of his, Azathoth made me an offer. If I rejected Desna and served only him, he would bring destruction to my... our enemies. He would have brought you back at no cost, and he would have empowered us greatly. If he had not pulled that stunt with the Rusty Dragon, I would have accepted in a heartbeat... In fact, if Zoli had died, I might have caved regardless. Losing you nearly broke me. Losing her as well would have shattered my sanity. I think one of Desna's gifts is my ability to pull myself together after enduring hardships that would break most other people, but even that has limits, Eugeni."
Setsuna sighs and glances at the clouds.
"I rejected his offer. We won. We escaped. I confessed my lies, but they thought nothing of them. When Rilee decided to break out the Reincarnation, I snapped. She and Zoli kept failing to understand my fears that you might not return the same man I love. You were very different before you became a Half-Orc. Rilee Stormborn is not Riley Tobias, who was not Ryllibelle Tileani, who was not Rileon Kailani. They never realized that... I then fled to Elysium to call out Desna for her failure to help us beat a champion of her greatest enemy. I didn't meet her directly, but she did sent a servant to speak with me. We talked. I don't agree with everything that was said, but her points were ultimately more correct than mine."
The Oracle closes her eyes.
"After much debate, I finally cut my connections to Azathoth and fully embraced Desna. I know what to expect of Mother Moon. Desna does not betray her followers. She can actually think. She is truly benevolent. However, in his fleeting sanity, Azathoth did not take my rejection very well. When Rilee tried to reincarnate you, he interfered. He tried to claim you. Desna somehow managed to stop him, but it was too late..."
Setsuna looks at Eugeni.
"And that's why your... current appearance is my fault. At the end of the day, I toyed with powers beyond comprehension, and you suffered for it. I am sorry, Eugeni. I am sorry for lying to you as well. It was wrong. I was wrong. I accept full responsibility. I know my words are empty, though, so... what happens next is up to you. It is time that I suffer the consequences for my actions. Just know that, despite everything, I am truly sorry and that I still love you, Eugeni."
The Oracle sighs, closes her eyes, and accepts her fate...
Eugeni sits quietly for some moments. He doesn't move, but Setsuna can see the thoughts flashing behind his eyes.
"Correct. You acted foolishly, perhaps unethically. Incorrect. I am not suffering. Odd as it may be, I feel this new form will be more useful for us in our endeavors. It is not particularly strong, but has many useful capacities. While I used to be an excellent archer, now I suspect I am one of the most powerful arcanists walking this paltry globe. At my inchoate awakening, I was shocked and reacted poorly. I apologize for fleeing from you and the others."
Eugeni pauses to take a breath, and motions to his new gear. "Desna visited me as well yestereve, she is an excellent tailor. I took the night to consider my situation. To be perfectly frank, I have harbored suspicions you were prevaricating for some time. The old Eugeni was too trusting and too worried he had been betrayed to have confronted you. However, the result of our initial intimacy seemed unusual to me, even given my neophyte level of experience in the field." He pauses, cocking his head to one side. "You say that you still love me. Before, I suspect such a confession would have sent thrills of adulation through my shriveled soul. Now...."
Eugeni pauses, seems to decide something, and clears his throat. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but falsehood led us here, and watering the withered sprout of our relationship with more lies will do it no good."
"I feel very little now. I don't love you. I don't hate you. I am willing to forgive you. In your situation, I suppose I might have acted similarly, and in any case neither I nor the other Rangers have experienced lasting harm."
Eugeni realizes that probably wasn't what she was expecting, or wanting for that matter, but can't be bothered to tell anything but the unvarnished truth right now. "If you wish to continue our romance, I am willing to make an attempt. I am uncertain if this emotional dullness will persist. The torpor could be an artifact of my having grown used to the riling storm of a half-orc's hormones, my current equilibrium being merely dull by comparison. It could be my new intellect. As for my body, I can magically alter it with relative ease now, so that shouldn't be an issue. While this current form wouldn't win any beauty contests, I tried last night and my penis is still fully functional."
