July 19
Heian is waiting at the Court when the others return. Atala and Tranq are not with him. He has received a message from the Liodan Elves, ones that split off 500 years ago. They're visiting in a week and want to meet him. He thinks they want to make him King.
The people in the Court are different to the ones we've met before. If we concentrate, we can remember them.
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Ophion notices people are less concerned about tieflings than before. And everyone loves him, Ophion the famous rock star, especially.
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Kunoh is believed to have single handedly killed Wanambi, and Rusheed the Steward calls him "Mighty Warlord" to his face. We are shown to a lavish room, and Kunoh is presented with his original battle axe wrapped in furs - werewolf furs! There is a letter that says "Your army of the wight awaits to serve you, Great Warlord" and there is some werewolf artwork.
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Ruben is the Dean of the Hall of the Arcane Mysteries, and is about to take over from Darksun.
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A woman walks in, Mayb knows she should recognise her but she does not. She has a traditional red 3 piece garment on, with a magnificent headdress. She bows to Mayb and informs her that the first of her callers awaits an audience. Her name is Carla. She explains that Mayb has to decide who she will favour for the Imperial Coronation, because after all she will be on the high table next to the Empress as she is the Ambassador of the Fey. Mayb follows Carla and we all stick our heads around the corner of the doorway to watch. A beautiful man, a magician called Daja from House Heard, offers Mayb translucent pearls in an ivory trunk, asking to be her escort to the Coronation. A stunning woman steps out from behind Daja, reaches into the trunk and pulls out a necklace, then puts it on Mayb, telling her she looks beautiful. She is Lady Zaratee.
Mayb accepts Daja as her escort. Daja offers to have Lady Zaratee finish dressing Mayb. They both thank her profusely and leave.
Mayb and Ophion's trinkets react pleasantly to each other.
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We have a group meeting. Everyone's confused, but not too concerned as of yet.
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Ruben heads to the Great University. There's a giant door, with a squid design. He is swarmed, people rushing up to him from everywhere, calling him Professor. They have all figured out the answers to all the great mysteries - the location of Atlantis, the Apocalypse class artefacts etc - suddenly everyone's research just came together in this one day. There's maps, books, papers, blueprints, people calling out. He thinks he sees Lady Zaratee but when he chases after her, there is no one there. Ruben tries to grab what research he can. Ruben looks for his magic box, only to be informed they have lost his invisible box, but they point him towards his Sanctum, a magicky sphere, that he can compel things to. He compels the research to his Sanctum. They complain that he is taking everything. He assures them all he just wants to read over it, and he sends all the people away to research strange occurrences within the last few years. He makes the Sanctum small and puts it in stealth mode. He hears a woman laughing but when he looks, there is no one around.
When Ruben returns to Coro's Court, he puts the Sanctum near his magic brazier, and it confirms it is a giant bag of holding.
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The next day is Market Day, and Ophion is expected to perform.
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Rusheed shows Kunoh to the group of men he is training. Rusheed announces the Dolg Katar are bending the knee to Kunoh as the True Khan of the Star Warrior, Kunoh the Inscrutable, and all the tribes are throwing off the shackles of the Hellegu. A loud cheer rings out.
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Mayb is attended to by fey attendants, handmaidens, They read out the local gossip, the seelie and unseelie court listings - Mayb notes Verenestra's name does not get mentioned. They mention Lady Nakiasha, Lady Auchomelgen and Titania. Titania wants Mayb to ensure Ophion's engagement to the Janto Queen in Waiting goes ahead, because the court wants access to the "watery memories of their ancestors". The Janto don't know but they are a threat to the Fey.
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There are shadow watchers around, no one knows who they are. One starts training and instructing Heian on how to reach the Hall of Lamentations with the intention of bringing the extinct Eldar back. The Shadow watchers meet in the Hall of Lamentations but because Heian is not Taerun, they can't take him with them. Their first is called Ens Seqqa.
