BlackwaterDnD

Em:
Welcome to BlackwaterDnD, where good friends tell better stories. This series, Balance, is a miniseries using the Powered by the Apocalypse system, Godkiller, which was created by Connie Chang, now available on Itch.io for purchase, and is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge and Moonbeam. This tale takes us back, long before the end of the universe, to a time when we begin to explore & understand old divine wounds that run so very deep, and what happens when love is caught in the middle. This story encouraged us as creators to strive for genuine emotion and connection, relish the space we create at the table, and take big swings with the way we approached our narrative. For this story, your GOD, everyone else, and the thrum of the Cradle, is myself, Em Carlson, and my GODKILLERs are played by Gina Susanna & Jannes Wessels. As this game falls within a holypunk and dark fantasy genre, it may contain themes and depictions that are triggering for some listeners. Please take care of yourself and access safe support as you see fit.

Content warnings for this episode include: The woods // grief // Religious Overtones // death // visions // fantasy violence // war // death of a loved one // funerals

So sit back and relax, heretics. And welcome to Godkiller: Balance.

Episode Two: Arriving.

Em:
Ever, you have never been good at leaving. So perhaps it’s easier to watch Verek travel up and away from you from the edge of the Wildwood. It’s easier to watch and wait, to see if he’ll look over his shoulder at you, rather than you wondering how long you should walk before you look back at him. And to his credit, he keeps walking. He knows that you know. And that will have to be enough until you return. You stand at the edge of the tree line, knowing how untamed the forest is behind you. How fierce. How unbound from anything that humanity has done to the rest of the Cradle. Perhaps the most wild place, because we can’t truly call the Fallaway wild, no, a barren wasteland isn’t wild. Wild is active and alive, always changing and adapting. There is order, yes, but it is full and rich, rather than empty and broken. The forest is its own. It belongs to no one else, save maybe the goddess who grew it. Finally, with Verek fading now from view, you turn fully to face the forest. There’s an itch in your feet, like you’re supposed to start walking. As you stand at the edge of the tree line, with your next step taking you into the Wildwood, what would you like to do?

Gina:
I think I'm… Still holding onto the memory of the feel of Verek's hands on my face, and the warmth of them. And the weight of that shawl now across my own shoulders. And I feel that… hole… in my gut. Of Davos. Of just the loss. Of all of it. And I take a deep breath. I think I would pray for guidance.

Em:
Hmm, your first move of the game. How exciting. Okay. So, when you pray for guidance, name the aid you seek and answer one. The GM will describe the aid that actually comes as they answer the other. So the questions are, what kind of god answers your prayers, or what unclear visions or omens besiege me?

Gina:
I think the unclear omens or visions would be… I think the last time I travelled this road was… Well, probably was bringing Davos' body out here, by myself, alone.

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Gina:
Probably around the same time of night, actually.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
And so much of it is a blur, still, but I remember the shine of the moonlight, and the wet grass, and how alone I felt. And, I think the visions of what might be before me, as I walk this way, what it might feel like if I'm to feel so alone, again.

Em:
Mm-hmm. The other question, of what god answers your prayers. It has been almost twenty years since Thielia's death. And while it is said her soul still lives deep within the Wildwood, somewhere in the Saileach, somewhere ready to show herself, or what is left of her, to a true heart. It is not she, or some avatar of her, some glimpse of her that answers your prayers. The moonlight is dim this evening, with the Goddess of the Full Moon long dead. However, her sister, Tenebe, The Gloaming Dusk, Goddess of the New Moon, in the night sky, allows you a bit more light, as you glance up at the night, finding the moon. And feeling it shine brighter on you. And you see some of that moonlight hit and illuminate different ferns, and plants, and trees, and bits of lichen and moss, giving some semblance of a path before you. Maybe not the aid you were looking for, but something that would help regardless.

Gina:
I think if I see that… even just in that illumination of the path forward, the breaking of moonlight… That feels like a sign to me that in all of this… Loss and death… there is still something bright.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
And I walk that way, following the moonlight.

Em:
Even sometimes when you lose the path, you feel as if your feet find it. Everyone in Temisset has travelled at least part of the Wildwood, and you can feel yourself letting go and letting the forest take you where you… where it thinks you need to go. Do you travel through the night or do you find a spot to rest? It'll be about… day and a half to two days walk through the woods.

Gina:
I'm exhausted. I've been exhausted for… [chuckles] months, but particularly, particularly now. And so I think that after finally seeing Verek, and hearing him say that he wants to marry me, and that he loves me, even though… even though things are complicated. There's a sense of comfort that comes over me, and I don't want to push as much as I think I would otherwise.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
And I will walk for some time. I will walk until I'm very tired, but I will rest.

Em:
As you travel, you hear the sounds of the woods. Scurrying of small and tiny feet, branches and the trunks of old growths creaking under the weight of the trees above. You know this forest is ancient, with towering mossy Sitkas and gnarled red cedars, with trunks the diameter of a horse and cart together. Beasts of all size and all sorts, from mice, to bears, to things unknown and unnamed. The moonlight leads you to a small copse of trees where you're able to build a small camp. Do you build a fire? Do you set yourself up in any way? What would you like to do here?

Gina:
Is it common for people to set up camp here or would it be out of the ordinary?

Em:
I think it would be very common for people to spend multiple days in the Wildwood, and people are requiring of food, and sustenance, and warmth. Something that the forest can't give them on its own. I don't think it would be offensive for you to light a fire.

Gina:
I think I will. I think I will feel something out, and I would find a spot where I'd like to make camp. And before I do much of anything, I think… I think I would just close my eyes and… use that power that Davos had taught me, that was just innately part of me, I think, and just listen for a moment.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
And in my mind just asking, “May I?”

Em:
So, when you want to feel out a person, place, or thing, say once you want clarity about, which you have, and answer one, the GM will give you the clarity you seek as they answer the other. So our two questions are, what feels welcoming on the surface, or what feels dark and unnerving as I peer deeper?

Gina:
What feels welcoming is being here in this space, being surrounded by nature, being... Even just the moonlight that had been guiding me feels… comforting, and knowing, and I trust it. I've been following it. And I know this place. I've been here many times before in other areas.

Em:
Mm -hmm.

Gina:
I would say all of those things feel welcoming.

Em:
What feels dark or unnerving as you peer deeper? Everyone in Temisset has spent time in the Wildwood. It would probably be safe to say that everyone in Temisset has spent a night in the Wildwood. Not many people spend nights in the Wildwood alone. And since Thielia’s death, it dawns on you that her absence may leave this unchecked. So to the question of you may, of course you may.

Gina:
Should I?

Em:
Now that's a very different question. But you have to rest.

Gina:
I think about what Davos would say, and what it would be like if he were here with me. He would tell me, of course, of course we could stay the night. It's nothing to fear. There are plenty of things to fear - there's nothing we can't handle. And I think about what Verek would say if he were here with me. And how safe I'd feel.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
And then I think about how desperately I want that feeling of safety within myself.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
And that perhaps tonight is the first step to finding that.

Em:
Mm -hmm.

Gina:
And so I will pull the shawl a little bit tighter across my shoulders. It's quite chilly out now, and I will make a small fire, and make camp.

Em:
Okay. As you settle in, hearing the crackle of the tinder, knowing how to build a fire safely in the woods so that it does not catch. You let the sounds of the woods you know so well help you drift off to sleep. You do not dream. It is simply a pause. A long pause that hangs. It feels like there could be something, but just not right now. You feel your body wake, before your consciousness does. An awareness slowly rolling up through the soles of your feet, before nesting itself behind your eyes. And as your eyes open, it is light, probably about midmorning, and you see three figures staring down at you. Two of them are small, the size of children. With one taller, you estimate to be about your height. They're humanoid in stature, but their skin looks like it's made of the same bark of the trees you slept under. Which, as you look around now, is very different. You fell asleep under redwoods, and you're now awake around willow trees, with the sound of running water. A creek, it seems. If you got turned around and ended up in the Saileach, that's at least a day's travel that you've lost. These figures staring down at you, their eyes are fully black, and their features, and their movements are slow. They move with a subtle grace. The smaller figures, you assume to be children, turn to talk to the larger figure, but as they open their mouths, the sound that comes out is not speech, at least not to you. It sounds like wind whistling through the forest, the snapping of trees. What sounds like the forest itself. The larger figure straightens up, pulling the two smaller figures back, the children. And you see a shocked and potentially… embarrassed… expression cross her face slowly.

Em (as Villaia):
“I'm so sorry. Where are my manners? We shouldn't be staring at you while you're sleeping.”

Gina (as Ever):
“No, no…”

Gina:
I'll sit up.

Gina (as Ever):
“I must have lost my way traveling last night. Forgive me, it’s been… I've been so tired. I…”

Em (as Villaia):
“Yes, you were sleeping very soundly. We didn't want to disturb you, but, um, you did not fall asleep in this part of the woods, but you woke up here. So we thought it would be important to come make sure you felt okay.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I... I... did not fall asleep here, no. How did I...? How did I get here?”

Em (as Villaia):
“Well, if you don't know, then it must have been her.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Her?”

Em (as Villaia):
“[scoffs] Our Maiden of The Deep Woods. She tends to… be able to do small things, sometimes… And we… it is our journey, it is our job to… tend to this area of the forest. We are the Keepers of the Saileach.

Gina (as Ever):
“Oh!”

Em (as Villaia):
“Where are my manners? We are Canopykin. My name is Villaia. It's nice to meet you.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Villaia.”

Em (as Villaia):
“Yes, and these are my children. This is Jessamine,”

Em:
And she points to one of them, and you see there seems to be, on the one she refers to as Jessamine, there is moss and lichen growing up the side of their head, that also kind of tends to drape down onto their arms, and the other,

Em (as Villaia):
“This is Nastan.”

Em:
And Nastan is a mixture of dark brown, and red, and also light coloured, like birch. It seems to be a mottling of different colours of wood and different types of bark together.

Em (as Villaia):
“We are, we are Canopykin. We are the Keepers of the Saileach.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Villaia, Jessamine,”

Em (as Jessamine):
“Yes!”

Gina (as Ever):
“Nastan…”

Em (as Nastan): [excitedly]
“Mhmm!”

Gina (as Ever):
“I'm-”
Gina:
And I'll sit up more fully and sort of make my, brush my hair back, and just try to look a little bit more… presentable.