Aberrant Eugeni seems to be finished talking for now. He awaits Setsuna's response.
...'Unknowing dreamed a few terrible Evils'? Wow. The Kailani word fumble bug strikes again. Way to ruin an awesome wordplay, Setsu. At least I corrected myself the second time.
When Eugeni confesses that he does not hate her and that he is willing to forgive her, Setsuna is left speechless. Desna's Champion finds herself only understanding about every four out of five of Eugeni's words. Luckily, she is able to use context clues to get the gist of it. For some reason, this new wordy Eugeni reminds her of someone she knows, but the mentally exhausted Oracle cannot quite put her finger on who.
She blushes intensely when Eugeni rather bluntly offers to continue their romance.
"You were the first man seeking romance with me to look past my appearance, Eugeni. Most people just look at me and see a pretty face. I think whatever intimacy and affection we had were definitely real, though. Your reactions were... too genuine to be anything else. I might just have a strange definite of love, but I really can't think of any better way to sum up how I feel beyond 'I love you.'"
Setsuna brushes aside some tears.
"...Going forward, I promise that I will be completely honest with you, Rilee, and Zoli. My sister has a policy of never telling lies. She... might occasionally neglect to say something, but Sabrina really tries to live up to it. In hindsight, I think I finally understand why: trust is hard to earn, easy to lose, and very difficult to get back..."
Setsuna takes a long minute to think.
"I... think it might be best if we ended our romance, Eugeni," Setsuna says honestly. "I am happy that you aren't suffering, but I still lied to you, and this... emotional dullness you feel will likely just complicate things; we'd just be going through the motions... Moving on seems like the best thing to do. Even if we are never friends again, I hope one day that you do forgive me, and I thank you for being willing to give me the chance."
Eugeni nods. "I still consider you my friend, and I will never abandon you, Setsuna Kailani. I too have no surfeit of companions such that I can toss them aside like half eaten crusts. I do not trust you to the degree that I once did, but your confession has already laid the fundament for trust's reconstruction. Are the other Rangers hale?"
After finishing with the burial ceremony, Rilee goes through a complex druidic ritual turning the site of Grettela's resting place into a lush and verdant grove with a bubbling spring in its center.
Rilee gives Zoli one further motherly embrace, then steps back. "Zoli, I am going to go inspect the Wheel. I fear for it after it was touched by Azathoth. I will return, I hope."
She closes her eyes and her form shifts, first becoming made of fire, then earth, then water, then air. In a swirl of wind and leaves, Rilee fades, a faint outline being the last to dissipate in the zephyr.
"Thank you, Eugeni. That... means so much to me. As for the others..." replies Setsuna. "Objectively speaking, they're... fine. Alive and well. However, between you and me, they're... probably not going to take this whole mess nearly as well as you have. I confessed my sins, and they just... locked up. Knowing Zoli, she will probably bounce back alright. Out of everyone in our group, I've wronged her the least. Rilee..."
Setsuna falls backward and groans.
"I've constantly questioned her religious beliefs, which is hilariously hypocritical of me, and I basically called her stupid for jumping to her 'shoddy' form of curing death without considering the consequences. It's a wonder why she even bothers with me."
"Lest you forget, you are kin. Secondarily, you have saved our collective gluteus maximi many times over." Eugeni floats over to Setsuna, offering her his left hand to hold. "Come, I tire of this wallowing in self pity. Let us return to Sandpoint and begin to make amends as we can."
"I've saved your what now? Oh, I think Sabrina's used that word before. It means..." Setsuna chuckles as she takes her friend's offered hand. "Anyway, sure thing, Eugeni."
Eugeni's middle hand reaches over and pokes three muscles in Setsuna's bum. "Glu-te-us," he chuckles. Together the odd couple head back to town, to look for their friends.
Setsuna leads Eugeni back to Zoli's house.
"This seems like where we should wait for them. Technically speaking, Zoli hasn't kicked me out yet, so I'm allowed to be here. She'll need to return home eventually."
