BlackwaterDnD

Em:
Welcome to BlackwaterDnD, where good friends tell better stories. This series, Oblivion, is an eleven part miniseries using the Powered by the Apocalypse system, Godkiller, which was created by Connie Chang, now available on Itch.io for purchase. Our story tells a tale of the end of all things, and follows one prophesized soul who challenges the shackles of fated and foretold divinity. This story is our love letter to fearless storytelling, passionate vulnerability, and incredible creators who challenge us to bring our best selves to the table. For this story, your GOD, everyone else, and the thrum of the Cradle, is myself, Em Carlson, and my GODKILLER is played by Jannes Wessels and Christian Navarro. 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 support as you see fit.
Content warnings for this episode include:
Grief / fantasy violence / pain / imprisonment / the dark / allusions to war & genocide / betrayal / claustrophobia / unsafe water / falling
So sit back and relax, heretic. And welcome to Godkiller: Oblivion.
FINALE, PART I: ENDER
Em:
The ruins of Temple Vocivon at Barrencliff have stood still and silent for hundreds of years. The last sounds that filled these halls were of screams, fighting, the hum of arcane energy, and the rumbling of the ground shaking as two Gods touched down in their true forms.

Halinaea, The High Nova, and Ashmedai, Lord of the Ninth, their devoted mortals at their sides, came through this place with the sole intent of wiping out anything and everything that could ever threaten their existence in this timeline. If everyone from Barrencliff was wiped from the face of the Cradle, then who would be left to kill the Empty God? Who would be left to find the Godkiller when the time was right? Who would unite the twin-souled priest and lead him to his task at the edge of all things?

The plan was simple: destroy Barrencliff, kill every inhabitant; Bury the truth so far beneath everything, deeper than the bottom of the Chasm of Lethe, where the Empty God lay in attentive wait for the one it's been calling for. Hunt every last person with ties to Archeveleon across the Cradle. Blight their shared name. Make it a curse that only tumbles from one's mouth in disgust. Call them Voidwalkers. Call them Oblivion Filth.

Before the Devoid Massacre, 500 years prior to this tale of our Godkiller, every inhabitant of Barrencliff shared the same last name, Eutoches, from an old tongue that had been molded and shaped into the common language shared today across the Cradle, now only present in the oldest of annals in the temple's destroyed libraries. The word Eutoches meant lucky. It meant fortune or favoured. It meant gift.

And that's what those who stood at Barrencliff saw themselves as. Without any of the pretentiousness or haughtiness that accompanied those equally as pious who worshipped the Major Seven: lucky for the opportunity to see the beauty in absence, fortunate to be a part of a community that was able to walk a different path and thrive in doing so, favoured by a God because they did not fear it and did not have to tithe to it, gifted in the knowledge of a shared purpose - a day would come where they would need to rally around and protect one of their own to do what must be done not just for the good of the Cradle, but for the sine of time and the multiverse beyond.

The Massacre took more than just the people. It destroyed more than the city beloved by its inhabitants. It took eons and eons of knowledge that had been preciously held by a people who, unlike most of the individuals who walk the Cradle, held a sacred truth between them, that all things must end, that this inevitability was to be embraced, not vilified. That though this chapter closes, another opens soon following, where everything, yes, everything, begins again once more. That the lives that are lived in this iteration of the universe are echoes of lives lived in past ones, and that the pieces of the cosmic dust and arcane energy that weave the universe together to form everything is remembered. That thrum, that central line in the universe keeps the score. And because nothing is ever truly a coincidence, a time would come where those lives would begin again, a bit different, slightly altered, but the inner magic that makes them who they are, just the same.

This iteration of the universe is just one of thousands in a long line of many more to come. But this is the first one where this knowledge was not shared, not passed down. Because in this stitch of the Weave, the River dried up, and the Gods' greed and hunger and fear of the unknown drove them to wipe out the very people who tended to the end of the universe. The Eutoches were the universe's gift to itself, a group of mortals who took care of the universe's passing, a people who allowed the universe to go peacefully when it was ready, holding space for that sacred divinity that comes with helping something welcome its own close. The much feared Godkiller Prophecy wasn't passed down through the Weave. It was a secret found out, a long standing practice well known and cherished. The Godkiller was never meant to have to kill more than one God.

A small sect of gods knew this, or at least part of it, and did their utmost to keep the wolves of the Pantheon at bay as much as possible. Allseia, the Reasoned Sister, reader of the Weave and seer to all things, understanding the path ahead to know when the end was needed well before it had to come. Soevan, the Lucid Mother, keeper of dreams and tending to the small moments where people feel a void of existence while they sleep, while they explore a vast dreamscape meant to comfort and soothe. Falir and Tenebe, the Twilight lovers, ensuring the passage of time was comfortable and measured from day to night, dawn to dusk, beginning to end. And of course, Nepthysaket, the Patient Witness, a Goddess who held every soul in her hands in the instant following its passing, who acts as an arbiter to the balance between life and death, providing all an understanding that everything transitions, that the endless ebb and flow of mortality feeds the River and lets its magic flow into the world for anyone to claim and use as their own.