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Ophion's performance goes amazingly well, not a hitch. The Emperor-to-be watches from his palanquin. People are chanting, begging to touch Ophion, calling out. The people part and some short people in grey robes give Ophion a "gift from the Horned God", a statue made of platinum - it's Ophion standing victorious atop a fallen and destroyed Horned God. They say "We submit to you, Slayer of the Universe. Behold the Maker of the New World!" Ophion sees a wisp of Lady Zaratee - she mouths something at him, cackles and walks into the crowd. He realises she said "Northern Ghost" ... Before Ophion can do anything, the Emperor-to-be is whisked away and the soldiers are all looking anxious. Ophion addresses the crowd, thanks them, tells them they do him an honour he cannot accept with the statue. The people are devastated and do not understand why he will not accept the statue. Ophion tells them his greatest victories are still to come, that he is no god, and he released them from following a false god. They tell him they can only live if it is in the shadow of his light, and beg him to take the offering. He tells them he will mark a place in town in the coming week and they can set up a shrine there. They ackowledge Ophion as their Supreme Leader, tell him they are unworthy and bow their heads. Ophion shoos them away.
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Mayb's handmaidens come to her, tell her its time for her midday commune with the Feywild. There is a demigod walking the courts spreading fear and rumours. Titania's enemies are talking. Lady Karma Foxlash, Lady Nebula Lemonbee, Lady Laurel Watergrove, Skullbriar. An echo is breaking down, light is just about to be extinguished, Titania keeps saying it's not the Feywild but that it could affect them.
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Ruben experiments with his Sanctum. Eventually he figures out how to get inside. The Sanctum is modelled after his old study at Waterdeep. There is a taxidermied illithid that he doesn't remember ever having. There is also an illithid skull paperweight. There is illithid ink. Half written notes on the desk ...
"Sless is not dead" ... Ruben thinks to himself that's not his handwriting ... "Kabirol is watching you" ... this one is not his handwriting and yet not the same as the last note either ... "Valt is your friend. Valt loves the Professor" ... what in the ... "Valt is very sentient. But Valt is trapped and needs your help. Valt protected the Professor. Valt buried all of your dead." ... "Your brother killed Ubor the Terrible. Ubor's nest was destroyed. " ... "Zergungal does not like you. Zergungal is nursing his wounds and is waiting to consume your tick tock brain. Zergungal loves tick tock brains" ... "Zergungal doesn't like you. And I don't like you either. Vess' nest is hunting the Professor" ... "but Valt still loves the Professor and Valt would never consume the Professor's tick tock brain."
Ruben asks aloud "Valt who are you?" and he notices the taxidermied illithid has moved. Ruben looks down and realises he has drawn a picture. it's of a big demon like creature with huge wings.
"Valt loves the Professor. Valt is good. The Professor is better. Long live Valt"
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Kunoh is training the men. He quietly notices that when the men move, it is in fits and starts. Kunoh suddenly realises he understands that they are moving through time as they are moving through space. Kunoh suddenly understands quantum physics.
Devron disappears and doesn't come back. He asks one after another of the other men where Devron has gone. None of them ever knew him.
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The group meet again at dinner.
Kunoh tells Ruben this world is wrong. Ruben agrees.
Ruben asks Kunoh to cut his finger, which he does. Ruben's finger bleeds. There are now 4 Professors.
Heian asks to be served some wolf meat. He shares his wolf meat with Onai, who is sitting at the chair next to him.
The wait staff serve Ophion monkey brains.
Ophion suddenly attacks one of the Professors. One of them ducks, the other 3 start asking Ophion why they hate the Professor.
Ruben asks Mayb if she trusts him, she says yes, he takes her to his Sanctum. The 3 other Professors disappear.
Valt is magnificent, Valt is great, all bow down to Valt.
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Heian continues eating the wolf meat and the monkey brains. He asks for some dwarven next. Kunoh knocks it out of the server's hands onto the floor. They then bring out Katar meat next. Kunoh knocks it on the floor too. Ophion turns to hit the waiter, turns back, and Heian has disappeared. When he asks Kunoh what happened, he doesn't know, he only know Heian isn't here but he doesn't know when he left.