Gina (as Ever):
“I'm Ever. Halassian.”

Em (as Villaia):
“Hello Ever, Halassian. Do you need a moment to get ready before we take you to her?”

Gina (as Ever):
“You know, I'm actually… on my way… to Glass. But I suppose... I suppose I should... Do I have a choice?”

Em (as Villaia):
“Of course you have a choice. She would like to break branch with you, if you would do her the honour. As... Well... um, she has said she has something for you. We're not sure what. But she… She said that you had done right by her, and that if we were to see you, to escort you to her, if that was your choosing.”

Gina:
I think in this moment I'd like to feel someone out.

Em:
Yeah, absolutely.

Gina:
I have just, I have just woken up. I am still probably, I think the, the overhang of exhaustion is still with me, as it has been for some time. I'm still a bit groggy.

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Gina:
And these people are strange, and I really have some place to be, but I, this feels… This feels important, and I am keen to go, but I just, I want to make sure that I can trust my instincts, I think.

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Gina:
So what feels welcoming on the surface is, I mean a number of things, the fact that it seems like, which could be a lie, but it seems like they know who I am, in a way. And they are so, as a servant of… as Davos was a servant of Thielia, and by extension, and even more so now, I suppose, I am as well.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
I think so much of them just feels like her. And so I want to trust them, I think.

Em:
Hmm. For what feels dark or unnerving as you peer deeper, everything they're saying has strong rings of truth to it. Nature doesn't lie. However, if they're saying that they are Keepers of the Saileach, why have you not seen them before? Any of their kind? They walk, like you do, but they are very clearly of the Wild. And Villaia, and Jessamine, and Nastan stand backwards and almost kind of stand expectantly. Ready if you wish to go with them.

Gina:
I want to ask them, why have I not seen you before? But I also know. I know what it's like to not want to be seen. There's a safety in that. And I understand it. So I… keep that question to myself, and I stand up. I gather my things, what few things I’ve… What few things I've spread out over the night. Not much.

Em:
Mm.

Gina (as Ever):
“Alright, I suppose I can... I would love to meet the Matron.”

Em (as Villaia):
“Oh, not the Matron, the Maiden.”

Gina (as Ever):
“The Maiden!”

Em (as Villaia):
“Yeah, um… She's been alone for some time and… We try to remind her to rest and that she doesn't need to give so much. But it's just her. These days at least. The Matron is someone very different.”

Gina (as Ever):
“My apologies, I thought you said the Matron- the Maiden! Of course. But please, I would love to meet the Maiden.”

Em:
Okay. So, almost without understanding the potential tact or circumstance, Jessamine and Nastan run to you, and they take your hands. Jessamine's feels dry, like a tree that has stood in the sun, while Nastan's feels wet. Like a tree that has thoroughly been drenched by the rain. Villaia smiles and begins walking, leading you through the forest. The willows seem familiar, but this is not a part of the Saileach you've ever been to before. There are no remembrance stones or graves. It is just wild. The two little ones eagerly begin speaking with you, as if you understand them. And in a way, over the course of the journey, you begin to. Their language is based very much on intuition, and gesture, and facial expression, and any sounds emitted seem to come second. Villaia often pauses to admire large shelf mushroom groupings, or to run her long twig-like figures across a fern, which causes it to unfurl at her touch. You lose time for a while, a vague understanding that time is passing based on where the shadows are, where the trees cast them.

Gina:
How do I feel here?

Em:
How do you feel here?

Gina:
I think- I think I feel… At peace, like the moment, the few moments when you are still waking from a wonderful dream. Though you're not sure if it's reality or not, but it, it's wonderful regardless. I think I feel like that, as we walk.

Em:
Hmm. As Villaia stops, she looks to the smaller canopykin, and they look up at you, and smile. You hear the creaking of their mouths as they open and smell damp, peaty moss, and the smell of wet soil. Nastan shoves something into your hand, closing it as they scamper off. They disappear into the trees, and you lose them quickly, as what's before you overtakes your senses. You have heard about the heart of the Saileach, but you've never seen it. While miles and miles of willows meander their way, nestled amongst the rest of the growth in the forest, this bit stands almost proudly separate. You see a small nest of trees surrounded by a moat of the clearest water you've ever seen. It is like crystal. You can see the fish swimming in it from the distance you are, maybe a hundred feet away. Creatures of all size make their way down to the water's edge to drink, and you see a small pathway down to a narrow land bridge that provides the only access across the moat. You see one or two other canopykin tending to the trees in the center. Villaia looks back at you.

Em (as Villaia):
“There used to be more of us. Floorsweepers, and Boughbrushers, but really only a few of us remain. We understand that it takes a lot to sustain a whole people. We keep reminding her to rest. She will see you now. Um… It will take an offering, to get her to come out, but please know that that is just a formality. She's not seeking anything from you other than your presence here.”

Em:
What would you like to do?

Gina:
I’ll, I'll turn to her,

Gina (as Ever):
“I'm so sorry. It must be quite lonely.”

Em:
You hear the smile before you see it. The creaking of wood.

Em (as Villaia):
“You say that like you don't know. I don't think that's true.”

Gina (as Ever):
“What it means to be lonely, do you mean?”

Em (as Villaia):
“Yes. I think you know that very well. Otherwise, why would you have been sleeping in the Wildwood alone?”

Gina (as Ever):
“That's a good point. There is something special about… Knowing loneliness in the face of someone else who also does.”

Em (as Villaia):
“Well of course. It means you're not lonely anymore.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Thank you for bringing me here.”

Em (as Villaia):
“You're welcome. I hope it gives you what you're seeking.”

Gina (as Ever):
“As do I. An offering, you said?”

Em (as Villaia):
“Yes.”

Gina:
I will reach into my bag, and take out one of the journals that I've brought with me, and open it, and in it is a pressed flower.

Em:
Hmm

Gina (as Ever):
“It's one of the um, first orange blossoms, that was still growing on the fruit that Verek brought me, when we first met. And I pressed it, and I kept it. Long before… Long before I knew.”

Em (as Villaia):
“May I come closer and see?”

Gina (as Ever):
“Of course.”

Gina:
And I hold it out.

Em:
As you hold it out with one hand, she turns your other hand over, and you see what Nastan had placed in your hand as he was leaving. You see a small, almost looks like handful of dirt, clumped together and she looks at the flower with wonder.

Em (as Villaia):
“I've never seen one like this before. These aren't from here.”

Gina (as Ever):
“No, they're quite special.”

Em (as Villaia):
“May I?”

Gina (as Ever):
“Please.”

Em:
She picks the dried flower up, holding it tenderly in her long spindly fingers. She moves it from one hand to another, placing it in the small clump of dirt in your other hand. And you watch as the flower springs back to life. It revitalizes, it is as if it inhales. And you feel small roots begin to emerge from the bottom of that fertilizer.

Em (as Villaia):
“Plant that. She’ll like that.”

Gina:
I don't think I just, I nod.

Gina (as Ever):
“And… Where should I?”

Em (as Villaia):
“Oh, um, just walk down, across the moat, into the center. You'll know it when you see it.”

Gina (as Ever):
“All right.”

Em (as Villaia):
“I'll wait here. For when you're done. You'll need someone to lead you out.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Okay. Okay.”

Gina:
And I start to walk, but I stop and turn back to Villaia and just say,

Gina (as Ever):
“Thank you for bringing me here. You probably don't get a lot of visitors, so I'm honoured to be here.”

Em (as Villaia):
“We try to keep an eye on anyone who's resting overnight in the Saileach, you never know what will come through, and well, when she requests to have someone visit her, we do our best to make that happen.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Is there anything that I should be-”

Em (as Villaia):
“You're gonna be fine.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Okay.”

Gina:
And I turn and walk down the path.

Em:
Okay. So as you descend into this small gully, you're immediately struck by the incredible palette of colours that are before you. There are greens you've never seen before. Rich yellows and oranges, reds that don't seem real with how pigmented they are. And with each step, you feel the grass beneath your feet give just a little bit. And you instantly have that feeling that you want your feet on it. This feels like the memory of summer days outside the farmhouse in the yard, with Davos teaching you the names of everything that was growing, digging your hands deep down into the damp soil. It didn't matter how much dirt was under your nails, or that you stained a new white dress. What did matter was that you began to learn the earth that gave back to you and to all the people of Temisset. That was the first time you remember the tingle in your fingertips. The blossoming of your gifts. Even though you were not related to him by blood, they were an extension of his gifts, the gifts that Thielia gave to him. You walk further down across this small land bridge over the crystalline water. You see koi, shubunkin, sunfish, and small perch swimming beneath water lilies, water hyacinths, and floating duckweed. You hear the buzz of bees which are doing their work to the myriad of wildflowers that populate the rest of the ground outside of this small walkway. And in front of you sits a giant, impossibly large willow tree. It takes up almost the whole of the small island spit, with branches at impossible angles and in full bloom. The long strands of leaves dip down to graze the ground and the water, and as you come up to the tree, you hear a chorus of songbirds, many of whom have nests both in and on the tree. You see a few squirrels, and chipmunks scurrying back and forth. This tree is so very alive and home to hundreds, maybe thousands of creatures, if we include all the insects you both can and cannot see. You've seen many willows. They are all throughout the Saileach, intertwined with each other and their branches tangled and knotted. Some of them so much that it even seems like they were hands clasped together, never to let go of one another. But this willow trunk is so broad. And as you look closer, trying to get a sense of this tree, it seems to be a set of maybe twelve to fifteen individual trunks that have grown together and connected in a circle. This tree feels so divine. It feels very, very holy. What would you like to do?

Gina:
I think maybe this is silly, but I think I would... I think I would take my shoes off.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
And I would allow my feet to feel the grass, to feel the earth beneath them. I think if I felt like this place felt like my childhood, if it felt like… If it felt like him, I'd want to be as close to that feeling as possible, and so I would carefully, without dropping the orange blossom in my hand, unlace my shoes, and take them off, carefully set them down, and walk over to the willow, and I would look at it, and take it all in. And I think I would place my hand on its trunk.

Em:
It's warm. There's like a thrum to it, a vibration.

Gina:
I think that… This would have been something that Davos would have at least tried to teach me how to do, to connect with living things in this way.

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Gina:
I want to try and do that here.

Em:
Okay.

Gina:
If I can.

Em:
Would you like to use a move to do that?