Every time this cycle goes around, she forms a close relationship with the new twin soul who is granted the ability to end the world, despite never fully remembering them. She shepherds them, guides them, helps them carry the burden in whatever way possible. But only in this one, because nothing is ever truly identical, did she end up falling in love. The River was never supposed to dry up. The Gods were never supposed to begin killing each other for power. But not every iteration of the universe gets it right.

Behind the rubble and debris, these stories and memories are inlaid within the molecules of the stone that make up Temple Vocivon. The reliefs and mosaics tell these stories, though the true interpretation of them is now lost to time. But their meaning to you both falls short, not able to leave the walls, which now feel like a prison to these chronicles more than anything else.

And Inanis, your attention is immediately drawn from the tile and mortar as you hear the strong femme voice echo through the chamber. You hear Plenus’ knife drop to the floor. You hold your lantern in your hand, though you notice your grip starts to strain slightly. That nausea, that unease in your stomach now rising to a threatening level. It is palpable. And the scar on your left pectoral aches and aches and aches.

Plenus. The voice is maybe a foot from your left ear, the figure cloaked in shadows and places the light of the lantern cannot touch. You feel a draw towards the voice, a desire to pull yourself towards it. You also feel the sharp edge of the blade through the robes on your back. She is right there. Nellerine Eutoches, who you just simply knew as Nelle, is right there. And she smells exactly the same.

What would you both like to do?

Christian:
I will not move. I'm facing away from her, right? I'm looking at my brother.

Em:
You are and she is behind you. Her knife is probably around the small of your back and she is to your left.

Jannes:
And have I turned to see her?

Em:
You have, and you can see her hand and you just start to see a bit of her face as she takes a step closer to Plenus, her own lantern alighting in her other hand. You see ink black hair, like midnight, akin to Katani's but darker. It's missing the shine, but not in any way dull. It simply does not reflect the light. It absorbs it. It's pulled off her face and out of the way, revealing olive skin and soft and slightly rounded facial features. She stands about your height, Plenus, clad in traveling clothes that are well-worn and damaged. She's covered in ash and soot and rock dust. There are cuts across her face and arms, bruises that look to be moving, bruises that look to be from moving or carrying quite large pieces of debris. A long bow is strung across her body with a half-full quiver of arrows at her hip, but her eyes. Inanis - you remember Plenus talking about them and that's what pulls you in. They are the colour of glaciers and icebergs that sit below the waterline. There is a fierceness to them, a coldness, and a calculation as she regards the both of you. She could be a relative of Katani’s. There is some resemblance between the two of them. Not in countenance and certainly not in temperament, but they could easily be mistaken for cousins or sisters.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Nelle?”

Em:
Her eyes dart to you.

Em (as Nelle):
“How do you know who I am? What are you doing here?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Hmm. You, you don't feel it in your stomach?”

Em (as Nelle):
“I've gotten good at ignoring it. What do you, what business do you have here? There's nothing for you here.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Brother, would you…”

Christian (as Plenus):
“We certainly don't mean you any harm. We're here to help.”

Em (as Nelle):
“Help me with what?”

Christian:
I’m going to start to try and turn around. Is she going to allow me or are they going to allow me to?
Em:
She'll allow you to turn around. The knife point is still extended and stays pressed to your clothing, now hovering probably over where your navel is rather than the small of your back. And you turn around and you see her - staring at you and trying to clock your features. She does not seem to recognize you.
Christian:
I would like to just in that moment figure out how much, I'd like to feel her out and see how similar or dissimilar she is to the Nelle that I know. She is not the Nelle I know, I understand that, but I just wanna see if there's any familiarity.
Em:
Yeah - incredible. Okay, so when you Feel Someone or Something Out, you try to feel out a person, place, or thing and you say what you want clarity about, which you have, and answer one of the following. The GM will then give you the clarity you seek as you answer the other. So the two questions are: what feels welcoming on the surface or what feels dark or unnerving as I peer deeper.

