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: violence // confrontation // harm to animals // parent-child conflict // allusions to suicide // threats & taunting // severe injury // death // grief & loss // guilt & shame // complex family dynamics //

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

Finale, Part I: Confronting

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“[exhaling] Ohh… Hello. This has been a long time coming, and it is good to see you both so rested.”

Em:
A moment is held between the three of you. The goddess standing before you would have waited eons until you were ready, coming when summoned with no malice, ill intent, or condescension. If you expected a maternal figure, she does not take that place. Both of you, only children, it feels like seeing a sibling that has come home from a long time away. An initial uncertainty, but a comfort and care that goes deeper than words can express. Knowing that no matter how far, there was someone who would be there to protect you from the horrors of the world, if it came to it. An understanding that, no matter how different you are, there are feelings and emotions that transcend. A family by blood, or a family of choice. If there is someone who understands grief, it is the divine being that you have called here, of all places.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Well, let us not sit here in the cold of the morning. Come. You have questions. I know a place we can go.”

Em:
She leads you out of the alley. And as you walk behind her, she runs her hands over her hair and over her robes, as you see those divine features. The ears, the mask, the scarring, those that would give her away, just disappear. And Ever, she looks just like when you met her in the fields. She looks like she could blend in anywhere. A simple priestess. And you also watch as all of the iconography of her order, of her religion, disappears. The sense that you get is that if she is to care for those who walk in the Cradle, and their deaths, that she should walk amongst their lives, so as to better understand them, and to remember: she was mortal once, so very, very long ago. Do you follow her?

Gina:
I do.

Jannes:
I think Rhys would look to Ever, look to Nepthysaket walking away, reach his hand for Ever's, and as he takes your hand, Ever, you feel him clinging to your hand like someone in a rapid clinging to a rock. There is an uncertainty and a fear in the grasp of his hand that you are not accustomed to from him. And when you look to his face, it doesn't give it away. He wears the same mask that you have grown accustomed to. But that hand in yours… Tells you everything that you need to know about where he's at right now. And as you follow, he'll walk beside you.

Gina:
I think if I feel your hand in mine in that way… I'll let her get a few paces ahead of us before I turn to you and just say...

Gina (as Ever):
“I'm scared too. But we're in this together. Come on.”

Gina:
And I'll gently pull you to follow, and I'll follow her.

Em:
Okay. She leads you to the market, running down a long street about a block away, and you watch her walk and navigate her way through. The day has started here in Hood, with people going about their business, setting up their wares to sell. No idea that a goddess walks amongst them. She stops at a few stalls, smelling spice and running her hands across rich fabrics. There's a wistfulness to it, I think. And I'll give you this without you having to roll for it, you recognize the feeling beneath that so easily. Loneliness. It's clear on her face as she seems to savour the interactions that she has with each artisan or merchant. A genuine desire to be amongst people, and not necessarily even those that worship her. That maybe, just for a little while, she can step back into the life that she never got to live. One that was forever lost to her, the day her sister betrayed their goddess. Finally, she stops at a storefront, and she leans in to have a conversation with the proprietor out front. They exchange a few words, and she nods her head in thanks, and motions to the two of you to follow, as she dips behind a brightly patterned curtain going into a room beyond. You go inside and you see a small sitting room, simply arranged with a cushion settee, two high-backed chairs, a beautiful maroon tapestry rug, and an unlit hearth. She kneels down in front of the fireplace, gently placing a few pieces of kindling inside, and with a flick of her hand, the fire alights. She gathers her skirts and sits down in one of the chairs, facing you, allowing herself to get comfortable and warm.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Ohhh, there, the owner, Lorian. Last time I was here, he had broken his leg after a cart was upended by a spooked horse. I set it for him and he said if I ever needed anything in the city just to ask. A quiet place away from prying ears and eyes seemed like a good excuse to call in a favour. Please sit.”

Gina:
I'll move to sit and as I do, sling my bag over one shoulder and set it down and open it to let Rowan out. Let him stretch his legs a little bit.

Em:
What do you think he does as he is let out to be free for the first time in a little while, and explore the space on his own?

Gina:
I think he has a long stretch, and then starts to sniff around, finding spots on the carpet, and eventually sidling up next to the hearth, circling a few times, and then finding a comfy spot to sit and watch.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
He's not fully comfortable yet, but he is getting there.

Em:
She watches him quite intently, and you see a moment of delight on her face as she watches Rowan move around. And then you see her face change, like she's focusing on him. She is trying to get a sense of what he is, because she has realized that Rowan is not just a fox. And it takes her a moment as you get settled, but you see a comfort and understanding, and a small twinkle of a deeper knowing when she realizes what he is.

Jannes:
Rake would take a seat next to Ever, leaving about a foot of space between the two of them, and he would… He wouldn't sit back, he would sit forward, tense. Watching every move that Nepthysaket makes. He's transfixed by her because he is looking at someone that his mother could have been.

Em:
Hmm.

Jannes:
It's as if he's meeting the Rhys to her Rake.

Em:
Mmhmm.

Jannes:
And there is a… A longing and a sadness in him, because he's craving a familiarity that's not there. And I think for the, for the first bit… He's just quiet. He lets Ever lead the conversation, and he just watches.

Em:
I think that's such a beautiful observation about how she holds herself in the role that she carries. It is impossible not to draw similarities, even looking for some where there are none. She was a devotee of your mother at one point. She knows the rites and the rituals that even though you have only known them in such a upended or perverted form… She carries some of the iconography, still. You saw her not a day, two days ago. A visage of her in Manta, you spoke to her. It's impossible to not imagine the life you would have lived, if you were her son, or if your mother sat where she was now. And I think she clocks a little bit of that, in you. She's very perceptive and insightful, she has to be. I think there's always a part of her that will be continually watching people, forever, so that she doesn't miss it again, like she missed it with her sister. Her hands folded in her lap.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I am glad you called. In truth, I was going to come find you, but I lost you there, for a while, I found you in Glass at the bookshop, and then you were just gone. And I'm not sure how, but we spoke, at Thall Bask in Manta. So, you've done something there that is beyond my purview. And I'm glad that you chose to seek out Vexania. The Aytoom is a brave choice, but I'm grateful you made it. I did my best to be patient.”

Em:
She looks to you, Ever.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“You have changed so much since we first met in those fields. There is a hardness to you that was not there before, and I know that I have had a part to play in that. And for that I'm sorry. And Rhys. Thank you, for helping my dear sister find her way back to me. After all this time, I never thought I would see her again. But, one thing I have learned about the universe is that you should always let it surprise you. And I was able to bring her home. She's safe now. So, thank you.”

Gina:
I think this whole time that Nepthysaket is speaking, Ever is watching her… I think there's visions of how she thought this first meeting would go. What it would feel like. How many times she played it through in her mind. And now, she's sitting in front of her, thanking her, thanking them. And everything feels like ages ago, it feels so different, and yet the ghost of that rage, the ghost of that anger, is still there and she just,

Gina (as Ever):
“It's really you.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Yes it is. You came all this way. I wouldn't stand you up.”

Gina (as Ever):
“[chuckles] This isn't how I thought I'd feel.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I can imagine you thought something very different. Probably of me, and of what would be going on for you, when we talked.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I'm glad it's different.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“As am I.”

Gina (as Ever):
“This is, this is Rowan, by the way.”

Gina:
And I glance down to where he sits by my feet.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Is that what you call him?”

Gina (as Ever):
“I saw you taking an interest to him. He was... He's a gift.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“A gift?”

Gina (as Ever):
“From Thielia.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Yes, he is, isn't he?”

Gina (as Ever):
“He's been with me this whole time, since I left home.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I don't know if you know what he truly is.”

Gina:
Ever frowns at that.

Gina (as Ever):
“What do mean?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“He is not just a creature to accompany you. He is the manifestation of the shard of divinity that you carry in you. He is that made physical.”

Gina:
And I look back to him.

Gina (as Ever):
“Is that true? I ask him as if he can understand me.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I don't know if he knows, particularly, but… It is good that you carry him close. Do not let yourself be separated from him.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Of course. Right.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Because, when this is all done, whatever we set out to do today, as you carry him with you, a gift from Thielia, there will be those who come for it. They may, if the world descends any further into the chaos that we see in front of us. You must be careful with him, and protect him.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Of course. He's a part of me now.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Yes, he is. I think Thielia was worried you'd get lonely. Which I understand. The world is a very lonely place a lot of the time.”

Gina (as Ever):
“It is. I, I can imagine doing the work that you do, you must see a lot of that.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Have you ever been amongst so many people, but felt like you're the only one in the room? That's often what it's like.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I know that feeling.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“The dead are incredible and wonderful and marvelous, and terrifying. And devastating. And everyone is worthy of a trip to the River, but it is transient. Short. A moment in time, where I do my duty, and see them home, and then let them go.”

Gina (as Ever):
“And that's what you did for him. Isn't it?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“You're speaking of your father.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Yes.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Would you like me to tell you about it? When it happened?”

Gina:
At that question, I, you can see that it starts to answer immediately, and I pause and I look over to Rake as if to say, to ask if we have time.

Jannes:
You look over to Rake, and his eyes have not turned from Nepthysaket.

Gina:
I look back to her.

