If you were expecting a fun one, (shrilly) you're not getting one! This is a story of grief, betrayal, loss, and the panic of the coming of a new age, Calamity. →
I need you to describe your character and tell us your character's name, but I would love for you to do that with the understanding that your mouth is filled with blood. →
You, on a 13, you look and see stars and sense starts to come back to you. →
These are the stars you learned to fly by and behind you, you feel a sudden reassuring presence and you feel (growls) a massive winged shape appear behind you. →
A griffon formed of starlight and pure magic nuzzles against your armor. →
Griffons are, of course, half eagle and half lion, In a very catlike way, your griffon nuzzles your armor (yawns) and turns into a massive puddle, like cats are wont to do. →
"I think I caught something." (whooshes) Shoom, he disappears into the pool, and you hear (crashes) the entire neighborhood in front of you vanishes (crashes) as a body the size of a mountain crashes into the city. →
(whooshes) A massive, red form writhes in pain, and a face as tall as a cathedral turns to you. →
A flood of sanguine fluid (retches) emerges from the mouth, and a horned figure looks at you. →
You look and see something older than the world look back. →
He's got red hair, straight, about shoulder length. →
Half-elven in appearance, he looks, if you look at Elias, our son, you're seeing the spitting image of what he's going to look like when he's grown up. →
As you hold it up, the light of the sun leaves and is abjured. →
Boom! (retches) The horned fiend coughs, looks at you with the expression of a being that has just had its life saved, and says, "No mortal would do this thing that you have done. →
Zerxus, if you look down and see the stars, what will you see if you look up?" →
It's got a large enough bed for me, and a couch, and all the standard sorts of things, a chair, perhaps, you know, a fireplace to contemplate the dreams I have, as I stare into the fire. →
But what it also has is a place nearby, a giant window, so that I can, so Tempus, my griffon, can hop in and fly out of. →
You approach the balcony of the Tower of the First Knight. →
You see Tempus is there, once again, clearly a magical creature. →
This griffon would be, in some ages of Exandria, would cause gasps and shrieks to behold something that literally has a body of cool, amethyst, liquid gemstone, with stars swimming in its form and constellation. →
But here, in the bustling city of Avalir, Tempus is but one of many wonders. →
As you behold from your balcony the spire of Avalir, the City of Crowns, a new morning comes, friends. →
the City of Crowns, a new morning comes, friends. →
A blending of magic and wizardry, sorcery and artifice, that has created an age that will be spoken of in the years to come in reverence, but also perhaps by some in disdain. →
But what could they disdain, here in these bustling city streets? →
You see here the massive carrowhulk, which is a quadrupedal construct with velvet benches all along its back, that a group of wizards just sit at and wait for their stop as the automaton moves along in the city streets. →
You look all around you, and see suddenly, in the tall, spiring edifices of this wizard city, this testament to the power and might of mortal beings to make their own future and destiny with arcane strands, to make their will manifest on the face of Exandria. →
Suddenly, all around in the hustle and bustle of the morning commute, this very busy day, you see screens alight. (booms) Huge crystals all around the city suddenly show a face. →
Not only crystals, but at the top of the city, in a grand waterfall. →
Now a waterfall this size in any city would be pretty remarkable. →
Avalir soars above the clouds, flying through the sky. →
So from whence this waterfall comes, I leave to all of you to wonder at the magecraft that could have the scintillating mists of the Por'co Falls (rumbles) fall beneath us, fall. →
My normal, or should I say, at-rest appearance is pale skin, white eyes with dark shading around them, white hair in an upshock. →
If you look very faintly on the gray skin of my face, there are little veins, marbleization tendrils of black, that if you stared long enough, you'd see they subtly move and shift constantly. →
He's wearing a gold jacket with purple lining, carries himself very high and mighty. →
Well, as Loquatius broadcasts to the Crystal Columns of Avalir, before he begins his proclamations and heralds of the day, his appearance shifts slightly. →
The veins in his face drip and move, like paint being drained out of a can, and are replaced with other pigments and other colors. →
His face becomes golden, as gold as his jacket and his hair becomes as purple as the lining of his jacket. →
He seems to speak into it, and it magically amplifies his voice across the city of Avalir, and whatever arcane and mechanical means he uses to broadcast himself are repeated over and over with a great echo across the city. →
Incredible! We see, boom, boom, boom, boom! Arcane confetti blasts into the air, heralding the morning's announcements. →
We see as Loquatius appears on all of the Crystal Columns, and in the main screen, being the massive city- dominating waterfall, at the heart of the city, we see a spinning logo of the Herald's Tome. →
Would you care to make the morning announcements, Loquatius? →
Tonight, as we all know, marks the eve of the Replenishment and our return to Cathmoíra, our terrestrial sister city. →
Remember folks, make sure to fasten all those loose valuables and belongings tightly, as our friends in the Navigator's Guild wish to remind us that there's always a pinch of turbulence in our dissent back towards Exandria Firma. →
And speaking of belongings, why not try Orison's Odd-Tack? The spell glue that sticks to what it's told. →
You see on the screen, on the crystals broadcasting this message, you see Loquatius' face, for a moment, quivers and starts to morph and dissolve into another face. →
His hair changes as well, and to the untrained eye, it would look like an edit or a cross dissolve. →
His hair curls into curved horns, that of a tiefling, and speaks with a totally different voice and says: (gruff voice) Hello there, I'm Orison, from Orison's Odd-Tack, the trusted name in arcane adhesives for over 30 years. →
Check out our Replenishment special: 50% off, today only. →
Then it morphs back into Loquatius Seelie who announces: Well, make ready for tonight's fireworks extravaganza to the Dawnsledge side and enjoy the Parade of Beasts beginning at sundown in Excelsior Plaza right outside the headquarters of my own Herald's Tome, your trusted record of renown. →
As the archmages always say: Knowledge is power. →
Yeah, way up-- The neighborhood that would be occurring in looking at my own lore document here, that would be occurring in Gallamor, way up at the top. →
You see awaiting outside-- you see that there is a-- wearing a jaunty little robe with some epaulets and a bellhop's hat, a cross between a bellhop's uniform and wizard robes. →
You see a junior member of the Porter's Guild, not capable of full teleportation, but handy with a Dimension Door goes, "Mr. Seelie, sir, ready?" →
Seelie, thank you so much." As you head off, you see-- take one last look at Excelsior Plaza and the huge emblem of the Herald's Tome above you and all that you have achieved. →
You look out, you see the carrowhulk takes off going, "Brought to you by The Golden Scythe." (booming footsteps) Heads off and you take one last look and see another little automaton and look around. →