Christian:
I think the answer to both of those is the same for me, and it's her eyes.
Em:
Hmm, which one would you like me to answer is the better question?
Christian:
What is unnerving?
Em:
Okay. As you peer into her eyes and you see that there is no sign of recognition, certainly not for you, Plenus. You wonder why she's here. You know why you're here. She is questioning your purpose. She is questioning your intent and speaking with the authority of someone who belongs here, someone with a job.
What feels unnerving about this is that... you watched your Nell die, not fulfilling her task. Perhaps this Nelle has taken something into her own hands instead.
Jannes:
I would also like to use a move.
Em:
Please do.
Jannes:
I'm going to use a Renowned move, Vagabond.
Em:
Okay, you love these ones and I love that.
Jannes:
I love their Renowned moves. Do you want me to read it?
Em:
Yeah, go for it.
Jannes:
Alright, when you've killed or spared more than one God, you can ask one of the following once per session. What aren't they telling me? What God has hold of them? What do they know of me or my deeds? And I want to know what they're not telling us.
Em:
Okay. You see Nelle's eyes shift from Plenus to you, Inanis, and you clock a small glimmer of recognition. Because you have met this Nelle before. You met her in the Fallaway. A long, long time ago. It was a brief passing, early in your time as Eutoches, and I don't even know if you approached each other.
To answer the question of what is she not telling you, you start to put the pieces together pretty quickly, probably at the same pacing that your brother does. She's here to kill Archeveleon.
She doesn't believe the Godkiller exists. So she's here to do the job herself.
Jannes:
“Hmm. I see, uh, I see, um, someone beat us to it, brother.”
Christian:
I think that there was, he's always a little bit tense and electric, but I think he was a little bit extra tense the moment that knife certainly was at his back and when he found out who it was there. But I think recognizing in her eyes that she doesn't truly know me at all makes this thing all a little easier. And I think there's… there's a positive energy that comes from realizing she's really, she's not my Nelle, but she's another actor in this play, essentially. And I will say,
Christian (as Plenus):
“Well, we can use all the help we can get.”
Em (as Nelle):
“I don't need your help. I need you to leave, and I need you to not get in my way.”
Christian (as Plenus):
“I'm afraid we can't do that.”
Em (as Nelle):
“Who are the two of you? I recognize now that you're both Eutoches. Being around the both of you quite literally is making me feel sick - no offense. But you both need to leave. There is nothing for you here. I've got it, okay? I've got it in hand.”
Jannes (as Inanis):
“Oh you do, because we're here.”
Em (as Nelle):
“Yes.”
Jannes (as Inanis):
”We are the Twin Soul.”
Em (as Nelle):
“What?”
Christian:
Can we see out from where we're standing?
Em:
She pauses at Inanis' statement that the two of you are the Twin Soul. Her eyes are darting back and forth through both of you.
Jannes (as Inanis):
“Alright, so tell me, what do you know? We're gonna need a little bit of a lay of the land. Information that you might have about the space. Anything about how to find him.”
Em (as Nelle):
“But I saw it. I saw the sign.”
Jannes (as Inanis):
“What was this sign that you saw?”
Em (as Nelle):
“I was traveling near The Foales probably three months ago. I travel mostly at night, and I came across a caravan that was asleep on its way, either to or from Glass, I couldn't tell. I couldn't sneak through the camp to raid for supplies, but there was a campfire burning. It was black, with no smoke. And looking at it, I heaved. Okay, I've never quite gotten used to the empty feeling. So when I saw that, it was like, okay. That's me. This is my job now. I have it in hand.
Jannes (as Inanis):
“Hmm. That was the fire that I had just fallen through. I can see the confusion.. It’s very confusing, but yes. I was just there. I must have just missed you. Understandable confusion, but we're all here now. So we can... work together.”
Christian (as Plenus):
“Yes.”
Em (as Nelle):
“Have we met before?”
Jannes (as Inanis);
“Once.”
Christian (as Plenus):
“We haven't.”
Jannes (as Inanis):
“Long time ago.”
Christian (as Plenus):
“Right, I'm not even really from here actually.”
Em (as Nelle):
“No, we haven't.”
Jannes (as Inanis):
“Yes, he's from a different version of this.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“An alternate version.”
Jannes (as Inanis):
“An alternate version.”
Em (as Nelle):
“A what? I don't understand.”
Christian (as Plenus):
“I don't really understand either.”
Jannes (as Inanis):
“And I don't really either. No, no. All I know is we are different, but the same. And we are tasked with ending it.”
Em (as Nelle):
“Where did you get your knives from? Tell me that and maybe I'll believe you.”
Jannes (as Inanis):
“I don't know the name of the Eutoches that gave me this. I found him in the waste. They were close to death.”
Em (as Nelle):
“You used to do some scouting out past the Westfall Line, right? That old settlement of Eutoches?”
Jannes (as Inanis):
“That was me, yes.”
Em (as Nelle):
“Right. I didn't find anything other than the broken houses and bones, the radiation ate it all. I'm pretty sure the bodies of Galdric and Galea lie maybe like a day or two's ride from there, so I'm not surprised that there was nothing left. Okay, so that's you. What about you?”
Christian:
Okay, well I would like to use a move to deceive her because I have no intention of letting her know that I knew her in my world, in my version.
Em:
Okay. So to lie to her, there could be a couple options. You could probably use the move... It depends on how you want to play this. You could use the move ‘Do as You're Told.’ You could use the move, ‘Act Impulsively’. Or if you're trying to seize a very powerful advantage from this, you could use one of the divine moves of Tempting Fate. But I would probably stick with a mortal move for this one.
Christian:
I'm gonna Act Impulsively, I think. And the impulse being, I think it would be in the moment she asks, I know that I would have to tell her the truth and that would be catastrophic, probably for both of us emotionally. So I'm just going to not do that.
Em:
Okay. So when you act impulsively, you describe the emotion that drives you and answer one. So I'm assuming that's fear and worry.
Christian:
Remorse.
Em:
Okay. The GM will tell you something you didn't notice until now as they answer the other. So you can answer me one of these two questions: what advantage do you seize or what trouble hits you hard and fast?
Christian:
The trouble that hits me hard and fast is that this person in front of me, regardless of physical appearance, has no relationship to me and to tell her about my experience with another version of her is unfair. And that hits me immediately.
Em:
Okay. So what advantage do you seize? You have a sense that in this moment she is trying to parse together something that gives you the justification for why she shouldn't just kill you and get on with her job. She truly believes that it is on her now, regardless of what you say about being the Twin-Souled Priest. She doesn't believe that exists. So I think she's looking for any sort of justification to not have to do the dirty work of killing you maybe in this moment. Because that takes time and she doesn't want to do that.
Christian (as Plenus):
“I was a scribe, I am a scribe by trade. I was travelling with a caravan years ago and I experienced this feeling, this gut wrenching, nauseating feeling we all know very well. And I followed it to a young woman who lay dying. She had been attacked. She offered me her sword. Her dagger.”
Em (as Nelle):
“Hmm. Mine is something less impressive, I suppose. I got my knife from my father. He never told me about it, until he was dying. He said it was eating him away from the inside out, and he told me to be better than he was. That I was going to find the Godkiller. He said he could trace our family back to this place, back here. I have every right to be here as much as you do, okay? And I'm gonna come with you.”
Jannes (as Inanis):
“Of course, we need your help.”
Em (as Nelle):
“Good. Because otherwise you'd have to kill me. So I don't think either of you want to do that yet.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Certainly not.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“So, um, tell me, what do you know? Where can we find him? Do you have any information to share?”