Gina (as Ever):
“Please tell me.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“You had just brought him lunch. He wasn't hungry, but ate a few bites for you, anyway. He said he was tired, and bid you to go and do what you needed to do in the garden. Your farmhouse is beautiful. I love the flowers. And then he called. And he said he was ready. That it was his time. I asked if he wished to any longer. And he said that he saw it was hurting you, breaking you to keep him alive. While you were protected from the illness itself, he was worried that you would die in caring for him. I don't think he was wrong. So, he said he was ready. He asked to see Cassian. And he asked me to look out for you, begging with me to protect you. And I told him I would do what I could. Why do you think I tried to come meet you in the fields? Hoping to get you to turn around, and go back to Temisset, where you would be safe. And then when you got to Glass, I hoped you would swim. But alas. So I fulfilled my promise to him. I had to point you in the right direction at the bookshop. Sometimes we must journey for ourselves. I could not force you. That is not my nature. But I will keep my promise to him to look out for you. That is part of the reason I'm here. I do as much as I can. For the dead. Many leave with unfinished business. Things they wish they would have done. Regret. Hope that things would have been different. And while I am just one being, I try to give everyone something to allow them into the next life with peace. They don't need to hold that in the River.”

Gina:
There are tears just streaming down Ever’s face. Her face is relaxed but shining in the light.

Em:
She pulls a handkerchief out of her sleeve, and she leaves it on the table in front of you.

Jannes (as Rhys):
“So you went to find Ever?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I did.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“And stop her?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I tried.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“Where were you for me? You knew what she was doing. You knew what she did. I do not put the responsibility of who she is on you solely, but… Where were you? For me?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I tried as much as I could, and it wasn't enough. When your father died, I waited for him. He wasn't ready for a long time. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to leave you. We sat for a long while, before I ferried him. Your father was kind. He brought me food. And even in the cold winters, left a window open, with milk on the sill.”

Em:
And as she says this, Rake, a moment flashes to you from your childhood, something you haven't thought about in a very long time. Seeing a black cat wander through the fields around your cottage. Avisan said it was always good to keep a cat around, to hunt the mice that would eat your crops or food stores. It used to sit on the fence post near the cottage, quiet and still, ever watching and observing. You remember seeing the cat's eyes, golden and bright, regard you as you used to walk past. And as you come back to this moment, the eyes are exactly the same. And she's staring right at you.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I try to find every Eutoches that I can. It is my hope to find the twin-soul one day. To meet the Godkiller. Perhaps I can show him that there is something in this world worth saving. That all things die, but that does not mean that all things have to end. When she claimed you, Rake, she took you from a place that I could help you. There is a reason that you were barred from the temples. That was not just done by the other gods, that was done in part by your mother. She did not want us to interfere. There would be times where I would get glimpses of you. Find you. Any time you went into her domain, that place she's created for herself, it's like I had to start from scratch. Everyone has a… A trace of them, an aura something that I can find in all of the Cradle, every soul. But it was like every time you went or she called you or you did something for her, it wiped it clean, made it hers. There were times when it was impossible to discern the two of you one from another. And I'm sorry, it wasn't enough. I should have done more. You deserved better than what I was able to give you.”

Jannes:
I think when she says that he deserved better… I think you've watched that mask crack. No tears. He has no tears left after his father, but silent sobs wrack his body. It's been a long time since he believed that he didn't deserve who he was.

Em:
Seeing your pain, and knowing her part in it, she kind of glides off the chair in a smooth motion and makes her way around the side of the table that is in front of you where the two of you are sitting on the settee. She kneels on the floor next to you, looking up to you. She doesn't assume a closeness that you don't have, but she places her hand gently on your leg, if you allow her to.

Jannes:
The second her hand makes contact with his leg, he collapses into her.

Em:
She catches him. She catches you.

Jannes:
And he grips the fabric, and just buries his face into her. And just seeks that comfort that he's been longing for for so long.

Em:
She holds you as long as you need to. You feel her hands softly rub your back as the sobs take you. You hear a gentle humming. It's so low and quiet. It's not for anyone else but for you. She doesn't let go first.

Jannes:
He holds on, and when he eventually lets go, as his face comes back into view, you see he looks kind of lost and confused about how to regain a composure that he's never lost before. It's as though his face doesn't fit in the mask that he used to wear, and he is desperately trying to put it back on.

Em:
She sees you searching for that. She helps you sit back up on the couch, if you wish it.

Jannes:
He sits back, and he feels the love and the care radiating from Nepthysaket, and Ever, and… He feels safe. Like he used to in the room that he shared with his father. He looks to Nepthysaket.

Jannes (as Rhys):
“You know what we aim to do?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Well, I'm putting it together. You'll have to fill in the parts that I'm unsure about. But, you wish my help to banish her. Because we can't kill her.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“No.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“That ability was lost when my sister failed, partially because of my hand. So, banishing her is all we have. I knew her well, as the Mistress of course, she was my goddess after all, and I learned much from her. And I like to think that I carry myself now in a way that would have made that version of her proud, but… When she returned to the world so long ago, it was an accident, if you'd believe it. She wasn't meant to come back. I didn't have a plan in place about how to get her back. She has been on the same path of righteous retribution ever since, and I have been a part of every attempt to banish her. It succeeds, and then somehow she finds her way back, each time worse, and each time further from herself. I had to let go of trying to change her a long time ago. There is no coming back from what she went through when I sent her away. The first time she returned, she killed Tharakus, and then proceeded to almost decimate a city. My high priestess at the time and her companions were able to push her back, with the Titans writing their wrong from the Dawn War. The second time, she had a hand in the death of ten gods. Not directly, but who better to spurn the vengeance of the gods than someone also divine? And now this time she has the both of you in a stranglehold. The amount of calculation and planning, not to mention the patience to pull this off. To have a child, as part of a larger plan. I wish this was not solely on your shoulders. I wish there were more of us who would band together, but we are so fractured now. A pantheon, utterly divided, scared and afraid of each other, guarding our downfalls and terrified of being found out. I can imagine that if anyone had the inklings about what it would take to kill me, I would be targeted more readily. Kill the Goddess of Death, and seize my power. Bend death to your will. Gain access to the River and what is left of that magic. We will need to be thoughtful about how we do this, and when we start it will be very quick. We cannot falter. Did you find in the books what I was hoping you'd find?”

Gina (as Ever):
“Yes, yes…”

Gina:
And I turn and dig out of my bag the amulet Ravensgate and I hold it up.

Em:
She smiles, and it's so genuine. She reaches her hand out and takes it. The cage of platinum surrounding these small, dark, black rocks that glint with purple and blue and green in the firelight.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“This stone sat in the midst of a temple of mine a very long time ago, at the edge of a desert, burning sprawl of sand that bordered the bluest waters you've ever seen. You created this, yes?”

Gina (as Ever):
“Sort of, not the original one though.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“It is a replica, yes. But... The magic can be the same. If I may?”

Em:
And she takes it from you. And you see she reaches into her robes, placing a hand on a series of chains around her neck. You can't quite see what she grasps, but she closes her eyes and you see the stones inside of Ravensgate begin to glow. And they pulse, three or four times. And you see they begin to vibrate and swirl around the inside of the amulet, moving of their own accord. And she opens her eyes, lets out a soft exhale and they settle down again. Ever, the second she opens her eyes that amulet thrums with energy, magic, divinity. You have just watched a god put more magic into a single object than you have ever fathomed holding in any one body. She passes it back to you.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“That should be the same, if I remember right.”

Gina:
What does it feel like when I hold it? Knowing that I'm holding it with the hand that has the mark on it.

Em:
It's like the two divinities interplay with each other. You feel them push and pull magic from different sources, that is also interplaying with your magic. Thielia's magic that now sits within your body. There is no conflict amongst the magics here, which strikes you as interesting considering the mark on your hand is akin to one that a Eutoches would carry. Her magic, like the magic of the other gods, doesn't seem to rail against that magic. Almost acts in harmony to it. Endings of a sort. Both of them. Her magic and the magic of the Eutoches. But you feel powerful, powerful magic radiating off of Ravensgate.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I can tear the rift again, as I've done before. I remember how to do that. And once she is at the mouth of it, and weakened, we can use this and call upon that divinity that sits in you, Ever. Channel everything you have into it and push her back. There will need to be two large acts of magic other than mine to open the rift. One to push her in, and one to seal it shut. I will have enough magic to hold and open the rift for you, accessing that plane once more, or a different one, or beyond, I don't know. I will tear a rip in a fabric of reality and we will see where it goes.”

Gina:
Ever is nodding as Nepthysaket is detailing this plan, and looking down at the amulet.

Gina (as Ever):
“So, I'll use this to push her through?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Yes.”

Gina (as Ever):
“And I'll use it to seal it shut?”

Em:
She looks to you, Rake.

Jannes (as Rhys):
“I will seal it shut.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“It will take all three of us, I think.”

Gina (as Ever):
“How?”

Gina:
And I look to you, Rake.

Jannes (as Rhys):
“How will I seal it?”

Gina (as Ever):
“How will you seal it shut?”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“I still have some of Ungal's power. I can use that.”

Em:
At the mention of Ungal's name, she raises an eyebrow.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Ungal? It's been a long time since I have heard that name uttered.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“Issilus wasn't the only one that we visited.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I see. He is beyond me.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“So was I.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Hmm.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“Like my father, we've spent the last while leaving bowls of milk at windows.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“So you have.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“When shall we do it?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Are you both feeling rested?”