Gina:
I would like to use a move to do that. I think I would like to try and connect with someone.

Em:
Okay.

Gina:
Even though it's not a someone, at least that I can tell, that it feels alive, it feels… present.

Em:
Okay. So when you try and connect with someone, tell them something intimate and answer one of the following questions. The GM will reveal a fragment of their pain as they answer the other. So the two questions are, what common ground do we share? And the other is, what still divides us?

Gina:
As I stand there with my hand on this tree. I think feeling that thrum and the warmth there and the… that connection. I think I would just close my eyes and… lean my forehead against it. And I would just say,

Gina (as Ever):
“I don't know how you do it. Living so long. Feeling the loss of… The world, as it changes around you.”

Gina:
I think what I'd like to answer actually is… What common ground do we share? In that, in this moment it almost feels like… both of us are still standing. Even when there's something coursing through us.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
There's something lonesome about that. I've always wondered if trees ever get lonely.

Em:
And I think from that to answer the question, what still divides you? You remember Davos talking about something like this. An impossibly large willow. And I think what still divides you is the fact that you put together that he has been here, and shared things here that he did not with you. There are things that he said, things that he did. And he didn't describe what the willow looked like. He only spoke about it once or twice in passing. But the word “seanmháthair” rings through your mind. A word in an old lost tongue. A language of those who could speak to the land around them. Meaning “grandmother”. Do you plant the offering?

Gina:
After a moment of standing there and feeling that connection, I would, I would step back and… look around and see is there any place that looks right?

Em:
You could plant it on the tree itself. There's enough of a space, like a divot, with some decomposing wood that would work very much like a nurse log would be. Or you could plant it right in the ground.

Gina:
I think this place feels like… something in me feels like this is the place for an offering, not in the ground necessarily, but, but almost like I'm handing it over.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
And so I would, I would plant it in that spot, within the tree.

Em:
Okay. Okay. As you rub the last of the dirt, patting it flat, this small orange blossom with a little bit of root in the bottom with the dirt given to you by Nastan, and the flower brought back to life by Villaia, you hear a creaking sound, like when you walk through the forest on a windy day. There is no wind right now, so this must be the tree. And as you try to pinpoint the source, you see just to your right, a space open up between two of the trunks, and the boughs part slightly. You have an opening to the center of this grandmother tree, waiting for you.

Gina:
Before I move inside, because I want to move inside, but I look back at the orange blossom and where it's growing now. Does it look any different?

Em:
Hmm. I think you would see the center, pistil, stamen, and anther, the center part of the flower, seem to reach up. The petals unfurl a bit wider, and that sweet smell wafts past your nose. It is well and truly alive. After having been dried in a book, not half an hour ago.

Gina (as Ever):
“[sighs] What a sight for sore eyes.”

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
And I look back to the opening. And I walk in.

Em:
You walk inside and light pours down from above, brighter than you remember the sky being, that holy feeling. Amplified. The ground is covered with a soft grass, broken up by thick roots that run from each of the trees in the round, connecting in the center and feeding into what could only be described as a vase. An urn, made of wood, probably about ten feet tall and five feet across at its widest point. It has intricate carvings on it and looks to have about six or seven different types of wood mixed into it. Dark mahogany, light pine, rich cherry, with the ochres of aspen, the stripes of tiger maple. Something long before the cradle. You see depictions of the beginning of the universe. The world whose name you do not know and has been lost to time itself. Something long before this place was called the Cradle. You see barren space, and then a spark, gifted from outstretched hands pulled out of what looks to be mud, and gifted to a femme-presenting figure with long hair. And then an explosion of flora and fauna of all shapes and sizes, decorate round and round and round in beautiful bands, showing the passing of time. You stand kind of in awe for a moment taking this all in, it is so much. And then you hear a sloshing sound coming from inside the urn. You watch as two hands rise up from the inside, gripping the top rim, and a figure pulls themself up and out before you. Anjali, can you describe what you look like for us, as you come up out of the urn?

Anjali:
What strikes you when you first see the fingers wrapping themselves over the lip of the urn, is the fingernails are impossibly long, but they look almost like an extension of the hand, like a tree branch would be the extension of the tree. Like… overgrowth you would see perhaps, in some form of flora, somewhere else. And the grace with which they clasp onto the edge of the urn, with the dark sun-kissed skin contrasting against those naturally worn, but ever so long nails. And you see two slim arms pushing down as two bare, darkened shoulders and, uh, the crown of someone's head of long, curled, golden hair. A sharp contrast to the darkened skin, but it’s not a gold like you would see in gold coin, or the kind of gold we, as people, see through cities and creations. This is the kind of gold that you only see when you are watching the sun bounce off the water, or peek through the leaves of trees. There's movement in it beyond the natural movement of the hair. You see her pull herself through out of the opening of the urn and lift up her head and two warm brown eyes flecked with gold look back at you.

Anjali (as Thielia):
“[sighing as though just waking up] Oh, I had forgotten.The air. The feeling of... the wood. I've been here, but I haven't been here. Hello child.”

Em:
And, Ever, I'm gonna have you roll to recognize a god. So. When you want to recognize the signs or the influence of a god of the Cradle, roll 2D6. And you're going to add one for each true statement. You're in or near their domain. Yes. You're familiar with their gospel. Yes. It would be bad if you didn't know. She's right in front of you. So probably. I'm gonna say that's, I think that's gonna be a plus three for this one.

Gina:
I rolled two sixes.

Em:
Okay. So with the plus three, that is an overkill. So on an overkill, you realize that your divinity is actively trespassing against this god. And the GM will say how. So, there is nobody else it could be in this moment. You remember what Davos had told you. All forests have hearts, a central energy source that gives them power. You are looking at the heart of the Saileach, this urn, this vase, this copse of trees, that together has a thrum. Vibrant, and alive, and rich with the energy that sustains this forest, and likely all of the Wildwood, maybe even the whole Cradle. And it seems so fitting right now that you in this moment would find Thielia, Maiden of The Deep Woods, The Sentinel of The Reaching Green and The Verdant Expanse, pulling herself up and out of this vase as she had called you here. Thielia, as you come out and lay your eyes on this person, this being that you had called here, someone close to someone very dear to you, there is a familiarity to it. In her face, even though you know they are not biologically related, you see his mannerisms. You see his countenance. But there is something else. There is a darkness that is not of him. There is a shadow. Shadow. The light emanating from behind you, perhaps your radiance or the sun itself, in your divine gaze casts her shadow wrong. It’s too long. more threatening than she stands. There is vengeance in her. And that is how her divinity trespasses against you, here.

Anjali (as Thielia):
“And you are, as he said you would be.”

Gina (as Ever):
“My Lady.”

Gina:
And I bow my, my head.

Anjali:
I pull myself completely out of the urn and step closer to her, put my hand under her chin and lift it high.

Anjali (as Thielia):
“You need not bow to me. I feel your love, I feel your reverence, just as I felt his. And yet, there is so much more within you, child. Your name. It is… [knowing sigh] It is Ever, is it not?”

Gina (as Ever):
“Yes. Yes.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“Ever living, Ever loved, by our ever constant Davos. What a fitting name.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I miss him.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“I do too… Oh, child, if you only knew. What brings you here, though? To me. What brings you to this forest, that brought you to me?”

Gina (as Ever):
“I'm on my way to Glass.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“To… To Glass. You leave the city?”

Gina (as Ever):
“I have to.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“And why?”

Gina (as Ever):
“To go to Temple Lybica.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“Hmm. Time is… murky at best, in this place between the living and the other. I remember, this is... This is a special time for our Davos, though, isn't it?”

Gina (as Ever):
“It was his favorite. I- I couldn't be… I couldn't be home for it.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“There. There, you see? When you open your heart, it's not as hard as you think it is. A mother knows. There is such pain in you. There is such grief. I feel you, and I feel him. I loved your father deeply. I know, I know. Not your father by blood, but your father nonetheless. I see him in you. When you breathe this air, do you feel him, and smell him, as I do?”

Gina (as Ever): [crying]
“I- I want to. I feel like grief is all I have left of him.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“Oh… My dear… Perhaps you do not know yourself well enough that you are him. You are. Grief is merely a state of being. It is not who you are. I have been witness to so many years of life, of death, of joy, of sorrow, of creation, of destruction. Of grief. That evolves.”

Gina (as Ever): [still crying]
“Yes, but I feel like my grief is like… It's like- it’s like threads through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with it.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“Perhaps it is stitched with it. But you are the cloth. You are the substance that holds everything together, not the thread. Grief, yes. I have spent countless years grieving. But while you grieve, you live. This is the way he lives on in you. You must do this. Do not wear your grief like it is your only vestige of him. It is a moment. A part of the process of loving someone so deeply, that you don't even realize that you carry them with you when you're gone. I have grieved so many years. For all of you. For this world. This world that I have loved with every fiber of my being. I grieve for where your people have come. I grieve for all who lost during the wars of the gods. I grieve for myself. The loss of my... corporeal being. I grieve for the time I did not get to spend with Davos. I grieve for the time I did not get to spend with you. And yet amidst all of this, the cloth of my being, the fiber, that love is constant. It is why I am here. To speak with you. I was… unable to prevent any of the bloodshed. Within my own, not the hands of a fellow divine being. Whether that of the others after my passing. Whether those of Davos or his brethren, and sistren. But I was able to prevent one thing. I would not be used as a force of destruction against my own creation. The body I left behind, I left behind. What do you see before you now is merely a shell to hold the divinity within. I begged, my dear Nephthysaket, please, take me somewhere that I may continue to create, to grow, to serve these beautiful creatures, these beautiful people. My children. Allow me to give them life. And so, she brought me here. Instead of across the river. Oh, it was our little secret [chuckles]. Here I have been, giving in whatever ways I could. Holding... Holding on to my divinity as best I could. To be able to bring it back to your world, to this forest, to Davos, and those so reverent and kind. Divinity does not make a god. Divinity and the belief of others. He passed this onto you, did he not?”

Gina (as Ever):
“I think so. I think so. You said… Nepthysaket…. She chose... She chose to ferry you someplace else?”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“Yes… Yes, but this choice that she made... It was to peel my divinity from that corporeal body, to save the earth beneath. You have seen how the deaths of the gods has perverted and corrupted your soil, your world. Have you not?”