There are-- all the mortals you can see here are involved in artifice or wizard craft or sorcery or pursuing their studies as a bard, engaged in the great work of this age. →
You see automatons building and reinforcing and traveling. →
You see a hodmedod, which is a basically uniformed, little bright red and blue-- It's a fabric construct, sort of like a scarecrow, but you see it walks the streets and a little pre-recorded message. →
It's smiling, bright blue fabric head, a little stuffed burlap sack goes, "Get your bumbershoots! Get your bumbershoots! Everyone gets your bumbershoots for inclement weather. →
To be subterranean in a place that rarely touches the earth is a very interesting thing, but we are deep within the Meridian Labyrinth, a network of passageways and arcane machinery. →
We see a massive arcane engine, gleaming, silver, polished to pure reflection of its surroundings and illuminated by the light of its own spell engines. →
The entire heart of Avalir, in her mind, is hers. →
So you see her mumbling under her breath as she answers yet another Sending as she focuses both on this and the things that she's not looking on right now. →
A word at the heart of the Architect Arcane of Avalir. →
Looking at the engine in front of you, where does your prodigious focus now move having beheld the product of a long, long time of labor? Even with your perfectionist eye, you are finding yourself hard pressed to find anything here that warrants enormous redrafting. →
It's been a moment since your fixes have felt redundant, but I'm interested in how your character approaches this. →
Where does your focus go in the fullness of this engine? Are you looking at something internal or has the time come to begin to think about how it connects to everything else? →
Yeah. Now that this great piece is fine, I think everyone else moving through here seems a little more relaxed, but that's only tensed her up more. →
She's waiting for a break or a flaw, or that little heartbeat of arcane flash before something goes awry, and then seeing nothing and hearing nothing. →
Her mind will drift towards the batteries and where all of that energy is stored and where the connections will be made once the Replenishment happens. →
Then the cables and tethers back beyond that, that go to a place that only she knows. →
Reading your instruments, the eldritch batteries hum with power. →
Truthfully, the auxiliary batteries have had to kick into high gear. →
You are storing about as much as the city is capable of holding. →
However, it doesn't necessarily leave you feeling fully satisfied, because this is some of the oldest technology in the city and its limitations are well known to you. →
A bracelet around your wrist begins to pew, pew, and the ring of masks, tiny, less than an inch tall, but of masks, hanging from a bracelet around your wrist begins to glow. →
You see the face of the Guildmaster of the Navigator's Guild, glow in illusory light as Akami Rowe attempts to reach out to you. →
"If that works for you, we can stall a little bit, but we will be in position over Cathmoíra sometime shortly after one in the morning, and we'll begin our descent and we'll take that amount of time to make sure we do it safely and slowly, but--" →
She turns and walks out and you hear, "It's me! It's me! It's me! Sorry, sorry!" You see a very old, stick-thin man with poofs of gray hair and a long mustache, that Sam Elliot at the longest it got, reed thin, walks up, arcane tools all around him, runs up and says, "My lady, my lady, sorry." This is, of course, Calum Staffwright, your Chief Artificer. →
Celestial Solstices are a fact of life on Exandria. →
They are a part of the arcane and divine environment. →
Every 20 or 30 years, one comes along, and the veil between realms becomes incredibly thin. →
About every 100, 120 years, you get what's called an Apogee Solstice, where the orbit of the spheres, the relationship of the moons of Exandria kick in the relationship of the moons of Exandria kick in and everything aligns. →
That veil becomes so thin that incredible workings of magic are possible. →
Now, you knew that an Apogee Solstice was coming, but the Grand Geometer specifically reads leylines, but the Grand Geometer specifically reads leylines, because it's been recorded in the history of Avalir, your city, your home, that some Apogee Solstices are powerful enough to shift leylines, to take the arteries and veins of the magical workings of this world and reshape them. →
You, reading the ancient lore of Avalir, You, reading the ancient lore of Avalir, were able to build the Grand Geometer to measure the strength of a coming Apogee Solstice. →
Based on your records, based on effectively arcane psychometry, and the ability to read the power of other Celestial Solstices from runes and holy sites in your travels all over the world. →
Avalir, as you know, travels on the leylines of Exandria, flying all over, trading with a host of cities and civilizations. →
You were able to deduce that anything above a reading of 0.025 on the Grand Geometer would indicate that there would be some slight shifting of the leylines. →
By herself in this moment, I think even as she's checking against her notes and double checking because she doesn't trust other people, she's actively weeping, because she's been working towards this for so long. →
It's both relief that all of the things that she's sacrificed could be worth it for this one shot, and the terror that she has so little time to take advantage of this tremendous moment. →
Laerryn is, in a city of wizards, often the most cerebral person in the room. →
Weeping does not come often, but there have not been moments like this that deserved it. →
In that moment, as you realize what is possible, a lion's head gargoyle on the door, a little door knocker goes, (growls) "Madam, your ex-husband is at the door." (laughter) →
You see, I've been trying to reach you through the normal means and seems that someone's been ignoring someone else's-- You know, when we separated, we said that we would try to remain friends, try to keep open clear lines of communication. →
As you crackle with arcane energy, that springs to your fingertips, in between you, you see a momentary (whoosh) of paper as a little (air puff), and you look up and see the first of them approaching in the sky. →
"Behold, behold, Cathmoíra has come into sight!" Far off at the edge of the horizon is the base of a mountain. →
You can see from the beautiful front door that overlooks the descending city, Avalir built into the peak of a mountain which was lifted by mages long past straight into the sky. →
You behold a terrestrial city, Cathmoíra, which Avalir, let's be clear, geographically got the way better deal here. →
Because Avalir gets to be on a solid mountain peak, and Cathmoíra has to be a weird ring around a seat for the city to come back and land on. →
So, Cathmoíra is a ring of a city with a giant, you know, three-mile runic flat with a giant, you know, three-mile runic flat with some groove holes for stone columns to come in to Ikea fix the top of the city into. →
But you behold Cathmoíra and you see filling the sky in between you and Cathmoíra in the distant horizon still far, far off, an endless parade of spell kites. →
still far, far off, an endless parade of spell kites. →
Now that you have come close enough, the people of Cathmoíra, families that have been apart from each other for seven years, which is the circuit of time that Avalir travels Exandria and trade, and amassing its great Librarium Incantatum and trading for secrets and gold all across Exandria. →
It's come close enough that the families there can send their spell kites up, attached to beacon stones can send their spell kites up, attached to beacon stones in different homes in Avalir the kites seek them out. →