Gina:
Ever hasn't been paying attention to that conversation, she's been thinking through, almost saying and then not saying, and then almost saying again.

Gina (as Ever):
“But that… That's time. That's not… How... How will stopping time seal it shut?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“He means he'll give it up.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“I do. It'll burn it out of me, but…”

Gina:
I'd like to use a move here. I want to feel out Rake to see if he's, if that's actually what he means or not.

Em:
So, when you try and feel out a person, place or thing, say what you want clarity about, which you have, and answer one. And I'm gonna actually let Jannes give you the clarity you seek, as they answer the other choice. So the two questions are, what feels welcoming on the surface? And the other is, what feels dark or unnerving when I peer deeper?

Gina:
I want to know if Rake is telling the truth, but I also want to know if he's doing that thing where he's saying something cryptically as a way, in hoping that I won't question it, when in reality what he's actually trying to do is, or planning to do is, sacrifice himself to close the rift.

Em:
I see. So, what feels welcoming on the surface or what feels dark or unnerving as you peer deeper?

Gina:
I think… Because I want Jannes to answer the other question, I will answer the easier one, which is what feels welcoming on the surface, which is, that I want to believe him.

Em:
Hmm.

Gina:
I want to believe he's telling the truth, that he's not planning something else, that he's… That the reality is that he will sacrifice that power, in order to come home with me. And I want to believe him.

Em:
And I'll let you answer that one, Jannes.

Jannes:
And what feels dark or unnerving when you peer deeper, is that as much as Rake wants that too, he will do whatever he thinks he needs to keep you safe, but also finally put an end to his mother pulling his strings. And I would say, because I know why you ask, you are not looking at Rake right now. You're looking at Rhys. And he desperately wants to go home with you after.

Em:
Seeing this exchange occur silently, in a split second,

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“We will have to draw her out. From what I can tell, is that she has not fully made herself corporeal on the Material Plane because she cannot, unless she pulls on a very, very large source of power, something she has been crafting for years, decades, hundreds of years. This place where she takes you, Rake, she will burn it up to bring herself here. At least as far as I can fathom. The River is finite. There are only two of us who have access to it now, and the rest of the gods deal with what they've got. There is a place where the divide between the realm of the Cradle and what she has created for herself is the most thin. Once we are there, we can set everything in motion, and seek to push her out. I can take you to the final resting place of what remains of Thall Bask. It, and its counterpart, Gloom Tharan, are long dead. But there is magic deeper than the gods, deeper than all of us. That true magic of the Weave resides in those roots, and almost nothing could destroy that. It may be small, but when harnessed correctly, which I believe we can, it can wield enormous power. I had to hold onto the tree when I cut the rift the first time. I don't doubt I will have to do that again.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“I think we have what we need to summon her to us.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“It is very likely that my blood, on the knife, near Thall Bask, will be as good of call as any. She will not be able to see what's actually transpired and she will assume that you've harmed me in some way. I hope it's enough to bring her here.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“Alright. Then we should make ready.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Yes.”

Em:
She looks to the both of you.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Once we start, we cannot stop. You cannot falter from the tasks set before you in this conflict. There will be no time for conversation, or second guessing. This is incredibly dangerous what we're doing. She doesn't know my downfall. No one does. So ultimately, I will be all right. But the two of you… There is no going back from this. It is only forward. If you stop or break the ritual. Lose your focus. She will seize that opportunity and there will be no stopping her.”

Gina (as Ever):
“If we don't survive this... If... If I don't make it back, I need you to do something for me.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“If it is within my power, then I will.”

Gina:
I reach into my bag and I can feel it in my hand before I touch it. The worn leather cover, the slight heat of it, the warmth of it, the smell of spice and orange blossom that floods my nose just from the memory of him, and I take it out and I hug it to my chest.

Gina (as Ever):
“If we lose, she might come for Verek. She might come for his family. And they have given their lives to you. The Firesongs, they leave their flesh and blood at your steps. And I need to know… I need to know that if I can't go home, that you'll protect them.”

Jannes:
I think you would, Ever, you would feel Rake’s hand on your shoulder.

Jannes (as Rhys):
“If we fail, Nepthysaket won’t be here to take care of them. If we fail… It is as good as end for the Cradle.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“If she gets her knife, either one, honestly, back in her hand, she can wound me, but she cannot kill me. I have done everything in my power to make sure that my downfall is protected. There is… There is nothing that she could do to me, to kill me. So yes. You're right, Rhys. The whole Cradle will be at risk. But I will do everything I can to protect the Firesongs, all of them. They have long been devoted to me and my work. Callaia was a priestess for a majority of her life, but chose to leave to grow her family. After their decision to leave their firstborn daughter in the care of the sisters in Glass.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Alaisa?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Often the name of the daughters that arrive are not the names that they carry forward. Her name now is Odea, and she is a Samat. She was there, in the Steppes that day, when I met you that first time. Alive and well. She opted into the path of the Silent Sisters, rather than being asked. Long ago, it was said that when daughters were left on the steps of our temples, it was to bring a great honour to the family, or to atone for a great debt or misgivings. Truly, the honour is mine, to have a family like the Firesongs devote to me. So yes. I will look after them. And I don't care if I have to rally every god left. Beg and plead at their feet. But I won't let her do this again.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I know you chose not to go to war. I didn't understand it before, but I do now. If something were to happen to you, who would be there? For those who need you? He would have been so lost and so alone. You're not a soldier.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I am not. And I think the thing that the rest of the gods try not to think about when it comes to me, is that every time I see them is a reminder of the last time. It is a reminder of their own mortality. Things they would rather forget. Because it is not just the mortals that I ferry, it is every god, since your mother passed the mantle. Since I was deemed worthy of it. In essence, I did go to war. I just didn't pick a side. Not when there was work to be done.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Do you still get to see him? Where he is? I looked for him in the River, but I couldn't… Can you bring him a message from me?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“There is a reason that living souls cannot see fully into the River. You felt it yourself. Because it is so very easy to let go. He has a life of his own there. He is with Cassian. Many card games, if I remember right, from the last time I saw him.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I bet they're arguing like old women.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“When Thielia died, I took her through on her journey, and they were able to say what they needed to say to each other. So yes, I can take a message.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Can you just tell him I'm going some place new, and I'm taking him with me.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I can. And I can also guarantee you, he already knows. The dead do dream, you know.”

Gina (as Ever):
“But Soevan said… Soevan said they can't dream.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“While my beloved sister knows much. She does not fully understand everything. She has her domain, and I have mine. Some of us have have secrets, you know. She's very fond of you. Soevan. She encourages the both of you to come back for a visit.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I'd really like that. Thank you.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“It's my pleasure. You both are good company.”

Em:
And I think as you watch throughout this whole conversation, she is here with you, engaged in every word you're saying. But the both of you, I think, are perceptive enough and with the divinity running through the both of you, you can clock it, that there are microseconds where it's like she is absent, never when she's speaking directly to you. But you clock that her work does not stop just because she does. That the domain she carries is vaster and wider than almost anyone else's. And there is always work to be done.

Jannes (as Rhys):
“What do you need to do to prepare?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I will need to remember how to take living souls with me some place. It has been a long time since I have done that, but I am ready when you are.”

Em:
As your conversation moves to a close, and I think the three of you feel the finality of what you must do, she gathers her skirts, standing, she looks between the two of you.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Take a moment. After this, we will be on our way. But, for right now, the universe and I can wait for just a moment.”

Em:
She nods her head to the two of you, and dips back outside, to speak to Lorian, the shopkeeper, giving the two of you a moment alone.

Gina:
I move to Rhys, and I take your hand,

Jannes:
He takes your hand in his, and holds it.

Gina:
Knowing that this might be the last moment we have together. And I take another step closer, I close that distance between us, and I place my other hand on your chest over your mark, and I say,

Gina (as Ever):
“If this is all that we get, let me tell you one more time… I don't know why I'm so scared to say it, I… I love you.”

Gina:
And I reach for your face, and I kiss you. And I feel that pull again, like, like walking into the ocean and feeling the pull of the tide and… I'd like to wield a power.

Em:
Okay. Let’s have you wield a power, what would you like to do?

Gina:
I know that this, if we’re going to do anything, it has to be now.

Em:
It has to be now.

Gina:
And so I’d like to try and, I don’t know if this is maybe, creation, or growth or a combination of those.

Em:
Okay, Okay! So, when you wield a power to do something only a god can, roll 2d6. What are you trying to do here?

Gina:
In this fight to come, I want to make sure… I want to make sure I'm not reliant on Rhys, if I need to move faster than I can now.

Em:
Okay, so, you're gonna roll 2d6 and add one for each true statement. You've done this specific act before perfectly. Absolutely not.

Gina:
Nope.

Em:
You're desperate for this to work. Are you desperate?

Gina:
No.

Em:
Okay. And you're close to a shrine, lair, or domain of the god you took this power from. Well… Since I'm assuming what you're doing here relies on both powers, I will give you this one, because you are drawing on Tayo's power of creation. So that's gonna be a plus one.

Gina:
Plus one.

Em:
So you can go ahead and roll.

Gina:
I rolled a seven, plus one, is eight.