Setsuna takes a moment to compare Eugeni's new stature relative to Zoli's door.
...Well, he doesn't need to duck down anymore.
"Excellent. I can only hope the chaos of the other night has not driven them to foolish action. Do you have means of sending to Zoli to let her know we have returned?"
"...Brilliant idea."
Setsuna sends a Sending to Zoli.
"Yo, Zoli. Eugeni and I have returned. He is fine. We are waiting at your house."
"No response. Let me try grandma."
Setsuna tosses a Sending at Rilee.
"Eugeni and I have returned. He is fine. We are at Zoli's house. Sorry for being a jerk."
The Oracle sighs.
"I kind of wish there was some more mundane way of communicating instantly over long distances. That would make life so much easier for everyone."
The Wheel is. It turns slowly, inexorably, as the sun rises and sets. As the moon waxes and wanes. As water pours from the sky as rain, flows to the sea and rises back to the sky. The Wheel is eternal, with no beginning or ending, an endless cycle of life, death and rebirth.
But the Wheel could be disrupted. Unblinking but blind, idiot chaos tore at it, groping and grasping at that which it did not understand nor cared to. Life itself shuddered at its threatened unmaking.
The Wheel's champion, its servant-rider that spent uncounted eons spinning through the myriad possibilities of existence, entered the wounded vortex. Drawing upon life after life, the rider coaxed the grasping tendrils of ancient chaos to loosen its grip, and the Wheel began to spin again. Without thought, heedless of time and the omnipresence of the cycles, the rider worked and spun and repaired the damage.
Its work completed, the rider began to drift, lost in the Wheel. The cycles began to turn once more, and the rider saw its lives, one after the other, stretching back through unfathomed years. The rider saw, remembered, forgot, and remembered again. Then the rider awoke to a voice...
"...Sorry for being a jerk."
Rilee sits up, covered in leaves, bark, soil, fur, blood, skin and feathers. "Huh? Setsu? I'm Rilee again! Or am I? Should I be? I'm a little dirty right now." She starts shaking the coating off and revealing soft unblemished skin underneath. "Oh! I saw him, Setsuna! The Wheel is--" The sending cuts out.
As she has been every day since Rilee created it, Zoli spends a great deal of the day in Grettela's Glade. She's there when she gets Setsu's sending.
She speaks into the air--hoping it's heard--"Eugeni too! He's OK? He's still Eugeni!?"
She kisses the little manzanita tree that grows over Grettela's grave and starts running home.
Zoli remembers what Eugeni looked like when he emerged from his cocoon...but she still gulps when she sees him. "Eugeni!" she looks for a sign of recognition, and when she sees it she runs up to give him a big squeeze. "Eugeni, it's really you! Are you...are you OK?"
She looks over at Setsuna as well. "And Setsuna, you look different too. More glowy now. The Song of the Spheres is really closer to you know, isn't she?"
"I am fine, yes. At first I was shocked to have once again assumed such monstrous mien, but after a night of contemplation I have concluded that my new body and skills are likely a net positive for me personally, as well as the Rangers as a whole. Where is Rilee?"
"...I have no clue," answers a confused Setsuna as she tries to cipher her great grandmother's weird message. "If I had to guess, working some magic on her Wheel? And the sounds of it, she saw Azathoth? I... hope she's okay."
Setsuna nods affirmative at Zoli's question.
"Mother Moon and I have indeed grown closer. Unlike Azathoth, she can be trusted. Lady Desna has never betrayed me, and she has always been there for me with no questions asked or strings attached. Embracing her was the obvious choice."
Rilee looks around at her surroundings in mild confusion. Then she pulls herself out of the earth and shifts into a swirling whirlwind. She rockets straight up until she orients herself and locates distant Sandpoint, then beelines toward the coastal town.
The windy apparition blows into Zoli's house and reforms into the stormborn aasimar. She looks essentially the same, though her skin, clothing and gear are caked with mud and other detritus. Her eyes, however, have an impossible amount of depth and age to them.