The kites, brightly colored with long tails of paper, carrying baskets with baked goods and flowers, flowers that can grow in the earth below, not conjured magically, but real growing things, come into light. →
In between the two of you, you see a kite coming to your home with your name on it. →
Before you go, I don't want to leave it like this, all right? I just was struck with the memory that the last time we landed the cities you know, that's when we got married. →
You grab a basket from some members of the Herald's Tome stationed back in Cathmoíra, and as we see the kites over Avalir, so very many kites begin to approach back at Excelsior Plaza, but not to the Herald's Tome. →
You look up and see a massive golden statue of a roaring dragon, gilded to perfection glowering over this entrance, this most massive central warehouse of your order. →
Next to you, wearing dull red robes with a classic, sort of arithmetician or bookkeepers have a conical hat with a long beard, looking a little bit dusty is Alessander Kyrus, your Chief Bookkeeper. →
"Sire, the word's come down from the Magisterium. →
You see that over your shoulder, Daenyria, who is your Chief Arithmetician, leans over and says, "I believe actually collection from the Circle of the Crescent Moon may actually, I believe that they have some wands on resource. →
So if we ask them to pay a portion of their contract perhaps it's at a discount in wands, I believe that might make up the difference, Alessander." →
As you walk forward-- As you walk forward-- (laughs) As you walk forward, you hear off like, "Payment in boons, is that right?" You see the captain of your Sailor-Marines, Captain Badran Esparad, walk up and say, "There's the Guildmaster himself, the Dragon of Avalir." →
This is the founder of the feast and the creator of the Sorcerer's University." You see, there are a number of sorcerous youth from all over Exandria. →
You see they're up in robes of gold, standing there. →
Some of them have scintillating dragon scales, some crackle with electricity. →
They're children that have manifested a connection innately to magic, and they line up in these robes and go, "Thank you, Guildmaster Nydas Okiro, for creating the Sorcerer's University for creating the Sorcerer's University so that we could study magic." (Badran) "Now do the, do--" and you see Badran and they create a roaring dragon that moves for tonight's fireworks extravaganza. →
The little kid that you're that's nearest to you looks up and he looks at you and he says, "Is it true that you're a little bit of, a little bit of dragon, too?" →
♪ Too many spells ♪ ♪ I'm going through ♪ too much stuff, ♪ ♪ and I can't find ♪ what I want. ♪ I actually don't think I have anything, but I do want to just breathe a little smoke out of my nose, if you'll let me do that. →
I mean, hopefully once certain debts are paid given upon our return, certain debts will be paid, which will hopefully fill coffers, which will free things up. →
But right now, Badran, I really, we need to keep this one on hold. →
"I have heard some rumors about some movement in some of the upper echelons and I'm looking to see if I might be able to be a welcome hand to those in need. →
So I owe some favors to some friends of mine higher up near the Archsept, you understand?" →
"I've heard that when it comes to the Replenishment that-- well, sometimes there's a-- as we know the auxiliary batteries have been lit up, and it seems that there might be a surplus of Ether this year. →
I was wondering if you were the man to whom speak to about that?" On a 17 history, you don't like that this guy-- →
Magister, I do not know to whom you speak who felt so comfortably embracing rumor as if it were fact, but this is not the case and you have come to the wrong person. →
(chuckles) I would ask that you excuse me as I have much to do with regard to the Replenishment. →
You see, standing tall, but with a cloak and a hood pulled up just behind his feathered head, a six and a half-foot tall eisfuura, so a bird person, if you will, with very white feathering that falls into brown tips, a dark beak with slightly gray, slightly bluish eyes, proud, strong shoulders, strong wings tucked back, but fairly folded back beneath a cloak, and a badge of some sort that's just slightly hidden on his person. →
His arms tucked in tight, only to, if for no other reason than to hide the double holstered axes, handaxes that are underneath his arm and wraps around his wrists and his taloned fingers and feet as he moves along. →
A mode of transportation that is not your primary form of movement, but here in these halls with all of these terrestrial folks, even in this sky-born city, you walk into a chamber carved of a single piece of marble. →
"Well, you ready for this? I mean, I don't know how much the boys are going to be able to do." You see that there's some figures that are partially concealed behind that force, that window of force. →
You go up and you see that one of them presses a button and projects a voice using magic into the space and says, "Sightwarden, we're ready whenever you are. →
So just give us the signal and we'll activate the chamber." →
So, you know, we were parked over Vasselheim for about 10 days. →
You know, we were there trading, last port of call before coming home, taking off from Issylra and flying straight here. →
While we were there, you know, we get reports from the constabulary in Vasselheim we get reports from the constabulary in Vasselheim that the Archmage Vespin Chloras, is--" Hold on one second. →
We didn't think anything of it, you know? The report-- basically the only reason we heard hide or tail of it is that the people there were worried that he was doing some heresy. →
They're worried that someone was doing something against the gods. →
So, what we did then is, you know, they say, 'Hey, this guy do anything? 'Is he stowing away aboard the city 'and about to take off?' So we did a sweep. →
"Yeah, exactly! I mean, every two-bit sorcerer or hedge mage pops up with their body scattered in a miasma of their own goo trying to name check some Prime Deity. →
He comes in here nothing more than a stain! But, you know, it looks like this joker did it so bad that they didn't even leave a hair or a fingernail. →
"Well, we did dismiss it, and then they wanted to get rid of a bunch of this, which is what opens this can of worms up, so--" You see, he looks over and says, "This bric-a-brac, all this magical nonsense from his chambers, his sanctum, this made it aboard Avalir and it was headed for the arcane furnace. →
It was going to get disenchanted, broken down, and added to the Etheric Net, you know, so we can come back and dump all the ether into the ground, and replenish the continent of Domunas. →
But, you know, we grabbed it out of the line because, you know, we got word from, I think someone came down. →
Hey, Costello! Where did we get that?" You see-- he looks over. →
You see, he says-- he says, "Member of the Ring of Silver came down and told us we needed to pull it." →
"All right, boys, light her up!" You see (energy buzzing) the psychometric chamber in the center of the Hall of Eyes alights and, rendered in perfect detail, not using illusion, which you would detect, but using pure transmutation recreates from stone the Sanctum of Vespin Chloras. →
As this happens, as he's done dozens of times before, you see his arms fall to his side, his irises open wide, and all the feathers on the back and top of his head stand up tall, full crest. →