Gina (as Ever):
“And so much more.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“Indeed. I would not be a part of that. I would not be a part of corrupting this land, these people, this world. I begged her to separate my divinity somehow from that body so it could not be used as a poison against you. All of you. She brought me here, and I have been fighting to stay ever since. I have been here to protect you. To feed you. To give you warmth, and light, and sustenance. But it has come at a cost. Do you understand?”

Gina (as Ever): [crying]
“She did you a kindness. I… But that means that she does have that power then? She has... If she could do that for you, she has the power to choose. She has... That's why I'm going to Lybica. You have to know that. That's why I'm…”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“Are you expecting... Are you expecting her to do the same? For Davos?”

Gina (as Ever): [crying escalating]
“Except, I don't even know if that's possible but… [sniffles]”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“My child…”

Gina (as Ever):
“I don't know what I want.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“I cannot express to you... I cannot express to you the pain it causes me to fight to be here. I cannot express to you… How feels to wither, and only fight to stay here, knowing that I am what sustains this forest. I do not say this for your pity. I say this for you to understand. It comes at a cost. If this is indeed something that you are... Imagining... As a happy ending to your story, might I urge you to consider the consequences? Our Davos was warm, dear, constant, faithful. At times, light… at others? Stern. Always persevering. Indeed, I believe if he were given this choice, he would choose to be near you, but… He asked me to make a choice as well. When he came to me, here. In the grips of… Whatever withering. Whatever was eating away at the man he was. I immediately want to heal him. Desperate to keep him alive, and with me, as well. But he asked for something else. Ever living, Ever loved. Ever constant Davos wanted me to make sure that those first two remained. You are here because of his sacrifice. You are here because he needed you to be here. With all the knowledge and all the wisdom I have, I cannot predict a future. I cannot predict the consequences of our actions. I cannot predict the consequences of choices. All I know, is that he was dying, and all he cared about was that you lived. Can you imagine? If you brought him back and he was faced with that choice again? I cannot tell you what lies ahead. I can only tell you what has happened. And show you a piece of who you are. You carry more of him with you than you think.”

Gina (as Ever): [through sobs]
“Is that why it never worked? Is that why I couldn't do it? Because he made it… [whimpers]”

Gina: [also sobbing]
And I reached into my bag, and I pull out one of my notebooks, frantically flipping to a previous page, tracing down the line of ingredients, and steps, and diagrams,

Gina (as Ever):
“What was I missing? Is that why I couldn't do it?”

Anjali:
As I see these writings, what, what do I know she has been trying to do?

Em:
You look at the page and it takes you a moment. It has been a while since you've had to read the common tongue. And… you parse together her drawings, and the notes that she's made, the recipes. She is trying to find a cure for wasting sickness, using herbalism, apothetique, and the knowledge of the green to try and cure what she saw Davos suffering with. And you can parse together that she was able to manage some of the symptoms, but never touch the disease itself.

Anjali:
So… I run my fingers over the pages, and I look at her with sorrow in my face.

Anjali (as Thielia):
“No child. So… There is nothing you could have done, but not because of him. The time just wasn't there. In other realms, time is different, changeable, malleable. But here, it marches ever forward. Unfortunately, we aren't always… Fast enough to keep up with it.”

Gina (as Ever):
“But she took him before I could… She chose to ferry you someplace else. She offered you that kindness, why?”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“I begged. Because she understood that if she had allowed my divinity in that body to perish together, the corruption would continue. I am a god. Gods are not meant to be part of the earth, they are meant to create it. If our divinity mixes with these creations, the abominations that occur are far beyond what any of you should have to endure. You have seen so many of them already. Had she allowed me to die, as I did, in complete form, I would simply have been a part of the cause of destruction. Davos wasn't given that choice because although his death caused you such grief, it would not destroy this world. On the contrary. With his death, he chose to give you life. Imagine that. She had no choice but to take him.”

Gina (as Ever): [gathering herself, then continuing to cry]
“I, I know that… I know that death is a part of life. I know that the world has not... the world itself has not changed with the loss of him, but I don't recognize this world without him in it. I don't recognize myself in it. And if you had If you had to beg, to get her to understand, Then I will do what I need to do in order to get her to understand.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“I feel your rage. I feel it. I understand it. I caution against it.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I just want her to understand. I feel like this is all I am. Now.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“I told you you were wrong. You were wrong when you said the world has not changed from his death. Of course it has. Every life, every being touches so many others, and Davos more than most. The world has changed. And your world will never be the same. Your world. It does not mean it is irreparable. It does not mean a death of love. It means a change of form. I cannot speak to what she would say were you to go to her, to beg her. I have seen things in these many, many years that I did not expect. Things that I did. This… The war. But then how people behaved within it. Surprises in so many ways. I cannot tell you what might move her or what might not. I can tell you only. Respect his choice. He did it for love.”

Em:
Ever, as Thielia stands before you, this, what she said hanging between the two of you, you can physically see the energy that she is investing to sustain herself in front of you. There is, this form that she has presented to you, is not her full corporeal body as she has said. It is a ghost of that, an echo of that. And only the heart of the Saileach, this, the Seanmháthair, could hold her. And she is fading.

Anjali (as Thielia):
“Oh, my child, I would, I would stay here with you… For so much longer. But, as I have already told you, time marches on. If you are to make this journey, must you make it alone?”

Gina (as Ever):
“I feel like I have to do it alone. I don't want to. I didn't want him to see me. I didn't want him to see me like this.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“I am torn myself. I don't want you to see me like this. I understand your choice. I only offer one who loves you, who cares for you. If you have indeed chosen to travel without a companion such as yourself, perhaps? Perhaps, we can bend your rule a little bit, shall we? You cannot travel alone, but you wish to travel alone? Let's see what I can do.”

Anjali:
And her hands, which you see are now shaking with the effort just to raise them, lift up in front of her heart, and she holds them in the form of a ball, and she begins to turn them as if she's turning the two hemispheres of a sphere, and within them a red light begins to glow. It swirls. And the swirls seem to begin to form into some kind of solid substance, you can't quite tell what it is, until you finally recognize… It’s fur. Red, tiny, pieces of fur. She moves her hands slowly further apart, and curled up in my hand, lower palm, is a small fox kit. Curled up within its tail, sleeping. She reaches out to you, and holds them towards you.

Anjali (as Thielia):
“For those moments where you want to travel alone, but you don't need to be lonely.”

Gina:
And I reach out, carefully, to try and pet him, just gently in her hands.

Em:
Your hand brushes over the fur, barely grazing it. And the second you do, you see a ruffle and a little head dips up, and curves into your palm.

Gina (as Ever):
“For me? Oh, Davos would have loved him.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“He would, wouldn't he? Hmm.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Does he have a name?”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“I don't know, does he?”

Gina:
I tilt my head to the side,

Gina (as Ever):
“What do you think little one? Do you have a name?”

Em:
You see as he tilts his head at you, you see these bright eyes stare deeply at you, through you, as if trying to know you in this moment. And you get the sense that names wouldn't matter to him. Whatever you choose to call him is fine. He's just yours.

Gina:
I think, I think looking at him, taking him in, studying this small little creature, and hearing those words “alone but not lonely”, I look back up at Thielia,

Gina (as Ever):
“I think Davos would have named him Rowan.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“Rowan. I like it. Hmm.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I do too.”

Anjali:
As, uh, you see her hands still shaking, as she's trying to hold him up.

Gina (as Ever):
“Are you all right?”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“I think it's time… You and Rowan… Begin your journey.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Can I come back here? Will you still be... here?”

Anjali:
She passes the kit into your hands, and her hand drops.

Gina (as Ever): [beginning to cry again]
“This isn’t the last time, this isn't the last time I'll see you, right? I've only just met you, this is…”

Anjali:
I lean forward and put my head on her forehead.

Em:
It feels just like when you put your head on the willow tree before you came inside.

Anjali (as Thielia):
“It will be the last time you see me, but not the last time you feel me. I promise you that. Alas, I think my time in this form might be it might be gone soon too.”

Gina (as Ever): [sniffling]
“I have so many more questions. I, I haven't even - you haven't even told me about how you first met - how you first met Davos.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“[laughs weakly] Well, that is a story. Come then, one last tale.”

Anjali:
I sit down on the ledge where the urn is sitting, and lean my back up against the round side of it, and pat the ground next to me.

Gina:
I follow, and I sit, almost like I'm a child again, just eagerly.

Anjali (as Thielia):
“There was a time… The time, after the war. As you know, those who call themselves my children favour taking other natural shapes, yes? Well, there was a day when strangely, a bear came before me. Not a… ordinary looking bear, a bear that almost had a regal quality about him. I saw then that this was no ordinary being. This was someone I could grow to care for. When he showed his natural self, and came to me… Came to visit me here often, in the seanmháthair. They asked questions. Asked to hear stories. Always curious. He knew he could ask more, but he never asked too much. Perhaps because he saw, in his love, that I was not… Not at my best. And yet. He showered upon me the love, and care, you would to any god or goddess in their greatest form. He was my closest companion. I miss him, terribly. I miss how, occasionally he would come here, and curl up in that bear form around the urn. I do feel grief. The one time he asked something great of me, you already know. Even as it took more of my power than I had to give. For him.”

Em:
You see with each exhale, each breath, Ever, that it's like her chest sinks a bit deeper. A bit sallower. You lose it under the hair. But she is fading like… like a log that crumbles in the forest, wet, disintegrating down into dirt. That's what it feels like. You know it can't be stopped. That this is the way that Thielia leaves. That she truly dies.

Anjali:
I put my hand on hers.

Anjali (as Thielia):
“Yes, that was the last he asked of me, and the last I saw him.”

As a note, at this point, Em has had Gina take off her headphones.

Em:
Thielia, while you hold Ever's hand, you are using every ounce of your power to stay here, to honour her with conversation as she honours you with conversation, and her presence, and your presence. You have been holding yourself somewhere between dying and dead for almost twenty years. And your divine spark, that divinity that you so desperately clung to, to prevent from corrupting the soil, you know that if you leave it here, it will corrupt here too. And while your soul can move on, instead of the separation of your soul and your divinity from your body, which is what happened first, we're now talking about separating your divinity from your soul. You know that something has to hold it.

Anjali:
I feel her warm hand beneath mine as it visibly begins to wither.

Anjali (as Thielia):
“I don’t want to go.”