Em:
Okay. So as you kiss him, on a hit, seven through nine, you do it. Tell us what happens here.

Gina:
I think even though your eyes are probably closed, I begin to glow. And Rhys, you would feel Ever pull away from your embrace, but not, but not back, not back away. Up away. And if you open your eyes, you'd see me lift from the ground, floating like a feather, lifted on a breeze. And suddenly you realize, I'm not floating, I'm flying. These two large ethereal moth’s wings begin to apparate at my back. They unfurl in jades and teals, and orange, and gold, and… They are beautiful. And as I lower to the ground again and tuck them behind me, they shimmer with that same familiar illusion that you're used to. Ready for later. And I look to you.

Jannes:
Rake smiles, his hands still at the side of your face. His thumb traces the line of your jaw. He grins.

Jannes (as Rhys):
“About time the angel got her wings [Ever chuckles]. But, this won't be our last kiss.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I'm counting on it.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“We'll fly together sometime [Ever giggles]. I love you too.”

Gina (as Ever):
“This is it, isn't it?”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“Of all the times leading up to now, when I've asked you if you're ready… It's the first time I'm not sure if I am. When you told me earlier that you were scared too… I'm not scared of facing my mother. I'm not scared of what we have to do. I'm scared of who I have to become to do it. What lays ahead of us, that will require Rake.”

Jannes:
And I look, my hand comes away from your face, and I look down at my hands. And I see the hands of my father, calloused. Hands that make, that build, that till the soil to make things grow. And I know that I have to go back to what I was before. That my hands have to become the hands of Rake. Hands that destroy, that rent and tear. But for one more moment, for you, they can be soft and gentle. As you feel my fingers find their way into your hair, as I pull you back for another kiss. This one, not as a kiss goodbye like the last was, but a promise of more to come. A kiss teeming with possibility. I pull away and I look down at you.

Jannes (as Rake):
“Are you ready?”

Gina:
My eyes are still closed as you ask me that, and I say,

Gina (as Ever):
“I fell in love with Rake too, you know. I see both of you. Just bring Rhys home to me again.”

Jannes (as Rake):
“I'll do my best.”

Jannes:
And his hand finds yours as he leads you out.

Em:
The second your hand finds hers and you turn to step outside, you hear a slight jingle as Nepthysaket ducks her way back in.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Right, well… This will require some travel.”

Em:
She stands between the two of you, opening her hands to you both, seeing the two of you already holding hands.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“My apologies if this is uncomfortable. Again, it has been a while since I've brought whole bodies with me. Don't let go.”

Em:
You feel an electricity surge between your hands, hers to yours, and then to each other's, as the wind swirls around your feet as you see motes of light, and even wisps of the River itself, as they tumble between you and you feel yourselves begin to move. You feel your stomachs drop out through your feet and you hurdle through time, space, the liminal and the real. You are yourself and not yourself. You are each other. There is a moment where you cannot tell up from down, from right, in from out. And just as quickly as it begins, it's over, and you land on solid ground. The first thing that hits your senses is the wave of nausea that draws over you. And as you're getting your bearings, you look around for something to grab onto, and there is nothing. Ages and ages of waste and nothing. You are somewhere in the Fallaway. You cannot even see the mountains of Eastfall or Westfall. You have no context clues. It is just empty, a hollowness. Something and somewhere that used to be so full and vibrant that is long, dead, and forgotten. You grieve for whatever this was, for a moment, letting your mind wander, and then you see it. You feel the radiation of the Fallaway reverberating from your feet to about a hundred feet away from you. The soft hum in your bones that lies as an undercurrent to everything. And you see the decayed husk, of a trunk, of Thall Bask. It takes your breath away, both of you for a moment. This beautiful tree that you saw just yesterday, the day before when you were with Issilus, time feels irrelevant now. It is dead. The magic almost entirely gone. There is nothing but the two of you here with Nepthysaket, and the potential of what is to come.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Come. We will get into position and get ready. We can draw her out with your knives and my blood. You have not killed any gods with those blades. Any blood touches that, and she will know. She will feel it and she will come.”

Em:
She strides towards the tree. You follow in behind her, and as you start to get closer, you see what looks like the root system that you saw, Ever. The one that moved through the Weave itself. It is almost entirely decimated, lifting itself up from the ground. There are so few threads of this ancient tree that are tethered to anything. You wonder when it died. What happened to Gloom Tharan, the other tree? Was this destruction, this severing of the connection, part of what made the River dry up? Did it make it worse? Why? All of it unanswered. There's no time for that now. As you get closer still, see scorch marks and cuts, place where the tree has been actively attacked. You see burn marks, vestigial traces of rot and infestation, that too, is long dead. This tree is a wound that can never heal. And the Cradle is now too far gone to recover. She looks back towards you.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I am not a warrior, but I will do what I can to maintain the rift and protect you. My power is transference, movement, and redirection of matter, life force, magic. But if I am to hold this rift, it will take all of my focus, and I will have to draw on what's left of the tree to do it. It will fully sever everything. All of the magic left in this tree will be gone. It will change the Cradle. But I have to. We have to. I'm hoping that with enough power it will sever everything to keep her away for good. You know this version of her better than I do. I've seen her fight, a few times, each more vicious and callous than the last. I can defend myself, so please do not worry about protecting me.”

Em:
She ruffles her skirts out to the side and pulls back one of the many layers, and out of it, you see an ethereal form, solidifying into creature, and a large panther walks out and keeps pace with her. You see Bast. She reaches down a hand, resting gently on his back, which is up to her waist. She looks down at him.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“What do you say, my darling? Will you help me one last time?”

Em:
Bast, who could easily outpace her, slows to let her hand drift up to his head, where he rubs up against her, and you feel the vibration in your feet as the celestial guardian begins to purr. It's brief, but enough to show that he is on board, and there is nowhere else he would rather be. You make it to the tree, and to its left you see what looks to be a large obsidian plate. She stops and looks around.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Here, I built her tomb, here. It's how she keeps her pathway to the Material open, to the place that is her own. You've been there a few times. And, from what I can tell, you are walking through what used to be what I built for her. She's taken the tomb that I built her, and made it her own. If we spill my blood on that plate, it will call her, summon every ounce of strength she has to come out in a show of force. She will expect to see me on death's door, so it would make sense to capitalize on her distraction and surprise. And I will leave the fighting to you.”

Jannes (as Rake):
“Alright.”

Jannes:
Rake walks up to her, pulling the knife from his belt.

Em:
She extends her hands forward, both of them.

Jannes:
He takes her hand.

Jannes (as Rake):
“I want you to know, she'll never be able to tell you this, but, I forgive you for what you had to do to my mother. You don't need my forgiveness, but you have it all the same. I know you loved her.”

Em:
Her face softens. She was ready for pain. A cut from the knife, but tenderness came instead. She reaches up, puts her hand on the side of your face, and gently brings your face down to hers, and touches you temple to temple. She says quietly just for you,

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Your forgiveness means more than you could ever know. I do not take it lightly, and I hold it so preciously. Thank you.”

Jannes:
Rake pulls his head back. And as he does, the knife runs along her palm.

Em:
She feels the cut, winces slightly. You have cut her with a divine blade. This does damage, where a regular knife would not. She closes her hand, quickly so as not to drop the blood on the plate too early, and she looks to you, Ever, and extends her hand forward.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Better both of you, if we really want to make it work.”

Gina:
I step forward. I take the blade.

Gina (as Ever):
“There is no one better to bring him peace than you. Thank you.”

Gina:
And I draw the blade across her palm.

Em:
She winces once more, knowing that that was the same blade her sister carried, but now in your hands. Again, closing her palms so the blood doesn't drip too early, you see a line of gold. Divinity, divine blood stemming up, welling into overflow from her hands. She looks to you, Ever.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Just because I was the one at the end, does not take away from everything you gave to him. I don't get all the credit.”

Em:
She looks to the two of you.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“For those that follow me, the holiest of sacraments that we have require blood. Know that I give this to you freely, and I'm here with my eyes open. I will never forget what you did for my sister. And know that I am forever in your debt. I will take my place near the tree, and when she touches down on your word I will open the rift.”

Em:
She holds her hands over yours, which you extend out cupped under hers, and she squeezes. You feel warm, thick, viscous, liquid thicker than mortal blood. It looks like molten metal, but it doesn't burn you. With it interacting with your own divinities, but not in conflict with them. There is enough blood in each of your hands for when you're ready. She nods and she walks over to the tree, and you see her kind of disappear next to it.

Jannes:
I walk up to the plate, my hand coated in that thick gold blood. And I put it out, reaching for Ever's hand.

Gina:
I take your hand and do the same.

Jannes:
And together I turn our hands. I squeeze her hand so that the blood drips. And you look at Rake, and as the blood falls from your hands, you visibly see him shift from Rhys to Rake, his hand coming away from yours, and going into his pockets, and coming out taloned.

Gina (as Ever):
“We do this together.”

Gina:
He smiles at you, but it is a dark smile. One that promises of… Violence.