That's for people that are not-- As you look in, you see Orwyn goes, "So, I mean, we're holding on to this stuff for academic concern. I mean, what do you think, you think the guy actually did the damn thing? I feel like I read in my history books that when the Matron of Ravens ascended, it was pretty clear there was a new God of Death. →
It's got this patina of corrosion on it, It's got this patina of corrosion on it, but your eye moves to it. →
As you examine it, you realize that this is something disenchanted and it used to be much larger. →
On a 31, you see a little glyph hover in the air next to you with a library, the symbol of the Librarium Incantatum opens up and you see the ability to move through all recorded artifacts, magical items, everything Avalir's ever come into contact with appears before you, but you're looking at this thing and you feel looking at the corrosion on it it used to be much bigger. →
This is a fragment left of something that wasn't just broken or shattered. →
As you do that, you see that the glyph next to you zeros in, and you begin to look. →
As you begin to hold it in your hand, this dull, inert, non-magical metal, you look really closely and see that the corrosion comes from a disenchantment. →
Now, this is where your impossible investigation skills and also your proficiency with arcana and magical workings. →
Most of the disenchantments you come across work in a spell casting way in which the thing that was being disenchanted was targeted. →
As a result, when something corrodes or is disenchanted, it tends to have a pattern in the patina that is left on it that starts at a center and moves outward, right? That a wizard in a dispelling check will name something and break it. →
Now, already to disenchant a magical item, we're talking about 9th-level magic. →
You're talking about really, really rare stuff even in the Age of Arcanum. →
You're looking almost at forensically how you would look at something and say, "Okay, if this was targeted to be disenchanted, it would start at a center point and move out." Everything here has the same grain to it, which means that some energy came into a space and exploded or moved outwards and was able to indiscriminately disenchant a magical object. →
As you look, on that 31, you look and see marks on the ground of a summoning circle you look and see marks on the ground of a summoning circle that has been completely eradicated. →
The thing that was supposed to be bound so wildly and easily escaped those bounds that it erased any obvious trace of a summoning circle. →
You don't even think the other guys that have come in here already, you don't think Orwyn can see it, you don't think anyone else can see it, but you're looking and see traces. →
There's no recollection of what the runes even would've been, but you just see from the spacing, you're like, "Yep. That's a 16-point circle. →
"Yes, well, so some kind of-- This guy tried to call something up and it got the better of him? I mean, they said he was working on what they're all working on. →
How many other people besides you and I are privy to the details of this room? You working with anybody else, sharing information, anybody sponsoring this for you? →
Are you trying to keep this-- How much are you keying Orwyn in into how concerned you are? Do you want him to be keyed into this, or are you trying to keep a little bit of a veneer up? →
We're going to the very top, the summit of Avalir. →
As we arrive, we see the Archsept, home of the Septarion, the seven highest archmages of Avalir. →
In the grand chamber, the central dome at the base of the Archsept, where outside the great staircase leads up to the Halls of the Septarion, the eldest and most powerful wizards of Avalir, we see a 100-foot tall statue, colossus, we see a 100-foot tall statue, colossus, of a beautiful elven man, carved in marble, his long hair behind him. →
He stands, reaching up to the very heights of the dome itself, looking down at his outstretched hand, circling above his hand, levitating some 20 feet above it is the city of Avalir in miniature. →
Miniature, of course, it still being some 20 feet wide and 20 feet tall. →
At the base of the statue of this ancient and powerful elven wizard, Imyr the Bold, of this ancient and powerful elven wizard, Imyr the Bold, whose great magic lifted the city of Avalir from its terrestrial constraints, forever sundering Toramunda into its component cities of Avalir and Cathmoíra, Imyr Por'co, great wizard and first of the Septarion. →
Imyr Por'co, great wizard and first of the Septarion. →
At the feet of Imyr Por'co, who do we find, Marisha? →
You see a middle-aged, although you wouldn't be able to tell-- (laughter) →
-- elven woman, clear ivory skin, with hair that is silvery white, almost reflects the sky around her. →
She has a long collared breasted coat over top She has a long collared breasted coat over top that stretches down like a gown, in an emerald green that almost has its own silken sheen to it with a teal blue, indigo, name your color dress, with a teal blue, indigo, name your color dress, depending on how it hits the light underneath. →
In her hair, she has this almost like a sun ray fascinator made of gold, where pieces of her hair are falling through it. →
If you look closely at it, it has tiny blue crystals like tiny Swarovskis that are brumestone, and it lightly levitates and rotates and spins around her at all times, as well as a orb, a glowing orb that is her focus as well as a orb, a glowing orb that is her focus that also just hovers, almost celestial, planetary in nature. →
She looks as if the outfit was made for her this morning (whispers) because it probably was. →
The massive statue of your grandfather smiles knowingly, →
The massive statue of your grandfather smiles knowingly, his gaze eternally fixed upon the city that he raised into the sky. →
At the very top of the staircase, spiraling around the dome, a wall, seamless, changes and swirls with magic energy as a door appears. →
Patia, you are here to meet Loras of the Weaver's Mask, a member of the Ring of Gold. →
Those 14 wizards, apprentices of the Septarion, who command respect, second only to the seven archmages who command respect, second only to the seven archmages that rule the city itself. →
Loras of the Weaver's Mask commands respect and status by virtue of being an apprentice to one of these archmages. →
You come here to meet him on the day of the Replenishing here in the Archsept, one of the few people who even is allowed to walk within this place. →
In the back of her head, there's a little twinge of her wondering, what is he doing here? But she would never show it on her face, except for maybe the ever slight tilt of an eyebrow. →
Loras, the apprentice who walks here, Loras of the Weaver's Mask is a beautiful, raven-haired elven man who wears a partial mask over his face. →
His cloak is of red and green and gold and purple, His cloak is of red and green and gold and purple, carved with many bright colors, and as his hands move through space, you can almost see strings trailing from them, fading translucently into magic. →
The arcane power commanded by Loras is overshadowed by almost no one, with the exception of Eldamir the Wise. →
Eldamir has sat on the council since the beginning of Avalir. →
It is rare to see an ancient elf, but you see, slightly bowed with age, wearing a shimmering golden cloak that appears to offer little glimmering crystals of golden light that shimmer in geometric shapes and turn into motes and float away, a face illuminated by its own wisdom and counsel. →
The eyes of Eldamir are soft and smiling and he leans upon a wooden staff that he has wielded for centuries. →
You see Loras says, "The great Archmage Eldamir the Wise wished to meet you face to face, my good friend." You see, Eldamir says, "I did, I did wish to meet you face to face. →