Anjali:
So I decide, you know… I don’t think I will. I squeeze her hand a little bit, not tightly, but just a little bit more. I close my eyes, and I think of Davos. I think of what he asked me to give to her. What I wish I could have given to him. And… I will that part of me, that divinity, that creative source, that warmth, that light. I will all of it to pass through my hand into hers.

Em:
And you do it. Of course you do. You are in charge of your divinity. You made sure of that. You feel Thielia's hand squeeze yours and a warmth emanate through you. Feels like the sun, coming out from behind a cloud, radiates up your arm through your body, settling in your belly. It feels peaceful. It feels wild and alive.

Anjali:
And somehow, in your mind's eye, you now have the memory of being wrapped around by a sleeping bear at your feet. You feel it, you feel it breathing, you feel its warm fur, you feel its weight, you can feel it wrapped around your feet.

Em:
And Ever, you know it's time to go.

Gina (as Ever): [crying]
“You loved him too. I'm so sorry.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“I will never be sorry for that, love. Nor should you for yours.”

Gina (as Ever): [sniffling]
“Do you have to go?”

Anjali:
“It seems I do. Would that I were more powerful, I could stay with you. [pained sigh] Would that I could. I see him in you. But I also see so much more. Ever loved, Ever living. [lets out a long, shallow breath] Ever.”

Em:
She's quiet.

Gina (as Ever): [crying]
“I don’t know what to do.”

Em:
You don't know how long this process takes. You don't know what happens when a god dies in this way. You've heard of gods being murdered and killed, but you don't know what happens here. You know Villaia waits for you at the top outside the gully, and Rowan sits up from your feet, looking at you expectantly.

Gina:
And her body is still there? And the vase is still there?

Em:
Rowan, seeing your confusion, looks in the direction up and out of the gully. She sent you on your journey, so she’s going on hers.

Gina:
Wiping my face, brushing the tears from my cheek, I'm going to reach down and take the ring off my finger, that I've been wearing this whole time. His ring, that I took from his drawer, that he always wore.

Em:
A signet ring. The letter “H”, wrapped with vine.

Gina:
And if I can, I'd like to try and place it on Thielia’s finger.

Em:
You can and you do. Easy enough.

Gina:
I, I stand, and take one last look at this beautiful place.

Em:
You look around, and you see that some of the sunlight that has reflected off the green of the willows, and the crystal of the water, has dimmed slightly, but is still present. And you know that Villaia waits for you at the top of the hill.

Gina (as Ever):
“Thank you.”

Gina:
And I look down to Rowan. Where is he? Is he... Am I holding him? Is he on the -

Em:
No, he's like four or five steps ahead of you halfway up the hill already.

Gina:
Alright, I'll pick up my shoes, and walk barefoot. Following Rowan.

Em:
Okay. You feel her go, Thielia, like the light of a candle slowly burning out at the end of its wick. You've held on for so long and you know it's your time. And as you watch Ever walk up and away, back up the gully to where you know one of your canopykin is waiting for her, you hear a slight jingle and feel a brushing of skirts next to you as you feel someone lean down and place a hand on your shoulder, followed by the soft voice of an old and very dear friend.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Are you ready? Is it time?”

Anjali (as Thielia):
[sigh] I think finally, it is.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Alright.”

Anjali (as Thielia):
“This world is so beautiful. Do you think they see it? Do you think they know? How loved they always will be? Do you think they know?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I can only hope so. Come. We can talk more on the way.”

Em:
And you take her hand, and you slowly begin to fade. Ever, once you reach the top, Villaia greets you once more,

Em (as Villaia):
“Uh, where would you like to go? I can take you to the south edge of the forest, if that'll have you on your way?”

Gina (as Ever): [still crying little]
“Uh, yes. As close as I can get to Glass. Please.”

Em (as Villaia):
“Our purview really only holds to the edge of the forest line, so I can take you there.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Alright.”

Em (as Villaia):
“Okay, okay. “

Em:
She walks over to a nearby tree, and she places her hand on the trunk, trying to find, puts her fingers between kind of two ripples of bark, and you see her pull. You see here, wood splitting and creaking, as a passage opens up in between. You see beyond it rolling grasslands and plains that you know will take you further south.

Em (as Villaia):
“You've gotta come quickly. This won't last very long.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Okay.”

Em:
So you step through, you're immediately overwhelmed by the scent of rich, wet wood. You blink, and you are standing at the edge of the southernmost point of the Wildwood, with Villaia a few feet behind you.

Em (as Villaia):
“Always taking you where you need to go. And now you know the pathway home, if you need it.”

Em:
She leans down and picks up a pine cone off the ground and passes it to you.

Gina (as Ever):
“Thank you.”

Em (as Villaia):
You're welcome.

Em:
She smiles, and her smile smells like flowers that bloom on climbing vines, soft and delicate, but fully wild and encompassing.

Em (as Villaia):
“I'll, I'll leave you to it. Safe travels on your road ahead, and I hope you find what you're looking for.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I hope so too. Is this,”

Gina:
And I hold up the pine cone, and I think about asking, what is this? Is this special? Is this, is there magic in this?

Em:
Do you gesture to it?

Gina:
I do, I hold it up.

Em (as Villaia):
“Safe passage. Through the Saileach, and the Wildwood as a whole.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Right. Thank you.”

Gina:
And I tuck it in my bag.

Gina (as Ever):
“I think he really would have loved it here.”

Em (as Villaia):
“Who?”

Gina (as Ever):
“My father.”

Em (as Villaia):
“What was his name?”

Gina (as Ever):
“Davos. Halassian.”

Em (as Villaia):
“Oh!”

Em:
You see her eyes kind of light up. At the name Davos.

Gina (as Ever):
“You knew him?”

Em (as Villaia):
“I was little, probably around the same age as Jessamine. I think he knew my father.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Really?”

Em (as Villaia):
“I think so.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Who- Who is your father?”

Em:
She looks back into the forest.

Em (as Villaia):
“He’s just like me. It was a long time ago.”

Em:
You see she doesn't step outside the tree line. It is a… not a fear, but a knowing. She understands where she is meant to be.

Gina (as Ever):
“Perhaps when I come back, you can tell me more about him. If you’d like.”

Em (as Villaia):
“Come stay the night in the Wildwood again.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I'll bring this!”

Gina:
And I pull out the pine cone, again.

Em (as Villaia):
“That's a very smart idea.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Right. Well, I… I have a trip to make.”

Em (as Villaia):
“And I'll leave you to it.”

Em:
She dips her head, and they disappear back into the forest. What would you like to do?

Gina:
I think I need to make my way to Glass. And… I'm going to look down. At Rowan.

Gina (as Ever):
“Looks like it's just the two of us. You ready for the journey?”

Em:
He sits staring up at you. Still learning how to communicate with you. But if your feet are pointed in one direction, so are his.

Gina:
I'll crouch down. And if he’ll let me, scratch my finger under his chin. Just a little.

Em:
You see there's a tentativeness to start, and then he feels what you're doing and he just leans into it. And you see his little eyes close and his little ears pressed down in a non-threatening way.

Gina:
Scratch behind his ear.

Em:
His little foot starts going.

Gina (as Ever):
“Well, let's go.”

Gina:
And I'll stand up. And start walking.

Em:
Okay. So, for the next leg of your journey, you travel down the road, briefly passing through the town of Volim. Small city, picturesque in its quaintness. Cottages nestled on the edge of plains, prairies, and farmland that make up the fertile crescent of the Cradle. If you needed lodging, you would find it easily. It's almost a destination place for travellers. Not too far from anything on the north half of the chord, but far enough away from wherever you're from. There's lively bars and taverns. You grab a few provisions. And for a moment, you feel like you could stay. You could just take a few days. Get a room in an inn. Go out and meet a few people. Who knows what could happen? Maybe, Glass could wait.

But as you keep walking, and the second you pass outside the town border, you seem to be able to shake it off, and you recognize that it's hard leaving something that feels so inviting. Southward still, moving into where much of the agriculture and food is grown for the Cradle. You pass through fields of almost every large scale crop you can think of, tended by dozens of individuals of all kinds and backgrounds. Some nod an acknowledgement as you walk down the road, navigating your way through carts and wagons, stopping for crossings of livestock and impromptu places of trade along the road. It is busy, certainly, being in the middle of the last harvest of the year. This goes on for a few days, and there are inns along the road for easy and relatively inexpensive accommodation. You can smell the soil being turned over, hearing the scraping of metal and wood machinery. You allow your mind to drift, one foot in front of the other. And in this dreamy state, you do feel Thielia's presence here. It's hard not to, being around anything that grows. But it's different than in Temisset, or the forest surrounding. There, the unbridled nature of the living world just brims over. Here, you can feel the potential of growth built into the soil and land around you, waiting to thrive at the hand of someone with the talent to make things grow.

And as you come to, kind of shaking yourself from this reverie, a reverie you feel like you've been in for a couple days, you hear a jingling like bells or the clink of jewellery. An odd sound, and very out of place here within farm country. Your senses become a bit more alive, and you smell incense. Strong, and floral, with a hint of spice. Not with the medicinal herbal tones of the incense you're used to from Temisset. This is rich. It feels like a place far away that doesn't exist anymore. You look up, trying to pinpoint, following the nose that has always served you well. And you see a wide-eyed woman speaking with a merchant, gold in her hand and a large container placed next to her on the ground. She has long, curly black hair that falls down to her mid-back, wild and unruly. She has horns, shorter, and would be almost lost amongst the curls had she not been wearing an ornate black prayer shawl over her head, hooked delicately around them. It drapes down around similarly black robes decorated with gold and platinum detailing. You're too far away to make out exactly what it is. But it looks like this garment took time. You see her carrying a small satchel, reaching in to get a few, what look like platinum pieces, as she bows her head, giving thanks to the merchant who goes about filling the container. Water.

The woman looks up the road in your direction, and you can see from here, brilliant golden eyes that seem to be scanning the passersby, not looking for anything in particular, but keenly aware of her surroundings. Once he finishes, she picks up the entirely full canister, seemingly with ease, a strength more than her frame should allow. And she turns, and she begins to walk off the road down onto the fields. A light breeze flows past you, and you begin to hear her sing. It's in a language that you don't speak, but you have heard it before. Verek’s parents speak the same language. What would you like to do?

Gina:
As I'm watching her, I think I would be hanging back, not… Just sort of observing. But when I hear that language… And you said she's singing?