Em:
You hear a crackling of electricity and a smell of ozone as the blood begins to burn and roil on the stone before you. A beam of red and black energy shoots upward into the sky above you from the plate, as you hear the movement and scraping of metal as a figure emerges in flight. She barrels in swift, deft motions as she glides down, landing about fifteen feet from you. The Matron, in all her splendor, wearing her full regalia, twisted and darkened armour, warped more than you've ever seen before, Rake. You see her metal wings stay extended, as her eyes narrow, as she tries to calculate what's happening here. Her normal black cloak is replaced with one of blood red, hair intricately braided for battle. The mask on her face, with the cracks spidering from the main fissure. One eye fully darkened black, black as the void, and the other glowing that bright incandescent red. She looks strong, but you see that there's an instability to this. It is taking everything she has to hold herself together, all of her strength to summon herself here in a bodied form, again, albeit very differently than the last time she did it, all those eons ago.

Em (as The Matron):
“Well… Two of you. How nice. They always did say three's a crowd.”

Em:
She looks around, looks down to the ground at the blood on your hands.

Em (as The Matron):
“Where is she? Have you finished the job? Did it work?”

Jannes (as Rake):
“We're about to find out.”

Em:
Her eyes narrow as she shifts between the two of you.

Jannes:
I start walking towards her slowly.

Em:
She holds her ground.

Jannes (as Rake):
“Mother.”

Em (as The Matron):
“Son.”

Jannes (as Rake):
“It’s good to see you.”

Em (as The Matron):
“You brought a friend. To whom do I have the pleasure?”

Em:
She looks back at you, Rake, and her head twists at an uncomfortable angle as she cranes around to look at you.

Em (as The Matron):
“Speak up.”

Gina (as Ever):
“I'm Ever.”

Em (as The Matron):
“Ever. And why are you here?”

Gina (as Ever):
“To end someone who's caused me great harm.”

Em (as The Matron):
“I knew I found that vengeance in you. I knew it. I have seen it for so long. It's nice to find someone who understands.”

Jannes (as Rake):
“[chuckles] You asked the wrong questions.”

Em (as The Matron):
“What questions should I be asking, son? The main question I have is, where is she? You called me here with blood on the stone, where is she?”

Jannes (as Rake): [laughing]
“Still. Wrong question.”

Em (as The Matron):
“Then enlighten me, Rake. I don't have all day.”

Jannes (as Rake):
“The question you should be asking is why are we here? Of all places?”

Em:
She looks to the tree, looks down at the plate, looks at the lack of Nepthysaket, and the knives in both your hands. Her eyes widen as she clocks Eternal's Undoing in your hand, Ever.

Em (as The Matron):
“So you found her a blade. Why are we here, son? Choose your words carefully.”

Jannes (as Rake):
“Do you know what father said to me? What was the last thing father said to you?”

Em (as The Matron):
“I don't remember and I don't care. Where is she?!”

Jannes (as Rake):
“He said he forgives you.”

Em (as The Matron):
“Stupid man.”

Jannes (as Rake):
“I was curious if there was any part of you left. I hoped. I saw your fall. You were a wonder to behold.”

Em:
She narrows her eyes trying to parse what you're talking about, just what version of her you're trying to convey that you have seen, because it's not this one. She begins to start moving sideways from where she touched down, moving away from the plate. Stalking in would be in a counterclockwise direction, towards Ever. She hasn't moved closer, but has moved.

Jannes:
I adjust my path so I remain between her and Ever.

Jannes (as Rake):
“Let me show you why I brought you here, if you're so curious. Now would be a good time.”

Em:
You see her eyes narrow. She's trying to parse out just what's happening. She has no reason to think you've betrayed her. But the main thing is that there is no body in front of you. What are you doing here before this thing kicks off? Both of you.

Gina:
As the Matron is circling in my direction, I would be backing a little bit closer to, so that I'm between what would be the rift and the tree. I want to be closer to the tree, if possible.

Em:
Okat. You can do that. As she starts to move, you match her step in the opposite direction, keeping that distance, keeping that circumference between you, to where you assume the rift will be, based on where Nepthysaket pulled it up last time.

Jannes:
The whole time, Rake is keeping himself between the two of them, always moving slowly forward, slowly towards her.

Em:
As you slowly stalk, keeping yourself between her and Ever, her eyes dart back and forth between the two of you, and you, it's like a gear moves into place, a metal gear. You hear the shifting of her body, the clank of the metal from her wings against her back, where it attaches to her form, something clicks and falls into place. She narrows her eyes at you, Ever.

Em (as The Matron):
“Oh, you poor thing. You poor, poor little thing. That you think you could get a hold on him. You think you can have him. You can't. You're just a toy in all this. I'll have no use for you when this is done. So bring me the body or we're going to have a problem.”

Jannes:
I close the distance to my mother, while saying,

Jannes (as Rake):
“The fire of vengeance in her heart was so strong. It was so easy to stoke.”

Jannes:
And as I get to her, I move as to embrace her. And I would like to inflict violence.

Em:
And combat begins. As you make this move to inflict violence, which we will get to in a second. You feel a pulse rip out from behind you. The ground rumbles beneath your feet. Simultaneously, as you move towards your mother to strike her, or do what you're going to do, you hear a ripping sound, a tear, as behind you, Nepthysaket begins to open the rift. It's not immediate, it's drawing on every ounce of strength she has and everything left in Thall Bask. As our combat with the Matron kicks off. What would you like to do?

Jannes:
I move towards her, my arms open for an embrace. I think she clocks it. She sees that raven skull in my hand, and as she looks up at it, I drive it down into her eye.

Em:
Okay! So we are going to be inflicting some violence. So when you inflict violence on someone, roll 2d6, and you're going add one for each true statement. They wish you harm. Now they do.

Jannes:
Now they do.

Em:
Now they do. She sees you striking her. Now they do. You're desperate. Are you desperate?

Jannes:
Not yet.

Em:
And it's personal.

Jannes:
Yes, very much so.

Em:
Very much so. Go ahead and roll.

Jannes:
I rolled a six plus two, is a total of eight.

Em:
Okay, so on a hit, seven to nine, this part of the fight ends on your terms. Tell me what you do here.

Jannes:
She clocks the raven skull in my hand, and I think there's a moment of recognition of what it is, confusion as to why I have it. And I take that moment of indecisiveness on her part to bring my hand down, driving it into her eye, through the hole in the mask.

Em:
The red one or the black one?

Jannes:
The black one.

Em:
Okay.

Jannes:
And as I do I use my other hand to push her back.

Em:
Okay, you drive the skull down into the black, the void, the inky darkness of that eye, where that eye used to be, and you feel the brand. You feel the brand on your chest begin to burn. Tapping into the void, tapping into that darkness, tapping into that emptiness. That one tie to the Eutoches you have that she has taken and wrought and manipulated for her own. You feel it hit something hard, and it feels like it shatters, as she staggers back and you push her. She is not next to the plate as of yet, but you have gotten her off of you. Her hands fly up to her face, covering one eye, as the part of the mask cracks a little bit more.

Em (as The Matron):
“You ungrateful little wretch! She will die here. And instead of killing you along with her, I will take you with me, hollow you out, and you will do as you're told. And we will try again.”

Em:
And she's gonna move to attack Ever. Ever, as she staggers back, you see that hand that is up against her face begin to shake and shift, as she use her powers of distortion to change the claws on her hand to these long knife-like appendages. She has five long knives as big as machetes from her hand, and she's gonna take the momentum and she's gonna swing herself sideways, and she's going to rush towards you and try and strike you. What are you doing here?

Gina:
How big is… This is the same tree that I poured my light into?

Em:
It is, yes, and you're about fifteen feet from it, but there is a rift opening up in the way. But you do feel the roots around your feet, lifting up, and having unearthed themselves from the ground. What would you like to do?

Gina:
The reason I was backing up toward the trees is because I wanted to… I know that I have a connection with this tree, and if she's rushing me, I want to try and use that connection. To have this tree, the roots or the branches or some part of it, reach out and hold her fast.

Em:
Okay. So, I am assuming this is you wielding a power.

Gina:
Yes.

Em:
Alright. So when you wield a 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. No. You're desperate for this to work. Are you desperate?

Gina:
Yes.

Em:
You can mark one strain. And you're to a shrine, lair or domain of the god you took this power from. You're using the power of Thielia, here, next to Thall Bask, and incorporating Thall Bask into this. Thall Bask is older than Thielia, and was likely used to make her. So I'm gonna say yes. So, you're gonna roll 2d6, and this is a plus two.

Gina:
Okay, I rolled a three and a four, for a seven, plus two is nine.

Em:
Is a nine. So on a hit, you do it. Tell me what happens here.

Gina:
I see her start to rush me and I instinctively move backward, my feet stumbling in the roots up and overgrown, and I catch a glimpse of a small leaf growing out of the side of one of them, and I remember how much of myself is still in this tree. How much of Thielia's power is still in this tree. And I call upon it. I call upon it and I push upon it to protect me. To protect us. And it all happens so fast, but she's... One moment she's in front of Rhys and the next she's... So close to me and... I close my eyes… And nothing happens. And I open them and she's there, inches from me, with her feet bound in root, her arms, her hands bound in root, reaching up from the ground, encircling her, holding her in place.

Em:
These roots, twisted and gnarled as they are, come up and they bind her hands, and she strains against them, and she tries to push and move and writhe in them to get herself free. The one thing you didn't bind is her wings. She extends her wings up and over, the mechanical screeching almost deafening you as you're this close to her waiting for the impact.