I was told, word reached my ear, high up though I am, I still see much, that the record has been set that the Librarium Incantatum under its current Keeper of Scrolls has bested the previous record for magical knowledge gained in a single venture. →
I asked to whom the young Archmage Por'co, had wrested this title, and I was informed she had wrested it from herself, who had set the previous record." →
"When I was a young lad, I saw him and thought, there is wizardry itself. →
The sheer brilliance, the sight, the vision to go to the druids of Old Toramunda, those old Gau Drashari and to say to them, 'Well, you listen here, you, 'you might be able to turn into a bear, but so what? 'I was going to take the city to the sky!' And he wrestled with them, he did, and they said, 'You are not going to 'split the city in half.' He said, 'There's more brumestone--' Did you know that the veins of brumestone set into the sculpture are perfect to the millimeter with the veins of brumestone in the base of the city itself? It is a perfect replica." →
Hold on." (energy blast) "There it is. All is well. →
All I wished to say was-- Oh, your grandfather, Imyr Por'co! Imyr the Bold! They made this statue and the original artist-- He was going to be lifting the city aloft in the structure that he made, they had a small miniature version. →
They had a small miniature version and they lift it up and they said, 'We'll put it in the dome' He said, 'So what, everyone standing on the floor 'is going to see the bottom of my chin 'looking up at the city up here? 'It's a most unflattering angle I've ever heard of?' He said, 'The city should be down here, 'so the people on the ground 'can see my face looking down at the city.'" (laughter) →
Loras, you would be so kind as to speak to the Keeper of Scrolls. →
There are some matters of perspective and I would be very interested to know what, on this, the eve of the Replenishment, what you see as the future of Avalir? How does the day strike you, my lady?" →
Oh, goodness, that is quite the question, but, I believe deeply in me and my fellow compatriots and our dreams of Avalir and continuing to set the reputation of the forefronts of the Age of Arcanum. →
"(laughs) That's because I'm talking to a shark. →
I'm mentioning this to you and I'll let your imagination do the rest, but there are concerns that Eldamir the Wise has and they're very real concerns. →
The amelioration of these concerns would be of the utmost comfort to my mentor and master. →
We have word that Aeor may be preparing an attack on Lathras." You would know Lathras is one of the smaller flying cities. →
"You know, they're drumming up the usual something or other about war. →
Our understanding at the moment is that it's to test something. →
There's no actual threat that Lathras poses; it's a dry run of something that they might intend to use elsewhere. →
The time has come for us to make good on the scurrying that I know this, what do you all call it, the Ring of Brass?" →
"It's possible that they will be able to reopen following tomorrow's great Replenishment, perhaps during the Festival of the Replenishment, while we are terrestrial, we may be able to reopen it, but I will let you know as soon as we have some more information." →
You see he says, "It's come to the attention of Eldamir the Wise that there may have been some attempts by this Archmage Chloras to recreate some vestigial-- an attempt to recreate the Matron's ritual." →
You see underneath the towering statue of your grandfather, himself a mortal, your words ring throughout the dome. →
Loras raises an eyebrow and says, "I admire your, for lack of a better term, team spirit. →
Eldamir the Wise is concerned Eldamir the Wise is concerned with the wielding of such dangerous magics, and if you are able to collect any reports from the Guardian of the Seventh, it has been voiced by the Archmage Eldamir that those transmissions not be referred to the normal chain of command. →
The Magisterium does not need to be alerted as to the Sightwarden's findings. →
If you might do the archmage the favor of reporting those findings directly to me that would be highly beneficial." →
"Terrestrial mages coming into power, obviously the odds that he was in any way, shape, or form successful are slim, but it's dangerous magic to tangle with and it's the responsibility of this council to see that Exandria is kept safe from any such meddling. →
A formal report should, of course, be made to the Octothurge, but I understand that those take some time to compile. →
So if, informally, you wished to communicate any findings of the Sightwarden's directly to me, it would be greatly appreciated." →
And hey, if you want, you can head over to the Critical Role shop right now. →
(light music) (sneaky music) (typewriter clicking) (sneaky music) (whimsical music) Hi Critters, Sam Riegel here. →
There are many relaxing properties to a Twitch subscription to Critical Role, so today I'm gonna tell you all about them in soothing ASMR, which stands for Autonomous Subscription Meditative Reaction or something. →
With a Twitch subscription, you can watch our VODs immediately after the live broadcast, before they're uploaded to YouTube so you can unwind with us at your own pace. →
That's the sound of your blood pressure decreasing. →
You also get access to all of our custom emotes and you can post links in chat. →
Doesn't that sound nice? And speaking of chat, Twitch is the only place to join our live and professionally-moderated chat while watching Critical Role, so snuggle up with come cocoa and let the calm flow through those fingers. →
The important thing is this: we return to Exandria in an age long past, in the flying city of Avalir. →
I would describe the place that we return to in Avalir, I would describe the place that we return to in Avalir, but it might be rude of me because it doesn't belong to me. →
So I might ask for someone else at the table to describe it, but I will say this: the day has passed and many of your responsibilities have taken you abroad. →
This is the last day before the city of Avalir will land and make good on its ancient pacts by releasing its store of ether, of raw magical energy, back into the lands of Domunas, to replenish that continent and make good the promise to the druids of Old Toramunda that a new age will come, an age of flourishing, of magic. →
In the year following a Replenishment, crops explode throughout the land, and often, a generation of magical children will be born and there will be a revitalizing. →
The fey will flourish and doors to lands of wonder and plenty and magic will open. →
The Replenishment is such an important time for the many cultures of Domunas. →
For many days now, that continent, you've seen fireworks going up. →
As you approach Cathmoíra, you see all the villages and towns surrounding it send up fireworks, kites flying. →
As you approach Cathmoíra, you begin to hear it. →
You are now close enough as the sun lowers off the western edge of the city, the choirs of Cathmoíra singing far off, but even here above the clouds, you hear the distant but palpable songs of welcoming, a return home. →
A month of rest and repair on arcane infrastructure and all manner of civic defenses and technology, and all manner of civic defenses and technology, but also return home in a spiritual way, in an emotional way, a return to the earth. →
The release of magical energy and a reuniting of the mountain that once was a very historically significant mountain. →
As the sun sets, shadows grow long, and you find yourselves hearing festivities and the Parade of Beasts begins, and you can hear revelry all throughout the city. →