Em:
Yes, it seems to be to herself. You watch her carry, begin to lift and carry this canister of water. And it sounds like a song that would accompany work.

Gina:
I think there's that part of me that feels a connection to her, hearing that language, hearing her sing in that language. It reminds me of Verek, it reminds me of home. And so I… I think I'll walk closer to her.

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Gina (as Ever):
“Excuse me? Sorry to, to bother you, I know that you're clearly on your way somewhere. I, I'm looking… I'm looking for the temple of Nephthysaket. I don’t know if you know where that is?”

Em:
Hearing you say the name Nephthysaket, she stops in her tracks, and turns around, still carrying the water.

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“You're looking for the temple? Temple Lybica?”

Gina (as Ever):
“Yes.”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Ah. Um. That's in Glass. It's, um, right at the center of the base of the Chime. It's - it's magnificent. It's there.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Am I… If I continue this way, that should bring me… There?”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“You will, yes. Yes, yes, we are, goodness, my manners, we are, I am a priestess of Her Grace, but obviously I am not at the temple right now. [Ever laughs] Apologies if I cannot provide that service to you immediately.”

Gina (as Ever):
“No, I, I'm not actually looking for service. I'm… I just have some questions and… Apologies. I'm so sorry. I don't know what's come over me… It's been a long, it's been a long, I -”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Have you had water? Have you had enough water today?”

Gina:
I try and think back on the last time, when the last time, it was probably much earlier in the day.

Em:
She sees you start to think, and she places the canister down, and you watch her pull, she reaches into her bag and she pulls out a copper cup, and she dips it into the canister and she offers it to you.

Gina (as Ever):
“Oh- that, that-”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“It's still hot outside, even though it is fall.”

Gina:
I reluctantly take it.

Gina (as Ever):
“Thank you.”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“You're welcome.”

Gina:
And I take a long drink. It has been quite some time since I've had water, probably. It's been some time. I think my, my… whatever I was carrying or ordering probably would have run out a little while ago. And I just hadn't thought to… I'll hand the cup back when I'm done.

Gina (as Ever):
“Thank you. I apologize for stopping you in your work,”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“It was obviously needed.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I just, I recognized, that you reminded me of someone.”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“I reminded you of someone?”

Gina (as Ever):
“Just, just in the… language you were speaking, I…”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Oh… You said you had questions?”

Gina (as Ever):
“Yes.”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Would you like to travel all the way to Glass to ask those questions of a priestess of Nepthysaket, or would you wish to talk about those now? Can I be helpful to you?”

Gina (as Ever):
“To be perfectly honest with you… I'm sorry, your name? I didn't, I'm Ever.”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Wonderful to meet you, Ever. I am Priestess Belsolis.”

Gina (as Ever):
“It’s lovely to meet you, Priestess Belsolis. To be perfectly honest with you, I... I don't know if you would... Not because you're not... Learned and... Probably quite good at what you do. I don't think that you would… be able to answer the questions that I have in a way that would… Give me what I need. Which is not a slight on you, in any way. You seem very kind.”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“I don't take it personally, often people come to our temples, or seek us out with questions that do not have easy answers, and while our scripture, and our teachings, and the words of Her Grace, and her tenets provide much comfort, they do not soothe everyone. Walk with me, if you wish, and perhaps we can talk a moment, and you can drink more of this water. And then... Or - or don't. That is your choice. But I must get back to my sisters, they are,”

Em:
And she looks over the field, she turns her head, and there seems to be an area of high grass that goes for a couple hundred feet. And beyond that, the grass seems to drop off. Vaguely, in the distance, you see a couple figures in black moving on the field, but it's really far away.

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“It's not a long walk. I just have water to deliver.”

Gina (as Ever):
“No, you have been very kind. I appreciate the offer. I do.”

Gina:
In Ever’s mind, she's thinking that the thought of walking to Glass with a priestess of Nephthysaket, multiple priestesses of Nephthysaket, just seems… I think that there's a part of her that feels that anger softening at how kind she's being, and there's a larger part of her that wants to hold on to that anger, because if it goes away...

Em:
She sees you contemplating, and she looks back out to the grasslands, which are perpendicular from the road. You would be travelling further south and she is staying, seems to be gesturing, off the road in a more sideways direction.

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Our work for now is here. On the fields beyond the grass. As the Cradle grieves, we are the ones who must tend to it. We witness the loss. And there was much loss over there. So we have to take the time to listen. Glass is busy. It's loud. And Temple Lybica is a beautiful sanctuary for us. But I find myself out here still, seeking the quiet. And goodness, goodness, is that quiet.”

Gina (as Ever):
“How do you do it?”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Do what?”

Gina (as Ever):
“Nevermind. It's a question I still haven't quite formed myself. Perhaps on the walk I'll find it.”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“I would like to show you something. You seem to have questions about our order and what we do... And you've said you've met someone who is like me. Us. My sisters, potentially. You've heard our language before. You must have ties to Her Grace in some capacity.”

Gina (as Ever):
“In some capacity, in many.”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“I would like to show you something that not many people see. Perhaps it will give you some of the answers to the questions that you have yet formed. You are not putting me out or taking any of my time, if that is what you're worried about.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Alright.”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Alright. Good. Well, Ever, we’re going to walk a bit. The grass is uncomfortable a little bit, but you get used to it after a moment. This way.”

Em:
And kind of without more of a word, she picks up the container again, and starts walking off the road, down through a trodden field, a trodden path through the grass. Do you follow her?

Gina:
I really don't want to. And I do, at the same time.

Gina (as Ever):
And she starts singing again.

Gina:
I look down to Rowan.

Gina (as Ever):
“What do you think?”

Em:
He sits. Pauses, looking south and looking… well, it would be west at this point. And you see his brow furrow. You have questions. She may have answers. With less pressure, you assume, than the city surrounding it. And there has been an invitation, rather than an imposition.

Gina:
I just nod a little bit to myself. To Rowan.

Gina (as Ever):
“Alright then, let's go.”

Gina:
And I follow.

Em:
Okay. She's got about a five minute head start on you now, after this little conversation with Rowan, and you do see her, you can catch her on the same path through the grass. She walks lightly, so you can hear the song moving through the swaying reeds around you. It switches from a song of work, to one that is more melancholy. Dipping deep into a more sorrowful place without you truly knowing why she's doing so. She stops occasionally switching the carrying position of the water container, and then continues walking. Beyond the high grass as she moves forward, you see that the landscape starts to change. Still within that fertile crescent, but the ground is well trodden, mixed and mulched. You see the green begin to give way to brown. At some point, this was grassland, but not anymore.

You come out of this grassline and your eyes stop on Belsolis, and you see more figures behind her. You take a second scanning the space and you see about ten, all robed in black, but she's the only one with her face showing. The others spread across the area are entirely covered head to toe. There also seems to be two tents erected, a slightly farther distance off in black and gold fabric. It's a strange sight of opulence in an otherwise completely empty field. Belsolis looks to you, the water container now down, and she simply turns to look at what is going on probably about fifty feet from her. One of the fully covered figures bends down, and that's when you see it, and the smell hits you at the same time. It smells like copper. The ground has a reddish tinge to it, more so than the soil of this kind should. The figure outstretches a hand and places it on a mound of something. You can't quite make out what it is at this distance. She stands stock still for what seems like an age. You feel like you're holding your breath in your chest, as you're watching something you shouldn't. Something sacred and holy. The figure then leans down, seeming to touch the side of their temple to the mound itself, and then rises, moving to another mound a few feet away. It's now that you catch Belsolis’ iconography. These are all priestesses of Nephthysaket. But why would there be priestesses out here? Away from their temple? Unless something required them to go. This was a battlefield. And these are not medics. She looks back at you.

Gina (as Ever):
“What happened here?”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Many souls were lost on this battlefield, and those beyond. We seek to bring them peace, and help them on the way to Her Grace. Many died here, we're told. Her Grace did not go to war. We tended to those who did. And now that the war is over, the Cradle moves on. But there are still those with business unfinished.”

Gina:
I think, I think Ever would bristle when she hears her say “Her Grace did not go to war.”

Gina (as Ever):
“But others did.”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Yes they did.”

Gina (as Ever):
“And why did she not? She is Your Grace, surely you must have an answer. Why did she not?”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“It was not her war to fight.”

Gina (as Ever):
“And whose was it?”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Your answer is as good as mine. There was certainly no clear victor, was there?”

Gina:
As Ever standing here, that anger that had begun to soften when she heard her singing has become inflamed again. Where she once was afraid that perhaps her anger would slip, it is back again. And I just look at her with this, this, probably a combination of confusion and… hatred.

Gina (as Ever):
“And yet she still gets to decide.”

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Decide what?”

Gina (as Ever):
“Decide who… What do you do when you are, you say you are leading these souls to Her Grace? What? Leading them to what?”

Em:
Belsolis looks out across the ten.

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“They do not speak. For it is their honour to speak only to the dead. We came here to ensure that any who died here had the option to say what they needed to say, before they truly passed on.”

Gina:
I think Ever is too... the words, “she did not go to war, it is not her war to fight” just keeps circling in her head.

Em:
She sees you struggling with that. This priestess is intuitive. And she watches you patiently, there is no malice or any form of discomfort on her face. Just a curiosity, and an active willingness to listen.

Gina (as Ever):
“I have to go. I… Thank you for the water, and for your kindness. I don't believe you'll be able to answer my questions. And that is not a slight to you, merely for Her Grace to answer.”

Em:
Hmm.

Em (as Priestess Belsolis):
“Well then I encourage you to make your pilgrimage to Temple Lybica. When you get there, ask for High Priestess Zahara Cosmine, and let her know that Belsolis has sent you to go for a swim. She will know what I mean.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Thank you for the memory. It was very much needed.”

Gina:
And I, with that, will just turn, and walk in the direction of Glass.

Em:
Okay. So, as you leave Priestess Belsolis behind you, what would you like to do? If you'd like to keep travelling, you can walk back up to the road, or you can also stay in the fields, and keep heading south. What would you like to do here?

Gina:
I think as long as I can continue to make my way toward Glass knowing where I'm going, I'd like to stay in the field. It feels nicer than being on the road.