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Mayb and Ruben are in the Sanctum. There are 2 illithid corpses here now. Mayb watches as Ruben writes and words keep appearing on the page in the voice of someone called Valt.
Now there are three bodies, the 2 illithids Sless and Zergongal, and 1 ulitharid Ubor.
Heian walks into the Sanctum, chewing on a wolf hock. In horror, Ruben tries to compel him out but it fails. Heian says I love you for ever and ever and ever and ever and ..
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Lady Zaratee walks up to Ophion and Kunoh who are alone in the dining room. Kunoh asks if she knows what is happening. She answers "We're falling apart". She gets a clutch of feathers ... "Mattress backed whore would've loved this place" ... throws them around ... "The sky's wrong. Little Nandi always gets the sky wrong". She turns to Kunoh and Ophion "My northern puppets, you want Mama Tet to help you kill my sister, no". Kunoh understands.
Mama Tet tells them "You're in the Otherwhere. The 3rd Witch Queen ain't here. We're surrounded by the dead, drawn like white wasps to the light. We're on the edge of revelations!" She tells us to go to where we first saw the Revelations Priest, and then to go where Nandi died the first time.
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Ruben & Mayb leave the Sanctum and end up back in the dining room. Not-really-Heian reappears. Kunoh fills them in. They leave the Court.
The sky is aflame with yellow and white light. Ruben thinks its Azetoth (who Mama Tet's Starless Communion worships) who is known for simulations.
We are in a shining temple, fully reconstructed, light blazing. There is a terrible fear. Not-really-Heian says we're all going to die. He says thank you.
We are in a blazing white space. We see a bright dot ahead of us, we head towards it. It is a throne, blazing, with the High Prophet slumped forward on it. Kunoh walks forward, reaching for the High Prophet. He disappears.
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Kunoh is suddenly in a clearing as a small child, talking to one of his ancestors. He asks Kunoh what he's doing here, says it's not his time. Kunoh responds that he's trying to get home because he has to save the world. Kunoh's ancestor shows him to the cave. He says "When the Alin come, they will destroy us and our homeland" and now Kunoh is himself again, standing in the clearing outside of the cave, back at the night of Nandi and the iron golems.
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Not-really-Heian follows Kunoh into the light. He turns into a different elf and walks off into the Forever Forest.
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Ruben thinks a lot, brain going a million miles an hour, trying to figure out how to have the best of both worlds. Literally. He realises he can't stay and he walks to the light.
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Suddenly the imp is puppeting Ophion. Mayb argues with the imp for Ophion's fate. Ophion's eyes are screaming. Mayb convinces the imp to let him go. Mayb and Ophion walk towards the light.
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Heian and Ruben appear near Kunoh outside the cave. They can see the light peeking through the rockface. They don't know how to proceed.
Mayb and Ophion appear. Ophion tells everyone we need the actuator. We find it, we use it, and the hill opens up.
We walk into a grotto and see Nandi with 2 cute little puppies.
Kunoh starts for Nandi. The imp appears to Ophion and says not to kill her. Ophion puts his hand on Kunoh's arm.
The puppies yap. Nandi walks up to us. She asks Ophion why he wants to kill her. She exposes her upper chest, and says "If you want to kill me, kill me" Ophion responds there is no point if she won't die. She waves her hands around and a gateway appears behind her. She tells us we need to kill her in this place and she walks towards the gateway.
Ruben realises the light coming through the gateway is the Lifelight.
Ruben follows her and he says "You put this in me". She responds that she did not, she stopped it from spreading but she cannot remove it. He asks if going through the gateway will remove the ink, she replies that she does not know. She asks Ruben why we want her dead. He tells her it's because people think she is a weapon. She admits she is. Ruben says we worry she is in the wrong hands. She responds that she is in her own hands. She continues that her enemies want her dead - Mephistopheles wants her dead, and we have been set on this path by someone whose motives we have not questioned sufficiently.
Suddenly there is a huge steaming blue demon standing with us, seething and pissed off at everyone. It is Ophion's exemplar.
"THIS IS THE FACE OF YOUR ENEMY"
...
Dun dun dun.