It's wild to throw a party the night before a month of parties, but what the hell, let's get it started! (laughter) →
This is the last party before you have to party with all the people from the ground. →
However, there are some parties that are not only just for festivities, but for the well-to-do to see each other, and perhaps the most prestigious of these pre-Replenishment galas now unfolds at the Palazzo Por'co. →
Marisha, your ancestral home, a palace for wizards. →
Feel free to describe, if you would be so kind, the visage of this place that we now see before us, and perhaps any preparations that Patia has made in advance of this once-every-seven-years, must-attend gala. →
Oh, we do have, actually, a guest that was requested by one of the magisters. →
There's a-- I'm so sorry, there's a young man who boarded in Vasselheim who wished to come, that was requested by, actually, a member of the Ring of Silver. →
I guess we'll all be finding out soon, won't we? She turns around in her foyer and she starts sauntering her way to the grand double doors in the front. →
It's one of those things where it's like, yes, it's her family home, but it more belongs to the magocracy at this point. →
She doesn't really stay there; it's like the Hearst Castle in that way. →
But it is made of the same white, cream-colored marble that the rest of this district is carved in. →
It has this smooth transition with giant crystalline windows in the front that almost have an iridescent quality to them. →
Every so often, the image shifts and portrays a different stained glass relief in front of them. →
It smells like a rainforest directly after a storm. →
There's little tricklings of water pouring off of the side of these levitating gardens vanishing to nowhere. →
Along the lines carved in this rich marble that you see everywhere are golden and sacred geometric inlays are golden and sacred geometric inlays that ever so often flash with an arcane energy that pours across it, that you can see is this entire house is essentially wired with arcane ability. →
Illusory trumpets blare announcing the arrival of the first guests, and you see that they begin to arrive. →
As the sun sets, it is now fully-- If you look to the east, you can see the first stars. →
But if you look to the west, the sun has moved behind the continent of Dominus, but you still see pink and rosy golden light clinging to the edge of the sky. →
The floating gardens are now filled with revelers. →
The wizards of Avalir, the magocratic government that is here and assembled, as well as various other potentates and important figures, begin to usher into the Palazzo Por'co. →
As they do, illusory voices ring out announcing them. →
"Member of the Octothurge and Dean of the College of Necromancy, Magister Hollow," and moves out. →
Then land far from the entrance before he tucks his wing back in. →
Actually, he doesn't enter right away, he throws his hood up, and he is a six-foot-tall eisfuura, but he still stands back a little bit and just clocks who's going in, who's talking to who, who's arm in arm together. →
You begin to hear beautiful music playing again from groups of bards that have come here to play music, singing ancient songs of the creation of Avalir. →
But one of these pneumatic tubes enters before me and is delivered magically into the hand of the person, the caller who's announcing folks. →
My entrance begins far, far, deep into the courtyard outside. →
I'm dropped off not at the front door, but far away from it so I can walk slowly towards the front door, trying to avoid attention as much as I can, but secretly wanting it. →
"Loquatius Seelie, Herald of Avalir, Voice of the Council, and Scribe of Crowns!" You see people actually turn and give a genuine round of-- Some people get like a golf clap, there's a true, hooray, here as you enter in. →
You know what? You know what, Bolo? Why don't you go fetch us some drinks and some-- Maybe just do some mingling, you know? There's a lot of stuff that you can hear by picking up on people's conversations in these events. →
So there, the rarest magical tree you can find is in the thick jungles of Marquet, many days' journey past the nearest village, deep into the wilderness. →
Hundreds of brightly colored, arcane scarecrow automata carrying a tree whose bark is twinkling lapis lazuli, carrying a tree whose bark is twinkling lapis lazuli, and whose leaves are a deep, almost black purple that continuously blooms into enormous bright, the lightest pink blossoms all over the tree. →
A bunch of hodmedods come in, go up right to Melindra and be like, "Hello, me lady! Where would you like one magic tree courtesy of the Golden Scythe?"" (laughter) →
Then I just start to loop my hands around and you see arcane sigils form into a disc that extend out and I lift the tree up and make it like this centerpiece of the party that's levitating over everyone's head and rotating. →
You clock a bunch of wizards around the party looking at this tree going, "Fuck," and like looking at all like nicely wrapped jewelry box and being like, "What the fuck am I doing?" (laughter) →
We'll have to talk about the placement, because certain parts of the city, I think we're going to have to charge a bit more for that kind of placement. →
She's got this little like golden, it's like a wizard fidget spinner in her hand, that she's just snapping back and forth, that's made of like this delicate, gilded metal. →
So Zerxus was not actually planning on showing up because these kinds of events, he's not-- you know, this is his first time as First Knight and was not really into-- the first return as First Knight, and was not, was dreading this public thing, but a question. →
Then what Zerxus would've been doing is he would've then gotten on top of Tempus, flown out and done a round in the distance to make sure everything was clear, and was going to use that as his excuse to stay out there, and was going to use that as his excuse to stay out there, but decided otherwise. →
You see the griffon just soaring down into the entrance way and in one smooth motion, as the griffon starts to slow down, Zerxus hops right off and plants his two feet onto the ground, sending Tempus out to scout, be his eyes-- →
Nydas, you receive a longer missive than the one from your brother from your sister-in-law, Irmé, who informs you of some-- a little bit more than pleasantries, some family news and things that have been occurring, and things that will maybe require your attention, not in a professional, but on a personal level. →
Some friends that have come calling, and at the end of her letter to you, she says, basically, as she speaks to you, she says, "Romar and Ramira are fine. →
Romar is planning his adventures upon growing older and Ramira is already completing her studies and ready to apply to some of the universities in Avalir. →
Hidden away in an archway that's got this open room with a few other windows that can see out to the rest of the party, hanging ivy in vines with a little water fountain embedded into the far back wall, there is a nice, little, round table and some booths on the side, you know, it's cushy. →
Approaching the table for those that are already here, as you walk and see Nydas and Loquatius already seated, you can hear as their mouths move just the rustling of ivy leaves. →
As you sit at the table, beautiful charcuterie boards set in front of you, all of you look out, protected in this ivy silence with all of the power of the flying city of Avalir at your disposal. →
You look out at magisters, deans, and provosts of the flying city. →