Em (as Nelle):
“I've been investigating this temple for the better part of about a week now. It took me a while to get here and I've started trying to map it out. It's really complicated. There's a lot of corridors, so I'll show you what I've got.”

Em:
She unrolls kind of… a piece of cloth that she has been scribbling on with ink and pen. And you see a depiction of this kind of crumbling, collapsing temple. From the way that it's depicted here on her paper, it looks to be more of like a catacomb now or a tomb. And she kind of gets you oriented to where you're supposed to go and starts moving you in the direction where she thinks that the entrance to where Archeveleon may reside could lie. And as you begin to walk at the edges of the soft glow of the lantern, you see bones scattered everywhere, with countless pieces of weaponry and gear. Once the job was done, it seems the forces of the Last Light Crusade just kind of up and left. There's no trace of life here, or anywhere in the city. Nothing moves. It is so fucking quiet.

Jannes:
Em, when I'm looking at that map…

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Jannes:
I'd love to use a divine move.

Em:
Fantastic, what divine move would you like to use?

Christian:
Oh my.

Jannes:
I'd love to Recognize a God when you want to recognize the signs or influence of a God of the cradle. And I want to see if I can detect sort of where Archeveleon would have put the entrance based on the tunnels. If there's any like logic to the way they're laid out.

Christian:
Oh, nice.

Em:
Incredible, wonderful use of the move Recognize the God. So, when you want to recognize the signs or influence of the God of the Cradle, role 2d6. And you're gonna add one for each true statement. You're in or near their domain, yes. You're familiar with their gospel, yes. It would be bad if they, it would be bad if you didn't know, yes. So that is a plus three, which can work to your advantage, or it can absolutely push you into that overkill scenario. So go for it.

Jannes:
Yeah, I rolled a 10 on the die plus 3… 13.

Christian:
Oh!

Em:
Okay, so on an overkill, you realize your divinity is actively trespassing against what is occurring right now. And the GM will say how.

As you lean down, she stays close to her map. This is hers. This is something that she has worked on and. You get close to her, brushing up against an exposed area of her skin, and you feel her shudder. You feel her body tense and relax multiple times in the span of a second, and she turns and she looks at you, and her hand is immediately on her knife. She is on edge, and she begins to back away from you.

Christian (as Plenus):
“Oh whoa whoa whoa!”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“It's alright. It's alright.”