Those eyes fall upon the occupants of the quaint house and a sage smile touches her face. Hurt and concern line her still-youthful face as she takes in Eugeni's distorted and grotesque form, and she suddenly leans on her staff as if she bore the weight of countless ages.
"It-- it is done. The Wheel still turns, and it is now free from that crawling chaos." She shudders at the memory. "Eugeni, I-- I cannot say how sorry I am for my role in this."
Eugeni looks at Rilee with his cold, alien eyes. "You were only trying to bring me back. Therefore, I do not blame you personally for my new body. However, if I ever perish again, I would appreciate being raised in a less random fashion. I do not wish to offend you, or criticize your religious beliefs, but I will not risk another reincarnation."
"Understood," she says. She observes the huge changes wrought in the former archer, then looks over to observe more subtle but still evident changes in Setsuna.
Then Rilee looks at Zoli and sees the effervescent halfling still as resilient as ever. A hardness leaves the druid's eyes as she studies her and a light smile touches her lips. "Zoli, I have something to show you. The Wheel was... tainted. But as I cleansed it, it left a parting gift with me. I saw... me. All the me's that ever were."
Rilee closes her eyes and her form shifts...
"Hello, my sweet, sweet daughter."
Ryllibelle steps forward to embrace Zoli.
...I don't think anyone here but me even reaches four feet. When did everyone get so short?
Eugeni cocks an eyebrow at the druid. He mutters a cantrip and focuses his attention on her.
"Interesting...similar to alter self, but I detect no transmutation magics," he mutters after several seconds.
Now that everyone is together, something seems to be bothering Eugeni. "Look, I do not wish to be impolitic, but we should probably finish the socializing after we take care of the threat lurking under our town. You two can reunite...again...on the way down to the hole. The last thing we need is a glabrezu wandering the streets."
2: The walls, floor, and even the arched ceiling of this place are covered with writing, the words spiraling and trailing in the ancient language of Thassilon. Some of the phrases are immense, with words nearly three feet high, while others are written in tiny, spidery script. The medium for the writing varies as well—sometimes dark ink, sometimes blood, sometimes carved into the stone itself. Passageways to the north and east lead into tunnels, and a pair of stone doors, their faces carved with an immense image of a three-eyed jackal’s head, stand to the south. To the west, light flickers in what appears to be an immense cathedral.
To Old Runeforge must you retire!
For only there does wizards' art
Receive it's due and proper start."
3: A low stone rim surrounds a shallow pool of water that seems to glow with a so radiance. The walls around the room are carved with large runes, and the ceiling rises to a dome above.
4: Small dunes of rubble and dust lie on the floor of this room, disturbed as if by the passage of pacing feet. The walls and ceiling are densely crowded with scribblings and markings. An image of a three-eyed jackal glares from the wall to the east.
Upon rare lore your mind can gorge.
And when you slough the mortal way
In Runeforge long your work shall stay."
5: This room has partially collapsed. Cracks radiate along the walls and ceiling here. An image of a three-eyed jackal glares from the eastern wall, one of the cracks running right across its snout.
6: Although portions of this cathedral have collapsed, leaving mounds of rubble on the floor and crumbling walls, the chamber retains its sense of menacing awe. Four black stone pillars support the arched roof forty feet above, and on the floor between them the image of a three-eyed jackal seems to glower from striations in the stone itself. This image glows with a soft rusty light that illuminates the entire room from below. Alcoves to the north and south contain statues of a jackal-headed pregnant woman. Each clutches a pair of kukris crossed over her chest, and a reptilian tail winds down around her taloned feet. To the west, what once might have been a stone pulpit featuring other statues seems to have been partially buried under an ancient collapse. The walls of this room are densely decorated with hundreds of scribblings and sprawling runes.
One part of Key each Ruler hoards;
If offered spells and proper prayer,
Take seven keys and climb The Stair."
7: Blood is this cavern’s decor; swaths of it lie spattered on the wall, and pools have congealed and begun to rot on the ground. Bits of flesh lie scattered as well—whatever happened here, it ended poorly for many.