You go over and you see-- you see that there is a hodmedod holding a small tray of drinks, and you see Bolo's there saying, "I need drinks from you, not this." You see that the hodmedod's like, "Listen, I only have a small list of pre-programmed responses. →
I would like to toast those that are not with us as well. →
To Evandrin, who should be here in this place, in this position of honor, and who would've been handling that entrance with a lot more grace than I certainly did, but thank you all, my friends. →
I think maybe-- (sighs) I couldn't remember if it was because of the way he was lying down, but I just recall seeing the side of his face and maybe one horn. →
Maybe if there was another one, maybe it was broken off. →
I'm not sure. I'm not remembering it so clearly, but I do remember something that was said. →
Or if you are listening to your very troubled friend who you know is in a state of emotional turmoil and just want to roll an insight if you're not about-- →
You would know from the arcana check there that the term Ghor Dranas, the literal meaning is gathering of shadows. →
Words have connotations, right? That's one of the hardest things when you're adopting a second language is to learn the idioms. →
It's like, if you don't speak English, what's the difference between a hearty welcome and a cordial reception, emotionally? Those words don't land the same. →
This is a text from when the Primordials-- So there's a lot of stuff about the Schism in the Librarium Incantatum, right? Because the founding of Toramunda has its root in the Schism, right? The Toramunda was founded when the Emperor of Fire and the Empress of Earth that were two mighty Primordials were laid low and sealed forever away by the Dawnfather under Mount Ygora. →
It was in the guise of that mountain that eventually the druids of Gau Drashari came and built Toramunda, tending to this holy place. →
Over time, those druids tended to it so well that other people came and sought them out. →
Then eventually it grew into a city and that city eventually attracted wizards. →
Those wizards eventually took the top of that mountain and sailed away. →
But the name Ghor Dranas from the early Schism, because in the Schism, there were dragons fighting on behalf of the Prime Deities, there was a threat made in the epics of one of these battles during the Schism by the Betrayer Gods. →
It's attributed to different ones and different texts, but the text that at least-- Well, who knows reliable, but the most detailed text that you remember from your encyclopedic knowledge of all of the scrolls of your library and all the tomes therein is that it's often attributed to the Lord of the Hells. →
Ghor Dranas is, it's just a very specific wording that he said in the battle of his defeat in the Schism when he was sealed away, where he said like, "Put me where you will. →
Zerxus barely could stomach walking into a room and getting attention. →
The idea that this dude would pop off on like, The idea that this dude would pop off on like, "I had a dream that scared me" to his peers, unless it was the realest shit in the world, is laughable. →
In fact, I would say on a 26 insight, and you can roll deception against it if you want, but if you are trying to be honest in this moment-- →
That's the last time I saw him briefly, but-- Look, I don't want to-- I know that there's other matters that we have to attend to, but I just wanted to gather your thoughts. →
I heard rumor through the grapevine that there were some artifacts stowed away here in Avalir that there were some artifacts stowed away here in Avalir from Vasselheim. →
Who did you speak with about this? It only raises my suspicion because normally these things have passed off as a copycat, someone trying to do what someone else has done with dire effect. →
But the remnants of this attempt, things don't quite match up. →
Certain things that are left behind weren't left anywhere. →
Well, as you know, the Library Incantatum has a deep vested interest in any type of extraterrestrial knowledge that should not be in the hands of dangerous people. →
So yeah, do whatever rolls you want to do, and if you want to do something angled towards whatever kind of roll it is, whatever you're looking for specifically. →
But yeah, you see a piece of badly corroded metal, pretty heavy to the touch. →
Again, it feels, in a place full of so much magic, a little bit extra mundane, if that makes sense. →
Go ahead and give me arcana rolls or investigation rolls or if you want to do some magic about it, or use some class features, I'm also down for that. →
I got a 24 in arcana, inspecting it with the eyes of someone who runs the engine that breaks down magical artifacts, constantly, to fill the batteries. →
As she's looking at it, I'm going to do something that I've done to her hundreds of times, but not in a while, and just gently rub her shoulder and inspire her. →
When you make contact, I think a little bit of her perfume kicks up, and it smells like Issylran violet and petrichor, which were the flowers at our wedding. →
I think both of you are looking at this, right, and studying it for a moment. →
I think Zerxus, you say the thing that cracks it, where you do your Divine Sense and give everyone a hand into this. →
You're not used to seeing something like this, but the first thing you pick up, as you guys start to inspect it, is for something this mundane, you've never experienced something like this. →
Normally, things' divine presence keeps apace of their magical signature. →
This thing is utterly non-magical, so you're like, "Well, I might get a whiff of something." (mimics strong energy) Powerful divine energy, specifically celestial. →
What's the metal? It makes a weird note on the metal on the fork, the one you go for the most often, which is gold, right? It makes the right noise, but there's a weird tenor to it. →
As you look at it, you look over the fragment of this bow. →
Someone used to talk about, there was some cleric that ended up being captured by the ship briefly before they could get ransomed back off to their clergy that was talking about bows of pure gold wielded by solars, and a bunch of pirates would laugh about, (pirate voice) "If I could ever get my hands on a bow of pure--" So in your head, you're like, "This is extraplanar gold from a bow." You're familiar enough with all objects of great value that you're looking at the curvature. →
Laerryn, you look at this. (exhales deeply) This, as Nydas speaks, and you know exactly what to imagine in this place. →
You realize the reason you have a fragment is that the bow at its center must've been shattered. →
The only thing I can say is that incredible arcana, as you feel as tough as the last few years have been, the reassuring presence of Loquatius nearby, who is himself more than a mortal man. →
You look at this thing and realize it was shattered. →
In your head, you immediately go to Mage's Disjunction, 9th-level spell something that could have destroyed that. →
You know how to look for the residue of a spell. →
This, first of all, the bow of a solar could not be dispelled by mortal mage. →
Not only that, you think that this wasn't a spell. →
Something deeper and older and more profound than a spell happened. →
You know for a fact that nothing Vespin Chloras did or ever could have done, could have done what happened to this. →
So the question that your mind immediately goes to is: Vespin didn't do this, so who did? Because when he tried whatever he tried, perhaps very quickly, there was someone or something else in the room with him, and its mere presence took the weapon of one of the heaven's mightiest warriors and shattered it without effort. →