Em (as Nelle):
“What are the both of you?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“We've been honest with you. Right? He told you.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I told you. We’re the Godkiller.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Yes.”

Em (as Nelle):
“But that doesn't exist. It can't. Like a twin-souled priest? What? That sounds so stupid. It's impossible.”

Jannes:
I would like to use another Divine move there, Em.

Em:
Okay, go for it.

Jannes:
I'm gonna challenge someone dangerous.

Em:
Okay.

Jannes:
I'll tell you what foolish or risky action. I want to, I want to do the Gandalf thing. You know, you know where he grows large and tall and ominous and his voice grows. I want to, I want to sort of give her a physical manifestation that we are not just two crazy guys saying we're the Godkiller. I wanna sort of display my power.

Em:
Okay. So this is, I definitely think it's running the line between weild to power, but I love the Challenge Someone Dangerous move and I don't think we've used it yet. So absolutely I'll let you do that. So you're going to roll 2d6 and add one for each true statement. They care about your opinion. Not at all. They think they're stronger than you. Absolutely she does. The crowd is on your side. Well, it's a group of three and your God, so… I don't know if I can give you that one.

Jannes:
Plus 1 then.

Em:
Yeah, a plus one.

Christian:
And because we are the twin souls. I will also challenge a dangerous person, but as he grows taller, I will become more calm and more soothing to her. So she's being hit at both sides.

Em:
Oh, interesting. So almost seeking to unsettle her with how calm you are. I understand. Okay, so you can also roll 2d6 and I think you can add a plus one as well.

Christian:
Four and a five. Oh, that's not good, right? That's a nine plus one is a 10. That's not good. I'm too calm.

Em:
Okay, so Inanis, what did you get?

Jannes:
That is a 7 plus 1.

Em:
Okay, so for Inanis, on a hit between seven to nine, your target rises to the bait. And I'll say with this that as your figure starts to grow and loom taller, your shadow extending from the lantern kind of creeping up the back wall, you also see shadow begin to lift off the wall and begin to move on its own. Really given life in this space that has been truly meant for you. And you alone. Well, you and your brother.

However, Plenus, on an overkill, you push it too far. Your target reacts instantly and dangerously. I think there is part of Nelle that is doing her utmost to try and separate her attention between the two of you. She knows she is outnumbered now. She is on guard. She is on edge. Seeing Inanis grow and change his shape in this space unsettles her and might have started convincing her, but then she looks to you and she sees an unfathomable sense of calm.

This is supposed to be scary. This is supposed to be exhilarating. And you show nothing. Her hand instinctively puts her knife in front of her. And she looks at you and Inanis, she's like:

Em (as Nelle):
“I don't know what the fuck is going on with this one. What are you two playing at?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I always insisted he was the scary one, but…”

Christian:
The moment she says that to Jannes, I think it, I bear my chest to her. I will take my shirt top down and just rip it open and show her my chest and I'll say,

Christian (as Plenus):
“Please. Please, you do not understand the heartache, the pain that I've experienced every day since I lost y- since I lost her. And it would be a welcome, welcome feeling to have your knife plunged into my heart. I think I would feel some measure of true calm then. But until we figure this out, we can't do anything about that. So we should stop fucking about, because out there, my brother just destroyed 12, 14 creatures trying to kill us, and we're sitting here playing around.

We have a job to do. I'm not interested in whether or not you care who we are or whether we can help you. It's our job. It's our destiny.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Oh yes, that's right. I forgot to mention, Ashmedai and Halinaea are on their way. So we are on a bit of a ticking clock.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Yes. I'm sorry you're scared. I'm scared. He's scared. We all don't know each other. Now we do. Put your knife away. Let's get to work.”.

Em:
She clocks the slip up. And you see with an adept movement, she turns the knife so that the handle, she presses it to the edge of your chest. And she says,

Em (as Nelle):
“He looks at me, like he is sizing me up. You look at me and you walk on eggshells. Why? Why?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Brother, do you trust me?

Christian (as Plenus):
“With my life.”

Jannes:
I'm gonna walk up and I'm gonna place a finger on her temple and I'm gonna Manifest a Miracle.

Em:
Oh shit! Okay. Alright.

Jannes:
I’m going to give up my gift from Soevan.

Em:
Oh my goodness. Okay. How many powers do you have at this point?

Jannes:
I had two left.

Em:
And you have one now.

Jannes:
My gift from Allseia and my gift from Soevan. I'm gonna give up my gift from Soevan so I'm down to one. I just gotta kill a couple more Gods, I'll get more ones, don't worry.

Em:
Okay. So when you want to manifest a miracle, you sacrifice a power. Describe how you channel that power into the world to its fullest potential, and then erase it from your sheet. You can never use it again. So, Soevan's power is rejuvenation. How do you use rejuvenation here on Nelle?