Em (as The Matron):
“This isn't going to be easy, little one. You can't just hold me here. You're nothing.”

Em:
And out of her wings, a full spray of metal feathers rockets towards the both of you in a cone shape. You are both close enough, and it's gonna hit you each for one strain. However, taking that moment where she is otherwise occupied, the two of you bearing down on her, and her resisting as much as you can, you hear another huge rip as the rift fully opens behind you. You hear Nepthysaket call out.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Start to push her! You can take her now! Go!”

Em:
And the Matron looks up, locking eyes with Nepthysaket, Bast at her side. They have not fully seen each other in eons. Ages and ages have gone by as she's waited for this moment, and the two of you are standing between her, and what she wants most of all. She wants Nepthysaket to get dead, and she doesn't care if she has to kill the two of you in the process to make it happen. Rake, what are you doing?

Jannes:
Rake gets hit by these blades, and as he does, seeing the blood pour from where the blade lodged itself in his shoulder, I'm gonna wield a power.

Em:
Okay. You're gonna wield the power of time manipulation. What are you doing here?

Jannes:
Rake moves faster than you've ever seen anyone move before. He runs, but for every step he takes, it's as if he blinks between places. One minute he is there, the next he's five feet in front, and he closes the distance to the Matron, and as he blinks across the space between them, he falls to his side, sliding on the ground, his hands, bladed fingers reaching. He's going to try and cut her as he goes by.

Em:
Okay, using all the speed you can muster with Ungal's gift to make this cut faster, deeper, hit her harder. Alright, 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 the specific act before perfectly? No. You're desperate for this to work. Are you desperate?

Jannes:
Knowing that this movement will put him between Ever and the Matron, he's desperate for that to work, yeah.

Em:
Okay, you can take one strain here. And you're close to a shrine, lair, or domain of the god you took this power from. No, so that is a plus one.

Jannes:
I rolled a six plus one, is a seven.

Em:
Just enough, okay. On a hit, you do it. Tell me what you do here.

Jannes:
As he slides by, his hands come up. He's a practiced killer. He knows where to push the blades in to make them most effective. He finds the inside of her thigh, reaching for that artery he knows pulses deep inside. The next minute, he's not sliding anymore, he's standing beside her, his hands reaching in at her armpit, pushing deep in. Next minute he's back, he's sliding again. And as he goes by, he says to her,

Jannes (as Rake):
“You already made me hollow. She's the one who filled me back up.”

Jannes:
And he comes to his feet, now planted squarely between the Matron and Ever.

Em:
Ruby red blood gushes. Shiny metallic. It doesn't glow the gold like Nepthysaket’s. It doesn't shine silver like you would expect. It is deep, deep red. The cuts you make do free her from the bonds, you've cut deep enough into her that the vines no longer can hold her, as she staggers, one leg limping beside her as she looks up to you.

Em (as The Matron):
“I gave you everything, purpose, meaning, your place within your divinity. We were going to change the world.”

Jannes (as Rake):
“I am.”

Em:
And she reaches up towards you, her hands cupped, as you feel a tightening on your neck. You feel an intense pressure push against your windpipe, and you are beginning to choke. Ever, what are you doing here?

Gina:
I see that she's freed from the roots and the vines. Seeing her attack Rhys, I want to inflict violence.

Em:
So what are you trying to do here, what violence are you hoping to bring upon the Matron?

Gina:
I know that she has him by the neck, but I want to take her by the wings, and crumple them, and pull her off him.

Em:
Okay. So, when you inflict violence on someone, roll 2d6 and add one for each true statement. They wish you harm. Yes. You're desperate. Are you desperate?

Gina:
How many strain do I have now?

Em:
This one doesn’t cause strain.

Gina:
Oh, this one doesn’t cause strain! Then, yes, I am desperate.

Em:
And it's personal. It is absolutely personal.

Gina:
It is absolutely personal.

Em:
So this is a plus three.

Gina:
[laughs] Well that's good because I rolled a four, and a one.

Em:
Plus three is eight. Plus three is eight. Okay. So on a hit, seven to nine, this part of the fight ends on your terms. Tell me how you strip her wings from her. Tell me how you ground her.

Gina:
I think back to being in that tavern the first night in Glass, and the way the life was sucked out of those guards, so quickly, decimated. And I look to her wings, and I imagine myself… I want to wither away her wings, want them to shrivel, I want the feathers to fall from them like leaves of a blighted tree, I want her to know what it feels like to try to have to hold yourself up and feel yourself unable. Weak. And I reach a hand out and I, as if I can see it happening in front of me, I just grab them, and twist and pull.

Em:
I think in this, a strength greater than you wells up in your hands as you wield the power of creation, here to unmake her wings. These metal structures that she so carefully crafted, after losing the raven ones that are long gone at this point. She reels in pain. You hear a scream echo out, a deep, guttural scream. This scream pulls at the heart of you. You know the pain that is here is not just physical, but emotional too. As you hear Nepthysaket cry,

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“No!”

Em:
As you hear a squelching, wet sound, as the plate, that obsidian plate that you dropped Nepthysaket's blood on, roils up, curling and forming the shape of someone very familiar. Ever, this is the first time you're seeing this creature. Stands about eight feet tall. The shape of a humanoid, but covered in a black, dripping tar, acrid and wet. You see a wide, wide smile with sharp, razor-like teeth that are a brilliant white, a tongue lolling out the side as it surveys the scene, turns to the tree, and makes a break for Nepthysaket. Rake, you see Knave on the battlefield, and you see him run. And at the same moment you hear a growl, a low roar of a panther, as Bast leaps out, seeking to tackle Knave to the ground, to protect Nepthysaket. You hear the crackle of the energy as the rift falters just for a moment, her focus taken, and then re-centered. So, Rake, instinctually as those wings are ripped from her in this moment, you hear the roar of Bast as he starts to tangle with Knave, you feel the grip tighten, probably more than it should, maybe more than she wanted to. There's a moment where you wonder, and then you remember, any vestige of your mother is gone. This is just the shell that takes her place. As you feel the grip tighten, you can't breathe. She's choking you. And you're going to take a strain here. And so she’s probably about five feet from you, as she’s got this grip on your neck. What would you like to do?

Jannes:
Rake is struggling, gasping. A wet gargle from his throat, as his windpipe is being crushed. And as the pain is driven into him like a white hot poker, it's exactly what he needs. It's cauterizing. And he stops struggling. And he looks at her. A slow smile spreading across his face, as his hands come up and join hers at his throat, and I'm gonna tempt fate.

Em:
Okay. So when you tempt fate with your actions, say what perilous feat you're trying to accomplish and roll 2d6, what are you trying to do here?

Jannes:
She thinks that she has me grappled.

Em:
Yes.

Jannes:
Unable to escape.

Em:
Yes.

Jannes:
When the truth is, I now have her attached to me, and I'm going to attempt to drag her to the rift by my throat.

Em:
Okay. So, we're gonna add one for each true statement. A skilled ally is lending you a hand. No, not in this. You have no other options. I think you have other options. And you're far from any god that wishes you harm. No. So this is a flat roll.

Jannes:
I rolled an eight.

Em:
You guys are lucky with your rolls tonight. Okay. On a hit, seven through nine, you get through it mostly unscathed. The fates spare you for now. Tell me what happens.

Jannes:
My hands wrap around hers. The talons on my fingers piercing into the back of her hand, locking my hands to hers as, I take a single step at first, dragging her, that smile not leaving my face, my eyes not leaving her last one. As I step by step, drag her back. And I want her to see, truly, what she's made me into.

Em:
Hmm. You're close to her. Right up with her. And I think there's a moment amidst the pain, amidst the anger, amidst the betrayal that she feels, the vengeance that wells up in her, the font of her power, where you see the smallest bit of pride. She's close to you. And as you feel, initially she resists the pull, and then she runs into it, using the momentum as you're moving towards the rift that is open that she can clock. And you feel something dig deep into your sternum, up and in, as she pulls out a hook, and impales a hook under your sternum, you feel it pull against every bone in your chest. Blood starts to gush from you and you take one strain. You are connected. For better or for worse. Ever, it’s your turn. They are about ten feet from the rift. You hear the fight between Knave and Bast rage on, off to the side, keeping them busy. Nepthysaket, behind you, straining against the magic that she can barely harness, barely hang onto. You see the divinity that is burning her again, deepening the scars on the side of her body, the same side as last time. What do you do here?

Gina:
I see her impale Rhys… I don't even think I realize it, but I cry out, I scream and I… I rush to them, with the knife, the one Issilus used to stab the Mistress, the one Rake used to end Issilus's suffering, the one I pulled from her chest. The one I know she wants more than anything else. And I hold it out as I move closer. And I like to challenge someone dangerous.

Em:
So, when you challenge someone dangerous in front of an audience, say what foolish or risky action you hope they'll take, and roll 2d6. What are you hoping she'll do here?

Gina:
I'm hoping she'll let go of Rhys and focus on me. Giving us enough time to push her into the rift.

Em:
Okay, so we're going add one for each true statement. They care about your opinion. Not at all. They think they're stronger than you. Absolutely. And the crowd is on your side. I would say at this point, it's anyone's game. But there is more of the people on your side than there are on hers. Four to two. So yes, the crowd is on your side. So that's gonna be a plus two.