I think even as she explains it and is very fearful and gives you a furtive look at what could be powerful enough to do this right away, she can't help but smile that she has the last thing that she needs. →
Definitely feels like it could be something, but there is something, the celestial, the prophecy sensation you're describing, your dream, does make me wonder about, should we consult with, is it the Hall of Prophecy? →
You see Lacrytia Hollow, along with Madara Glyph, and the Magister Micah Cormorant, Speaker of the Fourth, have all gathered around this young man, Purvan Suul. →
As you approach, you can hear the Magister say, "Truly some great distance traveled- on foot, no less! I can't imagine. →
How long have you sworn this devotion to the radiant eminence, the Matron of Ravens?" Purvan looks out and goes, "Many long years have passed in the service of the Raven Queen, my mistress. →
I have come to speak on matters divine to the Septarion." (laughter) →
He's like, "I understand that the Septarion is the ruling council of Avalir, is this not correct? My understanding is that a number of artifacts may have been brought here into the city." Everyone looks around confused at each other. →
He says, "The Septarion is what I must speak with." →
I got there in time to overhear some of this and Zerxus is stroking his beard, he has a beard, and in the front there's one tightly-braided longer lock. →
He's stroking that as he's taking in this champion and steps forward and he says: Champion of the Matron of Ravens, yes? →
You see as he speaks, Galdric nuzzles up against his leg. →
You see that as Madara goes silent, the Magister Cormorant speaks up and you see he says, "Champion Purvan." You see Purvan looks over and says, "You may refer to me simply as Champion." →
You see that he says, "Well, I think it quite telling that you should know that our First Knight, Zerxus, is a wielder of divine magic with no devotion to any deity to speak of. →
He has mastered the ability to call upon the divine simply as a champion of the people of Avalir, and perhaps--" →
You can see Purvan is deeply uncomfortable and does not wish to be here. →
Magister Cormorant simply says, "I simply think it interesting. →
You know, there's been so many upheavals in recent history. →
You, yourself, the champion of a new deity and our champion not needing a deity whatsoever." There's some polite laughter. →
Lacrytia Hollow looks over at you, Patia and says, "It is so striking, Champion, that the Matron of Ravens ascended to the heights of divinity, but saw fit to of course, erase her magical research. →
We live in an age in which knowledge, as our Keeper of Scrolls can attest to, is shared. →
Seems rather interesting that the greatest arcane achievement of the age would be erased. →
"The knowledge won by my mistress was hers and hers alone and hers to do with what she willed, and she did as she willed in her ascension and in the acts to follow. →
I serve the goddess of death," and you see he turns and walks away and you hear Dean Hollow call out. →
"She is still one of us though, is she not?" He stops here, says, "She was one of us. →
Cool, Purvan leaves in the direction, Zerxus, that you pointed. →
What is everyone doing right now? In this applause, as the Dean of the College of Necromancy In this applause, as the Dean of the College of Necromancy effectively claims a member of the Prime Deities as still being on the home team. →
So I need to do, because it seems like there's a big moment at this party, people are scattering. →
There was some talk about the Hall of Prophecy, Purvan is still walking away in a state of religious offense, right? So you're heading to the heart, where else is everybody headed? →
We adjourn to the dance floor and I say: Patia, I must ask. →
You know that I am happy to make allowances for certain members that are perhaps not entirely recorded for certain members that are perhaps not entirely recorded in the guild's records, of course. →
Today, I was visited by a low-level Magister, Milus Phren, asking for the same sort of allowances that I've been giving out to members of more esteem. →
So I must ask, have you been offering my services to members so low as he? →
The tray lists to one side The tray lists to one side and comes back and you see with your Detect Thoughts, these are automata, they're not sentient. →
Listening through Detect Thoughts, "(gasps) Ghor Dranas." The tray clatters to the ground and the hodmedod dis-animates and is a pile of clothing on the floor, soaking up the champagne. →
Break on it, cool, you go grab that hodmedod, sweep it off the floor, see a nearby mage is like, "Looks like that hodmedod's having a little too much too himself. Ha ha ha! Avalir!" (laughter) →
"(sighs) I came to Vasselheim in search of answers and I believe some answers may have come aboard your city back during its stay there. →
The auguries which I used brought me here, but with little detail in the way of what I sought, so I came to ask the aid of mages. →
What I can tell you in this moment--" Here he stops to consider what he honestly feels like sharing in a city that he has some reason to distrust. →
He says, "It is the belief of my mistress that something very reckless may have been attempted. →
Many have sought to recreate the miracle of my mistress' ascension, foolishly, and it has ended poorly for them all or at least for those powerful enough to begin what they could not finish. →
It is my belief, based on the counsel of my goddess, the Archmage Chloras attempted something wholly different. →
"The god of death that ruled over that domain, whose name my mistress sundered and removed from the fabric of reality itself. →
What complaint could he offer for his own demise What complaint could he offer for his own demise that would not be hypocrisy? God of death dying can hardly be said to be an aberration. →
It is my mistress' belief that Vespin did not orient his attentions in the direction of any of her or the counsel she keeps. →
By which I mean to say that she has already conferred with each and every one of the Prime Deities. →
None of them felt an attempt on their domains or any of their power, and yet a ripple was felt." →
And just so we're clear here, you wouldn't be comfortable with a one-on-one sit down interview or, like, an exclusive? I could get some really great illustrations made for you. →
So I have an ability that allows me to-- An Eye For Detail, it allows me to make a perception check to spot a hidden creature or object, to make an investigation to uncover or decipher clues or anything that might be hidden. →
So I'll spread it out on the floor, but then take a step back above it. →
My crest starts to feather out and I'll take a look just at first at what I see, and then push in closer. →
I'll also-- Just because, I'll also use Unerring Eye, which allows me to sense the presence of illusions, shape changers not in original form or other magic designed to deceive the senses within 30 feet. →
It's easy to get, even very junior mages can master it. →
The problem with invisibility is light is very important for a number of functions. →
No matter how cloaked you might be in it, you can't make your whole self invisible. →
Even if it's smaller than a pin prick, you need just enough of your eyes to stay visible that light can hit them and you can still see. →
Now, perceiving a fraction of a pupil hanging in space, smaller than a grain of sand, would be beyond most people, but you've been trained to look for them because they always move in two. →
(guttural whispering) "You will never reach the Wildmother's embrace in time. →
Are you looking for something?" You turn around and, in the mirror, you see a shape in mist swimming in the fog, and the mutilated face of Vespin Chloras. →