Jannes:
I want to place my finger on her temple and I want to pour myself into her, like into the very soul of her being. And I want to find where that soul connects to all the other souls like her. And I want to find that connection that died in Plenus’ reality. And I want to heal it, and I want to give her all of that Nelle's memories as well.

Christian:
Oh my God.

Em:
Okay. You touch your finger to her temple and she goes to instinctively move away, but the second you do, a light pink and purple piece of divinity, piece of magic, encircles her head and starts to almost scan up and down her body. Her eyes are wide as she seems frozen in place, blood begins to pour from her nose and it starts trickling down from her ears. You are connected to her and she starts to sway and she loses her balance and she falls to the ground.

Christian (as Plenus):
“What is this? What is going on?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Give it time.”

Em:
She is unconscious, but she is breathing. It's ragged, but it's there. What would you like to do?

Jannes:
Alright. I go down and I…

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Brother, you might need to use your ability of rejuvenation.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I don't have that one.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Your gift.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I don't have that power, brother.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“She only gave it to me.”

Jannes:
Alright, well, I'm going to go down and see if I can wake her.

Em:
Okay.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Actually, maybe you should do this. It should be your face that she sees first.”

Christian (as Plenus)
“What do you mean?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Trust me.”

Christian:
And I think I'm a little slow on the take, but I'll, okay, okay. I lean down and I mean, I'm half expecting that she's going to wake up and just stab me if it's the Nelle that it was just in front of us.

Jannes:
She still might.

Christian:
So I'm going to be very careful. She still might, you're right.

“Nelle,” and that's the first time. I've said the name in connection to me, or even thought it since I walked into this room and had that knife on my back.

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Christian (as Plenus):
“Nelle. Are you there? It's me.”

Em:
You start to shake her, lightly moving her, starting to wipe some of the blood off of her face, trying to rouse her, and her eyes begin to flutter softly before they groggily open. Up to this point, between the both of you, the only being that you've met that has had a successful integration of the memories of two sines of time is a goddess. And while you aren't totally mortal, even you two have not had this sort of integration. It's not unprecedented that she would be struggling with this. She is mortal. If this had happened in any other capacity, with any other power, this would have killed her. If you had used any other power, that would have killed her.

So her eyes open and she looks at you and there is a wildness to them as they kind of, they settle and she begins to look around the room looking at Inanis and Plenus she looks back at you. There is a knowing of you.

Em (as Nelle):
“What's going on? What is... what's happening? Plenus, what's happening? Why am I here? What are you... why? What?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“It's okay. It's okay, Nelle.

Is it really you?”

Em (as Nelle):
“I don't know, because part of it is yes and there is two sets of memories now, two experiences. I know him in the same context. But,”

Em:
And she reaches up and she puts a hand, she's like struggling with the strength to place a hand kind of on your chest as you lean over.

Em (as Nelle):
“There's part of me saying I don't know you, that I've never met you and that's just not true. And then… There's these.”

Em:
And she looks down at her knife, the one she holds still in her hand. And you realize it's the same as your knife, because of course it is.

Em (as Nelle):
“Why do… why is there two of them? Why do?”

Em:
And she starts to kind of start like there is another realization that hits her that crosses and her face pales more than it already is and she almost begins to back up away, removing her hand.

Em:
“Why do I know how I died?”

Christian (as Plenus):
I'm going to place my hand on her face just as softly as she placed her hand on my chest. And I'm going to use my divine power of adaptation to bring her back down from the highs she must have been on from having nearly just died and being torn out of whatever fucking reality she was just pulled out of and brought here.

Em:
Mm.

Christian:
I want to sort of adapt her molecularly even to just feel that sense of calm.

Em:
Yeah. Cool. So when you Wield a Power to do something only a God can, roll 2d6, you 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 for this to work?

Christian:
I'm desperate for her to feel better immediately.

Em:
So if you'd like to have that, you can mark one strain and get that plus one.

Christian:
That would bring me to five.

Em:
So that's your choice.

Christian:
Well… Yeah, yeah, I mean, I can't, I can't, I gotta walk the walk if I'm talking the talk. If, if I had one opportunity to bring her back and bring her back safely, she's a better one to do this than me. Yes.

Em:
Okay. Okay. So we'll resolve the Wielding of Power first, and then we will resolve Succumbing to your Fifth Strain. Holy moly. Okay. So you're close to a shrine lair or domain of the God you took this from. Not at all. So you get a plus one for this. So roll me that 2d6 with a plus one.

Christian:
Double ones. Double fucking ones.

Em:
I feel like that makes sense.

Christian:
That is the TTRPG gods speaking to us. Fucking double ones.