Em:
So you journey on, south, Rowan at your side. You walk on, one foot in front of the other. At some point, it's likely that you'll need to stop and rest. The fields of the Golden Steps are long, and with the ground being as upturned as it is, and it being this far into autumn, it feels like a trudge through them. You're… having to put so much energy into picking up your feet to prevent them from being stuck in the soil that is so pliable that your feet are sinking into it.

Gina:
I think after this much time trudging, exerting this much effort, I think I'd probably tire quite quickly, so eventually I'd try and find some place to make camp, some place that feels like a safe enough place to rest.

Em:
Okay, that's easy enough. There are a few sparse trees littered through. It's mostly open farmland and agricultural fields. You're not going to really find a cave, or anything to set yourself up for a camp, but you could make a fire and find a simple place easy enough, perhaps under some a couple trees that are collected together.

Gina:
I think I would do that. I think I would find a tree with enough cover, with a wide enough base that I could rest against it. I think I would think back to times when Davos would take me out, and how he would have taught me to make camp, and the rituals he had. And I think I would find a tree that felt like him, one he would choose. And I'll make camp there.

Em:
You find tall, sturdy oak. Seems to be standing, solitary. Between two pieces of farmland. You couldn't even tell at this point based on your weariness what they're growing. It stands proud, steadfast. This would probably feel like a good place.

Gina:
That's the one.

Em:
Okay, what do you do as you set up here to make camp? How do you go about setting up your camp for the evening? This could be one of any evenings on the multiple day journey to Glass. Time feels really fluid here. You're not sure how many days you've been travelling, but this would have been one of the nights on your journey.

Gina:
I think to start I would... if there is any sort of… Water nearby. To find some. Wash my feet, and hands if possible. And then I would find my way back, set up a small fire. I would take out one of my books that I brought from home. Write a few notes about things I saw along the way that… I would have wanted to tell him. And I remember one of the things that, one of the things I've always remembered from our first journey out together, how he taught me to speak. Truly speak. And I would kneel down, find a small patch of soft earth, gently press my fingers into it beneath the surface of the soil, into the grass, into whatever's below me, and connect with it. Listen, and speak.

Em:
Davos used to do this as a means of fortifying the camp, or learning more about what was around, any dangers, any things that could be particularly useful. And so you find yourself channelling that part of him as you do this. You dig your hands down into the ground. You feel the dirt under your fingernails, and a small amount of that nature-based magic that you have flows into it. Now, you've done this many times, infusing the soil, or the ground, or growing those small pieces of plant life. But this is the first time that you've done it since your meeting Thielia. And this time it feels different. It feels wilder. More chaotic. Bigger. Deeper. And as the magic leaves your fingertips, it is as if you feel yourself falling forward out of yourself and into the soil. You drift down, down, down through a empty but full space that should be dirt. There should be hard packed soil beneath you. And then you come up, almost in reverse of the way you fell in. You are kneeling still, but the sky is dark above you. You hear lightning crashing and you feel rain beginning to pelt down on you. You are not wet, but you know that you should be were you really hear. The ground rumbles with the sound of footfalls, cavalry horses, and weaponry crashing around you. You realize you're in the middle of a battlefield, and it is chaos, utter chaos. The ground is littered with the bodies of fallen warriors wearing familiar colours, teal, deep ocean blue, vibrant green. These are Thielia's soldiers, and they're clashing with soldiers adorned in maroons, black, gold, and scarlet. You see insignia of a heart wrapped in cloth, a hawk's head in profile, and a winged morning star. And these people are absolutely moving through Thielia's chosen like they are nothing. This isn't a battle. It's an ambush. It's a massacre. What would you like to do?

Gina:
I look around, I… Do I see? I feel like I'm starting to recognize what this is. Do I see anyone I know?

Em:
You whirl around, and in the cacophony of the sound, it is so loud. You hear clashing of sword on metal. You hear the splintering of wooden shield. You hear bodies falling to the ground, and you hear trudging of feet through wet muck below you. You whirl again, desperately trying to find someone, and your eyes find a figure clad in gold plate. Warm brown skin with graying locks tied up and out of his face. He carries a sword wreathed in vines, and the vines snake up his arm. They seem to be underneath his armour, weaving in and out of his chainmail. The sword is almost attached to him, grown into him, an extension of his arm by some incredibly divine force of nature. He looks panicked, and afraid, and you see he's bleeding from his left arm, where his buckler is falling on the arm that's holding it. The blood soaks his tunic down to his wrist under the chainmail. It's Cassian, and he sees you.

Em (as Cassian):
“Davos!”

Em:
He calls out to you.

Em (as Cassian):
“We have to fall back. We cannot carry the field line, and our healers can't keep up. We must fall back!”

Gina: [crying]
Oh, I know what this is. I can feel the, the air of this place on my face. The swelling of tears behind my eyes. His eyes. Oh god, I wish I could see his face. I look to Cassian. I can feel my own body moving as his, and I can feel my head shaking, my arm raising to point. I think instinctively I just call out,

Gina (as Ever, as Davos):
“Fall back! Fall back!”

Em:
The voice that comes out of your mouth, you hear as yours, but you also simultaneously know that it's Davos'. It's stronger, more resonant. Carries in his chest rather than his throat. The soldiers immediately do their utmost to heed your word, and heed Cassian's gesturing to move everyone back away from the onslaught coming toward them, and they begin to run, abandoning whatever they were doing, some leaving weapons on the ground, and they begin to run. Cassian stands firm, waiting for you, looking towards you. What would you like to do?

Gina:
I, I move to him. I don’t even think it’s a thought in my head, I think I just, I just move to him.

Em:
You run to him, closing the distance between the two of you. Cassian turns to you, but also simultaneously looks behind you. He's yelling directions and instructions, but his eyes stay on you. The two of you locked in together, in the middle of a nightmare. You hear behind you the sound of the beating of strong wings. You hear the sound of a shot, and a whooshing sound streak across the sky. You see Cassian's eyes widen, and it happens so quick. You feel something race, maybe a foot and a half past you, and Cassian is hit square in the chest and thrown backwards onto the ground. A projectile coming out of the sky, hitting him between his solar plexus, and picking him almost up off his feet, and moving him backwards about five feet behind you. What would you like to do?

Gina: [panicked crying]
Cassian… You said he said he's thrown... He's thrown backwards. He's… I... Can I see where it came from?

Em:
You turn around behind you and you see a figure with massive wings. Tawny brown, and extended full out, a eight foot wingspan at least. You see a large harpoon gun in her hand, and she is whirling about the field looking for important targets it would seem, and something else in the distance catches her attention, and she is off and gone. Far out of your range of your sword, or any javelin that you have, she's moving so quickly.

Gina:
I, I run to Cassian, I... I try and... Can I... Can I remove the... The thing that's pinning him to the ground? Can I remove the harpoon?

Em:
Okay, as you come up to him, you see him taking every last ounce of strength that he has left. The harpoon is probably about six feet long. It has completely impaled him through and is nailed into the ground behind him, and you see hooked barbs that have cut him through, making it almost impossible on both ends to pull out. This was meant to kill. This was meant to be a one shot kill. But he is taking everything that he has, and he looks to you. There is blood gushing from his mouth, and he is doing everything in his power to keep it together.

Em (as Cassian):
“We can call her one last time. She said she would never abandon us. This is her ground. Davos, help me!”

Em:
And you see that he's attempting to move the sword, and move it towards the ground. He takes two of his hands and he clasps them together around and under the harpoon using strength he just doesn't have anymore. And he starts trying to put the sword into the ground. What would you like to do?

Gina:
I know how this story ends. I know he didn't come back. I know what happened because even though Davos didn't tell me the details, I could see it in his eyes. And the way he didn't say it. Cassian was an uncle to me. Oh, gods, I didn't know it was like this. I look to him.

Gina (as Ever, as Davos):
“Cassian, what do you, what do you need?”

Em (as Cassian):
“Help me, Davos, help me!”

Em:
And he like, tries to pull your hands towards his to shove this exceedingly heavy, vined long sword into the ground.

Gina:
I help him, I - I - whatever he needs.

Em:
Okay. You wrap your hands around his. The tips of his fingers already cold. You can feel that, and it's not just the wet from outside. You interlace your fingers with his using your strength to bolster him, and he leans into your momentum, trying to lever himself against the harpoon that has him pinned, and he plunges the sword into the ground. The rumbling that you thought was originally from the cavalry horses increases. Your hands begin to hurt, and you suffer one strain as you attempt to hold this sword in, as vines erupt down the blade and they begin to grow and thrive and spread themselves out on the battlefield. Soldiers from the opposing forces are flown backwards. Some are overcome entirely, wrapped around and dragged down to the ground. Some swallowed whole by these vines, and the choking of the reaching green. Some are impaled, some limbs are torn apart. It is vicious. It is wild, like the nature that fuels it. It is relentless, and it does not stop. By plunging his sword into the ground, he called her. He needed her. They both did. And she was not going to abandon them now. You whirl around, seeing the spread of this absolute spiderweb of vines move out of this sword that you know is called Nature's Wrath. Cassian gives everything he can with your help to keep it into the ground. You then see twenty vines sprout out from the sword itself. A glow spreading through them with one of them wrapping around your ankle. Cassian looks to you.

Em (as Cassian):
“Go Davos, go! You will carry her name with more strength than I could. Do not let the Cradle forget about her, and what she gave to them! Go Davos! This is my charge now. This is what I have to do.”

Em:
And you see him straining to keep the sword in the ground. What would you like?

Gina:
He hasn't been chosen. I, I, I'm running through my mind, the power I know Davos to have. I'd seen him turn his own flesh to bark and stone. He could... I could do that here. Couldn't I? I could... I could turn… Cassian's arm to fortify it with stone, keep it in place, keep the sword in the ground.

Em:
If you'd like to try that, I'm gonna have you roll to Wield a Power. So, when you wield the power to do something only a god can roll 2d6 and add one for each true statement. You've done this specific act before perfectly. Davos has. But you haven't. You're desperate for this to work. Are you desperate?

Gina:
Yes.

Em:
Okay, so you're gonna mark another strain. And, you're close to a shrine, lair, or domain, of the god you took this power from. I'm gonna say that you are. Because while you may not know this, Davos would. The ground of the Golden Steps is where Thielia's body laid to rest. She decomposed here, into the soil, giving what she could to fertilize the world rather than corrupt it. So that's gonna be a plus two, but you've marked a strain. So you can go ahead and roll.