8: Here three once separate chambers have become one, joined by collapsed walls and the erosion of ages. Bloodstained fragments of chain shirts, shields, swords, and clothing lie strewn about this room haphazardly. The walls are decorated with countless scribblings written sloppily in blood.
At end of day when dusk is nearer,
Where seven faces silent wait
Encircled guards at Runeforge Gate."
9: The walls, ceiling, and floor of this otherwise empty room are densely packed with writing, in many cases overlapping and tangled to near the point of illegibility. Four short lines stand out on the northern door, carved into the stone but otherwise alone on its face.
His regal voice the Yawning Gates
Keys turn twice in Sihedron
Occurred Runeforge waits within."
10: The walls of this room are decorated with owing script and runes. To the north slumps a bloody human body, its limbs apparently broken in a dozen places. A low table against the east wall is covered with vials of colored liquid, and sitting in an inkwell is a quill made from a peacock’s feather.
"There was something I wanted to ask you three. Father Zantus plans to hold an atonement ceremony of some sort for me. If it's alright with you, I would love for you all to attend. Rilee, Zoli, Eugeni, I again want to apology for everything that's happened. I'm trying to make up for it. I... will do everything in my power to be better and avoid such tragic mistakes..."
The Oracle seems very sincere.
Regardless of who actually decides to attend, Setsuna shows up to the ceremony at the agreed meeting time...
Eugeni pauses over the quill in the most interior room, after scanning each chamber for magical auras. "This is a powerful magic item indeed. Some sort of divinatory aide I suspect...Perhaps something to do with the ancient Thassilonian Peacock Spirit?" Eugeni looks mildly surprised as the information flows off his lips. "I am still becoming accustomed to having such a wealth of knowledge floating around in my head. It can be disconcerting," he explains.
Setsuna experimentally gives the quill a try.
She also reviews the Scribbler's notes. The notes impart a feeling of someone from out of time doing what he can to gather intelligence on a world that has moved on. Runeforge is mentioned several times—the Scribbler very much wants to send agents to the dungeon in order to gather supplies and raid it for magic items and texts, since he has grown convinced that the complex has long since been forgotten and abandoned. In particular, his notes speak of something called runeforged weapons— items that the Scribbler believes could be quite useful against the runelords and their allies, yet the methods of creation of which seem to have been lost somewhere in Runeforge itself.
As Setsu ponders what she learned and how the quill might work, she hardly even notices her hand start to write. When she looks down, she see, in beautiful flowing Taldane (Common) script that is NOT her handwriting: "His eyes are turned, His mind adrift. Forever more he wanders far, fear no more his fatal gift."
...I was just worrying about further retaliation from Azathoth...
"...Bokrug's Beard, it answers questions!"
"Friends. Children. We gather here to witness the absolvement of young Setsuna Kailani, who has wronged the people of this town with her lies and deceit. She has confessed her sins openly and willingly, without coercion, to both the Gods and to Man, and seeks redemption in the eyes of both."
He pauses a moment to let his words sink in. "Her actions and generosity of late are but the first steps of forgiveness. She now wishes to be truly atoned of her sinful ways. If there are any present who wish to refute this fact, may they speak now."
No words of contestation are spoken, though some glances are shot expectantly towards Titus Scarnetti. He remains silent and still as a statue, however, and Father Zantus continues on with the ritual. After an hour of prayers and holy chanting, a shining beam of starlight shines down through the solid stone ceiling, bathing both Setsuna and Zantus in its holy light. Flittering about in the beam are tiny butterflies composed of pure light. Setsuna can feel the weight of guilt removed from her shoulders.
"Arise, Daughter of Desna," Zantus says to her with a smile. He then turns to the gathered crowd, "May I present to you Mother Kailani, priestess of Desna!"
Those gathered begin to applaud, some vigorously, others politely.
"Ask it where the Runeforge is..." Eugeni suggests.
"Where is the Runeforge?" Setsuna asks the Quill.
Nothing happens.
Zoli cocks her head with surprise at Eugeni’s marked change in vocabulary.