Em:
The dice tell a story. On a miss below six, your power sputters and your enemies seize on your weakness. You suffer two strain instead to achieve the full effect before they can react. Whoo, okay. So, as you attempt to wield a power that is generally or that has generally been only used on yourself, you do your utmost to adapt that for her and it doesn't land. You feel the divinity, the power kind of spurting out as you realize that you have expended too much of your own resources in this moment. But of course you would. It's her.

And you suffer your fifth and sixth strain. So when you suffer your fifth strain, you get to choose whether you succumb or persevere. If you succumb and you choose to die in this moment, you describe how divinity explodes from you as you die, changing the Cradle forever. And if you choose to persevere, you roll 2d6. On a hit, seven to nine, you clear one strain, but also reveal one to your opponent as you fight through the pain. I honestly think at this point the opponent is yourself.

On a strong hit, divinity surges through you. You clear all strain and describe how you forge ahead, turning a dire situation on its head. On a miss, you fall unconscious. You clear one strain, which I'll allow you to bring down to four. And the GM will describe the desperate scene you find yourself in as you wake.

Christian:
Okay. So I'm gonna choose obviously to try and persevere.

Em:
Oh my goodness.

Christian:
It's a six and a five.

Em:
Incredible! Let's go!

Jannes:
The Dice are telling a story.

Em:
So on a strong hit, over 10, divinity surges through you. You clear all strain. Describe to me how in this moment, you could have succumbed to death here. Tell me how you forge ahead, turning this dire situation on its head. Tell me how you do this.

Christian:
I think when I touch her, everything slows down. Everything moves. It's almost like that scene in all the Flash movies where he's like, you know, they show him in super speed and everything else is going incredibly slowly, right? That starts to happen. And I think all of the color in this room, all of the scenery, everything, my brother, Nelle in front of me, it all is sucked away like quick vacuum through a black hole. And I, for a fraction of a second with my hand outstretched on this face, which is no longer there, I am in a sort of white expanse of nothing. And in that moment, I realized that my mission for the last few years, since Nelle left, was to make it back to her.

Em:
Hmm.

Christian:
And not the Nelle that's here now, the Nelle that I lost. And though they are now one in the same, almost, I don't have an after for this because she's here now. And so there's a… there's an untethering that happens, and it's not from the world that I'm in, it's from this excuse I was giving myself. It's from this other life, this other choice that doesn't exist anymore because of what my brother just did. And in this void, in this white expanse of nothing, I begin to laugh, because it is all so crystal clear right now.

And all of the colour then explodes back into the room and my brother's standing there and Nelle is there and the scene takes shape again. And with my hand outstretched on her chin, on her cheek, I think for a moment my eye colour changes to match hers and there's just a lock that happens, that holds in place.
And uh… I say..

Christian (as Plenus):
“I've wanted to say sorry to you for so very long. But I can't.”

Em (as Nelle):
“What are you sorry for?”

Christian:
“Well, that's the thing. I can't say I'm sorry because I'm not sorry anymore.”

Em (as Nelle):
“I told you not to follow me. Or the other part of me told you not to follow me.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Yes. But if I don't follow you, and you don't die, I never meet my brother, and we don't find ourselves here today. Do you trust me?”

Em (as Nelle):
“Yeah, and uh I think there's a part of me that's realizing that I actually did my job. I found the Godkiller.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“You did. You found half of the Godkiller. But yes, you did. Alright, shall we go get to the Godkilling?”

Em (as Nelle):
“Yeah. Can you guys help me up, please?”

Em:
And you help her to her feet. She leans on. She leans on you, Plenus, and she accepts the help from Inanis and she tisks at you. Before all of this started, you had simply asked where are we supposed to go? And she's able to orient you on the map and bring you forward - it is very slow going. Not to mention you have someone who has almost died because you reorganized their brain.

There are piles and piles of rubble. There's causeways and entire rooms that are caved in, you suppose, in attempts to trap anyone who managed to escape the blade and the arcane assaults of the followers of Halinaea and Ashmedai and the Strix.

Nelle to her credit, she does as much lifting as she can once she regains some steadiness on her feet. She's not going to let you take all the credit here. And she begins to guide you down one of the hallways that she had investigated most recently before your presence interrupted that and she was forced to return to the main lobby. You see writing on each of these doorways, each of these archways, and she looks at the both of you.

Em (as Nelle):
“I feel like I should be able to figure this out. It's like there's a part of a cipher that I'm missing.” And she looks at you, she goes, “I can't read that. Do you know that language?”

Christian:
Do I know that language?

Em:
The two of you can read this so easily. This is the same language that was written on the outside of the temple. She is missing something. She's not the Godkiller. This is not for her to read. This is for you. And at this point, most of these signs are just titles for what wing of the temple you're travelling into. You see what looks to be living quarters, communal spaces, and rooms for prayer and formal gathering.