Gina:
I'm hoping you weren't going to say that, because I rolled a three, and a six.

Em:
For a nine. Plus two, our first overkill. Oh, I have been waiting for these.

Gina:
Ever is emotional and not thinking clearly.

Em:
And that's the perfect time to overkill.

Jannes:
Our Ever?

Gina:
What?! That doesn’t sound like, that’s not her…

Em:
Nooo!

Em:
On an overkill, ten plus, you push too far. Your target reacts instantly and dangerously. Ohhh, okay.

Gina:
I think as I'm moving around holding the knife out I just say,

Gina (as Ever):
“You know, I think I've got something that belongs to you. And it’s mine, now.”

Em:
Her attention shifts to you, as she digs the hook deeper in Rake, knowing that with every time she hurts him, it hurts you too. Her words like venom cut through the yelling, the shouting, the sounds of battle.

Em (as The Matron):
“Do you remember when I found you? He wasn't even your father, and you were ready to kill yourself over your failure to cure him. Until I made it better, took that away, and gave you something to live for. That knife is yours. Have it. Take it. Feel what it does to you.”

Em:
She reaches her hands out. You feel her grip over your hand on the knife, and you turn it and you stab yourself in the stomach, and you're going to take a strain.

Gina:
I stagger back. I look down at my stomach, at the blade. At the green blood dripping from it, mixing with my own. And I remember Davos telling me, never pull out a blade until you're ready. I know I can't leave it. And I pull the blade out, and I just watch blood pulse from my stomach down my leg onto the ground, and I try and stop it as best I can.

Em:
As you pull the blade out, something acrid, something poisonous, pulses through your body. That strain not only coming from the sharpness of the knife, where it dug into you, but the blood of the liar, Buloch, still present on the blade, now mixing with yours. You don't know what effect it will have yet, but you know that if you do not cleanse that, you do not get that out of your system, there will be consequences. Rake. You see the same smile you gave her wash over her face, seeing what she made Ever do to herself, and looking at you. You are inches away from her. What would you like to do?

Jannes:
This hook that she has in my chest, is it attached to a chain, or is she holding directly onto the hook?

Em:
It is attached to a chain which she is holding. You see it looping around her waist and wrapping around her arm, as she holds onto it, strong.

Jannes:
Rake, seeing the Matron make Ever hurt herself, I'm going to activate my divinity.

Em:
Okay, what is your divine trigger?

Jannes:
When you hurl yourself into obvious danger to help a mortal, awaken your divinity.

Em:
Okay. Ever has taken serious damage. The person you love, on the edge of her own demise. As you feel divinity surge forth from you, as you unleash it here, what would you like to do? Describe to me how the godhood that exists within you presents itself, and how do you exert your will upon reality.

Jannes:
I look up at her with so much I want to say, but can't, because her hand is still at my throat. My eyes start to glow red to match her remaining eye. As I reach up, and grab the chain coming out of my chest, and taking the chain, I start to spin her, swinging her in a circle, building up speed and then releasing her, throwing her at the rift.

Em:
Okay. This profound divine strength surges forth from you, you cannot unhook this from your rib cage, but you can certainly use her momentum and the length of the chain to your advantage. You whirl her around and you release her as she flies backward. Nepthysaket, holding onto the rift as long as possible, as strong as she can, as your mother, the Matron, manages to grip herself at the last moment, the chain long between the two of you. As she holds at the edge, barely dragging on, you hear the sound of a final roar, and a wet dropping of viscous fluid as Bast tears through Knave, as he collapses to the ground. Unmade like your mother's wings. When you've unleashed your divinity, it is brief, it is obvious, or it is unstable.

Jannes:
I think it's obvious. In this moment the only remnant that remains of Rhys in Rake is his desire to protect Ever. Everything else is coursing with a divinity that comes directly from his mother. He is Rake, like he rarely has been before. All of her worst, most deadly qualities course through him.

Em:
She grips onto the edge, yelling and screaming. She summons every well of strength within her, knowing she has you in her hook, knowing she has you in her grasp. Even though you're standing your ground, the chain is long. It's probably about fifteen to twenty feet. She is on the edge of the rift, as she looks towards Ever. Seeing what her son has done. Seeing the full manifestation of what she created, be wielded against her, as the weapon she hoped he would be. She only has one viable target left. Ever, she turns to you. And as she's bleeding, barely able to hang on, her form in this whirling rift behind her, with Nepthysaket straining to keep it open. She wants to keep you where you are. She wants to keep you from interfering, and a beam of red rockets from her eye, and you are frozen in place. It's not hurting you. It is just keeping you where you are. A final act of desperation. It's hot. It feels like if you move against it, it will burn. It is mere centimeters from your skin. Blood is gushing out from you as it encircles you. What would you like to do?

Gina:
I'm fully encircled?

Em:
You are fully encircled. It is so, so close to your skin. Any movement and it will burn you, which would leave you at five strain. And we would have to make a much different play than that. What are you doing here?

Gina:
I know that I can't move, I can't do anything with this field around me. Except manifest a miracle. It's my only option. And I think as… As that field, that glowing red starts to encompass me, there's a glow that starts to emanate from my heart, from the center of my chest, and it expands and covers me and the light of it shines so brightly that it, like a mirror, it reflects the beam onto itself, and I sacrifice the power of creation in order to the reflective field of itself, to break this cage.

Em:
Okay. So, using the crucible move of manifest a miracle. When you want to manifest a miracle, sacrifice a power, you've described how you channel that power into the world to its fullest potential, breaking the cage. And then you erase it from your sheet. You can never use it again. But I will let you keep that reflective mirror. I will let you keep that reflective quality, because you sacrificed a power to do so. You hear the cage around you, that beam of energy shatter, and Nepthysaket, seeing the desperation, seeing the state of the battlefield, seeing that Bast has defeated Knave, you hear her say,

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Help him, go!”

Em:
As Bast comes around behind Rake, where his feet are planted in the ground, and he grabs onto the back of Rake, using his mouth and his force to try and hold onto Rake, as the Matron grips onto the hook, one hand on that, one hand on the edge of the rift, as she gets pulled backward, the wind and the vortex and the energy pulling her in, barely holding on. The chain is taught between Rake and the Matron. Nepthysaket sees the desperation. She sees the both of you on the edge of your own limitations, your lives hanging in the balance. She can feel how close the both of you are to death. She made a promise to protect you. She made a promise to do what she could. And think there's a moment where she realizes that holding this rift open is not enough. She looks to you, Ever.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Ever, if he can hold on, I'll sever the chain. I can do that. Then banish her.”

Em:
You see she reaches out a hand, as Bast holds on to Rake as much as he can. You see her aiming not for the Matron, not for Rake, but for the chain. Take the strength out of the chain, and channel it into the magic of the tree, of the rift, to keep it open. Her hands extend, you see a beam of deep blue and gold cascade out from her outstretched hand. Yeah, she's gonna do it. Ever. Your eyes are transfixed on the Matron in a briefly held saccade, and you see a small smile pull at the corner of her lips, and you hear in your head,

Em (as The Matron):
“Something you're going to have to learn is that there are fates worse than death.”

Em:
She sees the beam begin to rocket out towards the chain, and she lets go of the edge of the rift. You see her pull both hands on the chain, letting the vortex pull her backward, and she pulls forward. Bast and Rake, you both begin to lurch as she attempts to drag you forward towards the rift. And Rake, I'm gonna need you to roll to tempt fate to keep your footing. So, when we tempt fate, we say what perilous feat you're trying to accomplish and roll 2d6. You are simply trying to keep your footing. As your mother attempts to drag you into the rift, drag you forward with her. And you're gonna add one for each true statement. Skilled allies lending you a hand. Yes. You have no other options. I don't think you have any other options. And you're far from any god that wishes you harm. No. So, that's a 2d6. And you're gonna add plus two.

Jannes:
The first dice was a one. The second dice was a two, for a total of three. Plus two is five.

Em:
Okay. Okay. Rake, tell me what happens as you lose your footing and Bast is unable to hold on to you. Tell me what happens. How do you lose your footing?

Jannes:
I think there's a moment where Rake sees his mother gets sucked into the rift, and he feels Bast lose hold of him. And in his mind he knows he should be helping Bast, like he should be pulling against this chain, but he finds himself just watching it all happen. He doesn't try and stop it. He doesn't try and… Do anything. He's caught in this moment of watching it as if he's not actually there. As though everything that's happened has forced him to switch off any sense of self-preservation or care. And then as he feels himself slip, he panics.

Em:
It's almost like you run right into it. The beam intended for the chain hits you square in the chest. You feel the hook dislodge from you, and every ounce of strength leave your body. The air feels like it’s sucked from your lungs as you feel the entire force of a god's power land upon you. And you suffer your fifth and final strain. A mistake, with the best of intentions. Oh, fuck. The chain severs, as you see the Matron, smiling, as she disappears into the rift, and Rake collapses to the ground. The rift is free. You hear Nepthysaket screaming as she rushes towards Rake.

Jannes:
I think there’s a moment, where, if you’ll allow it.

Em:
Yeah.

Jannes:
Where… In that moment where Rake figures out, where he comes back to himself and realizes what's happening. As the beam hit him, he looks to Ever. And he smiles.