Are you sure you’re still Eugeni?, she’s about to ask, when suddenly Rilee transforms and her heart stops.
As Ryllibelle reachs out to embrace her, Zoli starts to choke. While she's never seen her mother before she can viscerally tell that this is her. ”Wait!! You said you didn’t remember much, that they Ryllibelle and now Riley were forever gone. What does this mean?!?”
Zoli's face is a reeling mess of emotion--longing for her first embrace with her mother mixed with shock and confusion.
"Hmm... This guy clearly knew where the Runeforge is. I'm going to take a look around to see if he left any clues to its exact location."
Setsuna casts Extended Tears to Wine on the contents of one of her canteens.
After collecting everything, Setsuna reads the scribbles aloud.
"If Magic Bright is your desire,
To Old Runeforge must you retire!
For only there does wizards' art
Receive it's due and proper start."
"And now you've come and joined the Forge
Upon rare lore your mind can gorge.
And when you slough the mortal way
In Runeforge long your work shall stay."
"Each stone the Grace of Seven Lords,
One part of Key each Ruler hoards;
If offered spells and proper prayer,
Take seven keys and climb The Stair."
"On Eastern shores of Steaming Mirror,
At end of day when dusk is nearer,
Where seven faces silent wait
Encircled guards at Runeforge Gate."
"On Frozen Mountain Xin awaits,
His regal voice the Yawning Gates
Keys turn twice in Sihedron
Occurred Runeforge waits within."
The Oracle pauses.
"If these are directions, then these are some weird directions."
Rilee -- Ryllibelle -- stops short seeing Zoli's distress. She pats herself and touches her face lightly, a note of uncertainty crossing her features. They're young -- still the features of a halfling early in her adulthood.
With all the tenderness she can muster, Rilee says softly, "It's still me: Rilee. My memories are the same, but now I can recall the bodies of all my old lives, and live in them again. You said you liked the thought of your mother still living through me, and now I can be her again. Different, but the same."
She stands still for a moment, hands clasped together at her waist. "I can change back, if this is too much."
With a slightly sad smile she says, "No, don't change. I..." She reaches out to touch her mother's cheek. No, Rilee's cheek...but with this bizarre memory of her old bodies?
Zoli starts to giggle, until he breath again gets choppy and she reaches out to hold Rilee in a tight squeeze.
"I, uh...thank you. You...That was a big surprise alright!" She shakes g her head and smiles.
Ryllibelle embraces Zoli for as long as she wants. Finally, she steps back, though she motherly wipes a couple tears from Zoli's cheeks while smiling.
"I-- I can be this way for as long as you like. If you-- if you want me to be your mother, that is. It might be somewhat strange, since I think a few of the townsfolk could recognize me."
She tugs a bit at the fit of the resized dragonscale armor that shrunk with her. Ryllibelle had never wielded much more than a kitchen knife, and never wore armor. She knew she must look strange appearing as some battle-ready halfling druid. "Although, wearing this getup, who knows? It wasn't really my style when I was the doting wife of an actor and playwright."
"This isn't you--your mind, your memories. It's...sweet. And weird. Go ahead and be Rilee Stormborn, or Riley Tobias if that still feels right."
"Look, I do not wish to be impolitic, but we should probably finish the socializing after we take care of the threat lurking under our town. You two can reunite...again...on the way down to the hole. The last thing we need is a glabrezu wandering the streets."
Zoli nods. "That's right. And gosh, all those insane scribbles. He was raving clearly...but who knows what there might be to learn down there too..."
Zoli wanders the halls with open fascination. She reads every rhyme herself and pokes about, slowly.
At the a shallow, glowing pool of water, she asks, "Anyone want to check this out? It's clearly magic, and we've found a couple other pools that do weird things.
"New-geni," she asks, "You seem to know a lot of languages all of a sudden. Do these runes mean anything to you?
"Also, Rilee, can you think of what the 'steaming mirror' would be? It's got an Eastern Shore, so presumably a lake or a pond. And what would Frozen Mountain be?"