Gina:
I rolled a six, a four and a two.

Em:
So plus two, is eight. So on a hit, you do it. What would you like to do here? How would you like to help Cassian?

Gina:
I don't think that there's anything I can do to… remove this projectile, this harpoon, but I can, I can help him keep this sword in the ground. And so I would reach out. I'm already holding his hands. My hands are already around his.

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Gina:
And I think from beneath my palms on his hands you would see… A dark, almost marbled stone spread across his hands, up his forearm, up into his shoulder, down the length of the sword, into the ground. Anchoring him in place, so that nothing can remove this sword, unless he wills it.

Em:
You see his eyes go wide as he realizes what you're doing, and he nods.

Gina (as Ever, as Davos):
“I'm so sorry.”

Em:
He takes his free hand, grabbing at the scarf that you wear, of teal around your neck, the colour of Thielia. He pulls you in and places his forehead, it's on your chin at this point because that's the angle that he's at.

Em (as Cassian):
“Thank you. Now go. Go!”

Em:
You feel your body begin to lighten, as your hands that still hold the sword under his stone hand begin to fade, almost turning into a gas. You feel the sensation of being corporeal, but you know you're not. As you see a light emanate once more from that one special vine that is around your ankle, and you begin to lift off the ground. Your eyes dart around and you see those others. Twenty of you, all together, lifting away from the battlefield, pulling up and away into the clouds. Protected. At least for now. You, as Ever, feel yourself slipping, leaving this moment, knowing that your consciousness needs to go back to your time, and that you cannot stay here. Is there anything you do before you go?

Gina:
Do I feel like I'm still in his body? Can I still feel him?

Em:
You do. It's brief, and you know it's going to end, but you do. You are.

Gina:
I think I would just hug myself. Feel the warmth of his arms. Feel the power of them wrap around me one last time. I know it's not the same. But maybe it'll be enough to get me to Glass.

Em:
You see the battlefield begin to fade from view, obscured by the haze of a cloud that is around you. And with a sharp tug under your sternum, you feel yourself back in your body, your body, awake. You're panting, and you barely feel like you can get enough air in your lungs fast enough, but you are awake and you are you, and it is morning.

Gina:
I think I just curl my knees into my chest and cry. Just for a few minutes. And if Rowan is nearby I would pull him in, for someone to hold.

Em:
He curls in automatically, almost seeking to get his body as close to your chest and neck as he can, tucking himself in between the crook of your shoulder, nestled in there.

Gina:
I just whisper,

Gina (as Ever):
“Thank you.”

Gina:
Both to Rowan. Also to Thielia. I know that this was a gift, as painful as it was, I know it was a gift.

Em:
The next two days of travel are a blur. One foot in front of the other. As you leave the fields of the Golden Steps and make your way towards Glass. It's a new, burgeoning city, poised on the precipice. There is so much potential here. It's meant to be a beacon to the resilience of the people who seek to live and thrive in what's left of the mortal world. It’s arranged in four concentric circles of increasing wealth and influence. The city, as you broach it, seems to almost be a shelter to the rest of the struggle that exists outside it’s walls. Or at least it's striving to be. What would you like to do?

Gina:
I… I think I would... You said I'm on the edge of Glass?

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Gina:
As in like, I'm close to city entrance, or I'm viewing the city from close enough.

Em:
I'd say you're probably about, after this kind of two days of travel where it's just you walking, I'd say you're probably an hour's walk from the city gates at this point.

Gina:
I think what I would do is knowing that I'm close to Glass. And I think so that vision is... You know when you awake from a dream and you don't know if it actually happened or not?

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Gina:
I think that's how I've been feeling for the last two days. That feel of his sword in my hand. That, the heat of his blood on mine. The sound of it is all still so… It's still there. It's faded, but it's still there.

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Gina:
I think if I, I know that if I get to the temple, and I don't have some… plan, I will do something I regret. And I don't know what that is, but I know. I know this feeling and this feeling is… This feeling is… poisonous.

Em:
Mm.

Gina:
And so I'm going to take a short rest and just find a shaded spot, or a tree, or someplace where I can sit, and lean up against something. And I'll take out one of my journals and flip to an open page. And I start to write questions. Stream of consciousness, I just start writing as if I can, if I can put it down on paper, if I can get it from my head someplace else then maybe I'll find more clarity, maybe. Maybe she'll give me the answers I'm looking for.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
So I start to write.

Em:
This journey is on your terms.

Gina:
I think the writing gets angrier as we go. It starts out… purposeful, intentional, the way I usually would write my notes. Neat lines. Smooth, smooth, connected words and letters. Davos always complimented my handwriting. But the more I write, the more jagged it becomes, the more… fast, impulsive. Like my thoughts are too fast for my hand and so it becomes…

Em:
Vengeful.

Gina:
Vengeful. How dare she overstep? Who is she, to know better? I think after a while I… I just stop. I closed the book. Hard. I think in this moment, too, I would like to pray for guidance.

Em:
Okay. So when you pray for guidance, you name the aid you seek and answer one. The GM will describe the aid that actually comes, as they answer the other. what god answers your prayers, or what unclear omens or visions besiege you?

Gina:
The visions are quite clear. Painfully so. So I think the first question, what kind of god answers my prayers? I don't know who I'm calling out for, necessarily, but there’s this deep seated, what I think started as a kernel, is now growing. This feels like tar in my gut.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
And I’m, I pray for whoever... Whoever knows that part of me.

Em:
You've given me a gift in answering both of those questions. Your prayers are heard. And as you close your book, you know exactly where you need to walk to. You have never been more sure.

Gina:
Right. I pack up my things, put my book away, my pen. I stand up and there is a certainty in me, that I don't think I've ever felt before. This is a… There's something about this feeling. It's mingling with that leftover dream. It's twisting in it like smoke. It's just, it's… It's like the two are dancing together and I... It feels... right. Let's go then. I know exactly where I need to go. And I start walking again.

Em:
Rowan pads behind you, as you approach the northern gates of Glass. The second you cross into the town, into the city, the bustle is already apparent. Everything is so big and so fast. Construction has been rapid, building out from the Chime District itself. The Chime, the center beacon of what will rise well above Glass, is about halfway constructed. It'll take a few more years before it will almost touch the heavens above. The building, you've heard, houses the high priests, priestesses, and priestex of the major seven gods, as well as the speaker of the people. These eight essentially rule the Valley, and oversee all of its domains, trade, commerce, and worship. And they strive to carve a path forward, for a world so perilously balanced after the Great War. Part of you, as you move through the fourth district into the third, second, and towards the center, wonders if Thielia would have sat on the major council, had she lived to see its creation. People are selling their wares in the street, even though there is a market district. And that gets more dense as you move towards the center. Broaching the center square of Glass, you see the base of the Chime. The heptagonal base with each side holding one of the major temples. It is ginormous. You can pick out Temple Lybica. You see immediately that the architecture differentiates it from the bottom of the Chime itself with sandstone and obsidian, standing in sharp contrast to the reflective and more fragile surface of the tower. This part of the structure looks relatively complete, for the most part, as the temples took precedence before they got to work on the glass above. You see the steps before you. The door is slightly ajar, with a few people moving in and out, what would you like to do?

Gina:
I know this is where I'm, where I am to be. But that feeling, that feeling that I got of… certainty. Is this that place? Do I feel it?

Em:
What do you do?

Gina:
How long have I been travelling?

Em:
About a week. Maybe less. Between five and seven days, give or take.

Gina:
This whole time, and even before this, I have envisioned what it would be like to stand here. To have made it here to be ready. There's a surprising wave of fear. The anger is still there. The… That feeling in my stomach, that tar in my gut is still there. But there's also fear that I didn't think. I didn't think. And I think that that fear stops me for a moment. What could she say? Is there anything she could say? Is there anything anyone could say? There has to be. I'm going to look for someone who looks like works there. Is there someone? Is there someone that I can see or do I have to go inside before I can see anyone?

Em:
You do not see any priestesses outside.

Gina:
This is what I'm here for. I'm gonna go inside.

Em:
Okay. As you take your first step up on the sandstone stairs towards the big mahogany door, you let out a long exhale, and you can see your breath. Like, it's cold. Hot breath against cold around you, though it is quite warm outside. You feel a chill run up your spine. A sensation of being watched or perceived. You hear a voice call out from behind you. Sharp and dark. Like a tinted glass. Coy, as if you can hear the smile that accompanies it.

Jannes (as Rake):
“Hey sunshine, you aren’t going to find what you're looking for in there. I can promise you that.”

[Light: Ever’s Theme by Sean McRoberts]

Em:
Godkiller: Balance is performed by Em Carlson, Gina Susanna & Jannes Wessels. The voice of Thielia is Anjali Bhimani. This season’s dramaturge is Tim Carlson. Special thanks to our campaign artist, Mischi, who you can find @Mischiart on twitter! Our main theme for this episode, Light & Dark, was composed by Sean McRoberts. Character and location leitmotifs composed by Si Rutherford of Sounds of Adventure. Music and effects by Epidemic Sound. Cartography for this series by Chaim Holtjer of Chaim’s Cartography. For more stories, come follow us everywhere at @blackwaterdnd, and make sure to check out our Main Campaign on Monday nights at 8pm PST at twitch.tv/blackwaterdnd. To play your own campaign of Godkiller and dive into your own divinity, go support Godkiller by purchasing the ashcan on itch.io today, with the print version published soon by Evil Hat Productions. This show is made possible by our sponsors who graciously support us playing pretend and having feelings about it. We are grateful to be sponsored by Heroforge, who offer fully customizable miniatures made with their online 3D character creator! Head on over and design your own Godkiller, and get them printed in a variety of materials, including colour printing options! With new content added each week, check out www.heroforge.com to start bringing your character to life! This show is also proudly sponsored by Moonbeam, a better and safer way to stream! Dive into Realms for vibrant community hubs where creators keep 100% of what they earn while protected by Pyxis, a revolutionary moderation tool that learns and adapts to your boundaries. So check them out and join Moonbeam today! Finally, we’re thankful for our Patrons for joining us on our second journey through the Cradle. You too can come join us on Patreon, where you can check out behind the scenes info, our talkback show Chatwater, as well as exclusive Godkiller bonus content and so much more. Head on over to patreon.com/blackwaterdnd for all the info. See you next time, heretics, and to all the gods out there, be safe!