Em:
You hear vaguely deep, guttural crying and sobs of anguish from Nepthysaket as she runs towards him.

Gina:
Do I know? Do I know what's happened?

Em:
You see him fall to the ground.

Gina:
Could I see… Could I see that it was from her?

Em:
You saw the beam of energy that she had aim at the chain, hit him square in the chest. You have one chance to close the rift.

Gina:
Ever screams and I think it's… Seeing Rhys fall. She tastes blood in the back of her throat as the scream, the pain in that scream, is what gives her the power to activate Ravensgate. And as I run to him, I try to close the rift. And I think as I scream… That's when my divinity awakens and pours out of me. Like a solar flare. And I close the rift.

Em:
So when you unleash your divinity, you describe how godhood surges forth from you, as you exert your will upon reality. The entire full charge of that shard of divinity erupts from you, and channels through Ravensgate like a magnifier. You don't even have to aim it. It beams forward, it knows what job it has to do. As you hear a whirling. As the rift stitches up. She's gone. It's closed. You don't know for how long, as you didn't fully banish her, you just closed the rift. You needed the two of you to do that. As you run towards Rhys, Nepthysaket is there. On her knees. Her hands are under his head, and she's brought him up gently into her lap as she looks up at you.

Gina (as Ever): [sobbing]
“What happened?”

Em (as Nepthysaket): [sobbing]
“I don't know. She pulled him, she pulled him forward! I couldn't do anything to stop it, I'm so sorry!”

Gina (as Ever): [sobbing]
“How do we- how do we- how do we fix it? How do I- how do I- how do I fix it? There has to be something we could do.”

Em:
And I think for us to determine that one way or the other, what she can do for you here, to figure our what her next steps are exactly in this moment, we need to move through the crucible move of suffer a fifth strain. So, when you suffer your fifth strain, choose whether you succumb or persevere. If you choose to succumb to the strain of your existence, you describe how divinity explodes from you as you die, altering the Cradle forever. If you choose to persevere, you roll 2d6. On a hit, seven to nine, you clear one strain, but you also have to reveal something as you fight through the pain. There are things that happen for a strong hit and a miss, but I gotta turn that to you, Jannes. What do you wanna do here? Succumb or persevere? Oh, man.

Jannes:
I think after everything that Rhys has been through, he just wants to go home. And I don't think he wants to continue with the knowledge of the things that he's done, and the… The risk that him being around would pose. So, think he lets go.

Em:
You're choosing to succumb to your fifth strain.

Jannes:
I am.

Em:
Okay. So, in this moment, oh man… [everyone stops for a moment to cry and process] Through wracked tears and sobs, desperately trying to pull herself together. For you, Ever. For herself. For Rhys. For the whole fucking Cradle. She looks up at you, tears are streaming down her face.

[Ever and Gina and Nepthysaket and Em crying throughout the next section]

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“If he wanted me to save him I could. But he doesn't. I have his soul in my hands and he wants to go home. Ever, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.”

Gina:
I look back down to him.

Gina (as Ever):
“You can't leave me. This isn't how it's supposed to end.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“No, it's not. No, it's not.”

Gina (as Ever):
“You have things to do. He hasn't seen the beach yet.”

Gina:
I place both my hands on his chest, and I try and warm him one last time. I don't want him to go home cold.

Em:
Ohhh… I won't make you wield a power to do that. Ever, the shard of divinity in you, having activated and sealed the Matron away, shines still. The sound of everything getting really quiet. There is nothing here but the three of you. Bast sitting ten feet behind Nepthysaket, lying down in deference. Nepthysaket looks to you as you do this. Looks down at Rake, and up to you as you do this, Ever. And she is crying, but there is a soft smile that pulls at the corner of her lip.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“He's trying to take care of you, and because of who he is and the power within him, when his soul separates from his body, I don't know what will happen. I don't know what happens when someone who is the child of a god dies like this. But I will hold him. And I will take him to the River when he is ready.”

Gina (as Ever):
“Can he still hear me?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“He's still here. Yes, he's still here.”

Gina:
I lean... I lean down. I lay my- my head on his shoulder.

Gina (as Ever):
“I made a deal with Soevan, Rhys, back in the Dreamscape. And Nepthysaket said you, that- that you can still dream. So you should be able to find... You should be able to find my room. You're allowed to use it. And there's a bowl of oranges on the table. You can have as many as you want. And I'll be there. Waiting for you. And we can see the beach together. Come find me.”

Gina:
And after a moment I'll get up again, and wipe my face. And I looked to Nepthysaket.

Em:
Here in that held moment, the two of you kneeled next to him on the ground. Rhys, if you succumb to the strain of your existence, describe how divinity explodes from you as you die, altering the Cradle forever.

Jannes:
Ever, as you talk about the oranges in your room, Rhys once asked Tayo for the ability to sing like the Firesongs. And as you and Nepthysaket sit there, beside Rhys's body, you hear a song.

Jannes (as Rhys):
“She's the sunrise in the morning, my dreams at night. She came without warning to a bird in flight. Two people, so broken, made whole together. This is the story of flower and feather. A tale of loss of heartache and sorrow. A man who lived with no tomorrow. His hands were made wicked and sharp, she was the light that pierced the dark. Now he sings at the close, true love he now finally knows. Two people, so broken, made whole together, this was the story of flower and feather. For Ever, forever, my bright foxglove. For Ever, forever, goodbye my love.”

Jannes:
And as he sings, like the fruit, you see an ember start in him, growing brighter and brighter, and as it gets almost so bright you can't look at it, you see it throws a shadow. And as that shadow stretches across the ground, you see it move and rise, in the form of Rake, long taloned hands, and it looks at you. And it moves towards the tree. Fading into the tree. And as the glow subsides, you see where Rake was, you see where Rhys was, there's just a single feather. The way that Rhys would choose to alter the Cradle forever, is he will leave Rake behind, to guard the rift, to make sure that she can't come back. Or at least a try.

Em:
The words, the way you alter the Cradle forever, are not lost on me. But I think we have to rephrase it. It's the way you alter the Cradle for Ever. To keep her safe. To prevent your mother from coming back. A sentinel at the gate. You're dying is one part of the magic that could seal the majority of her away for good. There will always be some aspect of her tied to the mortals of the Cradle. Those who carry vengeance in their hearts and feel the sting of betrayal. But death has power. Especially a sacrifice for someone you love. The feather slowly touches down on the ground, I think, having drifted from just a small height from where your body lay, as you, Rhys, or your soul, the very least, stands. Separated from Rake, who guards the gate, the rift. You stands about fifteen feet back, watching Ever and Nepthysaket kneeled next to each other. And everything kind of slows down. It doesn't stop like the time stop with the Issilus did. No, this is different. And you feel a hand on your shoulder.

Jannes (as Rhys):
“Is it time?”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Only if you wish it to be. We can stay here as long as you like. I will take care of her. I promise.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“I know, I know. I just wish… I wish I could have met her sooner. Maybe the cracks wouldn't have been so big.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“There are a lot of things that should have happened sooner. Her being one of them. She will come find you one day.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“I know. We need to leave before I… I can't, I can't watch it. I can't watch her... Mourn me.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Alright.”

Jannes:
I reach out and take her hand.

Em:
Oh, she pulls you into a hug, and she holds you. Your eyes closed. Tucked into the fabrics. You smell incense. Heady. Strong. Floral. A sweetness, like honey.

Jannes (as Rhys):
“I want you to promise me something.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Anything.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“This was a mistake. I won't have you be eaten up by this. Like my mother or your sister.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“You're trying to caretake for me.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“I'm trying to tell you, that you can be upset and you can be sad, but you cannot blame yourself for a mistake. Because if you do then you… Then I am beyond forgiveness for the things I have done.”

Em:
She pulls you back, letting your eyes meet hers.

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“For you, I will try.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“And when you forget, you can find me in the River, and I'll remind you.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I promise.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“Thank you.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Thank you. People call me ‘Your Grace’, and that is what feeds me. I hunger for grace. And though you may never, ever believe it, that which you carry, the grace in your heart. The tenderness. The kindness, the compassion. The grace you hold is in every fiber of your being, and nothing will ever take that from you. It is a beacon, of the goodness in you, Rhys. So let us both not be beyond forgiveness.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“I think she would have been so proud of you.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“When you're settled. I will come tell you about her.”

Jannes (as Rhys): [voice breaking]
“I’d really like that.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“I will tell you every story you wish to hear. They are branded on me, and I would relish the opportunity to share them with you.”

Jannes (as Rhys):
“You can come for dinner. I think my father would like to hear them too. He always could see the good in people through all the bad.”

Em (as Nepthysaket):
“Speaking of which… We've kept him waiting long enough.”

Em:
As you move back, not knowing how long you've been there, you find yourself on the edge of a bank. It’s slow moving, and you can see the souls floating down beside you. They look so peaceful. Knowing that if you wish to, you can go and be in that space, that calmness, and let the River wash over you. She puts her hands up on your shoulders. She takes a half step backward. She turns you around, and you see someone standing about thirty feet from you. And you'd recognize him anywhere.

Tim (as Avisan):
“Hello, Rhys. Welcome home, my son.”

Em:
Godkiller: Balance is performed by Em Carlson, Gina Susanna & Jannes Wessels. 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. Music and effects by Epidemic Sound. 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!