Finally, you kind of navigate your way through, taking some chances, coming up with dead ends. It takes you about four or five hours to start navigating this labyrinthine, you know, causeways and tunnels that start to generally slope downward into what you know is the mountain itself.

You come down one long hallway and you're presented with three pathways. They're barred by solid metal doors, they're decorated in obsidian and marble and onyx. They're stunningly beautiful. This is the most ornate decoration that you have seen anywhere within this temple. And they're intact. You see the words on them. And before each door, there is a small plinth, that seems to have a metal bowl at the top of it. And the words that are depicted on the doors do not necessarily translate. They are proper names. So they just simply are words that you're reading.

On the left-hand door, you see the word Myosenem. On the middle door, you see the word Algeane. And on the right-hand door, you see the word Lethe.

And you know, Inanis, from the information you gained from the study, that Lethe is what you're looking for.

Christian:
I think for colour, just for a little flavour, I feel like we probably read this out loud together at the same time and do that creepy twin shit where they just deliver it as we see it. We probably read it out loud for Nelle.

Em:
For Nell's benefit, yeah.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Alright well... Lethe is.. it is, I think that's the one we should go down.”

Em (as Nelle):
“What's in the other two?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I don't know. I... I should tell you. As you are, you're Eutoches as well. There might be another option, to appeasing Archeveleon.”

Em (as Nelle):
“What do you mean another option? Our job is to, sorry, your job…”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Is to bring him to rest.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Right.”

Em (as Nelle):
“Yes.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“And we have been told that is through killing him for a long, long time. But I uncovered a prophecy that spoke of bringing the River back…”

Em (as Nelle):
“The River?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“And killing Ashmedai and Halinaea and that being able to bring him back to rest. Now, I will kill Archeveleon if that is what is required. But I have promised my brother that I will be open to other possibilities. So.”

Em (as Nelle):
“He can be kind of convincing like that. I remember that.”

Jannes:
He's a real pain in the ass.

Em:
And there's a moment, Plenus, that you see, it is such a, there is a simplistic pattern that Nell and Ananas fall into for just a brief halfstep. That you see your brother and your partner teasing you together.

It's a flicker. And then it passes again back into the more serious of the moment.

Christian:
It's bizarre.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“We will start with Lethe.. And if it doesn't work then we will explore the other doors.”

Em (as Nelle):
“Okay, yeah, I mean, I trust your judgement.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Alright.”

Em (as Nelle):
“I don't remember reading about any of this anywhere. I think.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Wait, wait, wait. This first option, lethe, that is the option that is non-lethal? Correct, brother?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Hmm, this is where we will find him. I...mean to go to him. And ask him, simply if there is another way. He yearns for peace. I do not know if he yearns for death.”

Christian:
I think I've become very sheepish and childlike in this moment. And I think I've also just been attached to Nelle and supporting her and giving her as much support I can in this new thing that just happened to her. And also she's weak from her experience. So I move over to you and you see that sort of childlike demeanor take over and I just I say to you,

Christian (as Plenus):
“I can't watch her die again This is what I was afraid of.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I understand.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I don't, I don't, we have to find another way because I'm not going to let her die a second time. I don't care why it would be necessary. It's... I can't do it.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“If I have to kill him, if that is the only way - I have made arrangements for you.”

Em (as Nelle):
“To go where?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“To go to Soevan.”

Em (as Nelle):
“Soevan?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“To sleep.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
There is a... place that the dreamers go… that will be safe.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“We think.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Brother, it's all I can give. A chance.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I don't mean to sound ungrateful.”

Christian:
I don't think I've said this to you yet. This is Christian talking, but it occurs to me that Plenus would feel the same way, which is:

Christian (as Plenus):
“I love you, brother. Thank you for trying. For caring.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“You are. The last thing that ties me to what is left of my humanity, and I will not have that die. But we must... We must go see the nothing. I think that is the only place to find answers.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“After you.”

Em:
Nelle looks back and forth between the two of you.

Em (as Nelle):
“But you have to do it. Otherwise, the death of every Eutocious that has come before us means nothing. I remember my dad talking about a gap in the generation of people in our family. He wanted to have had Barrencliff as a place where we could go and be and understood and to learn about our history.

You have to do it. Both of you. Whatever will come will come and we don't know what happens after. You have to do it.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I will see you done.”

Em:
She looks to you, Plenus.

Christian:
I say nothing because yeah, it doesn't matter what she's talking about right now. She's not dying a second time. It's not gonna happen. I don't give a fuck about the world if she's back in it. I love you very much, in my head I think, but you don't have a say in this. We're the Godkiller.
Em:
She clocks you saying nothing and… you've seen that look on her face before. The sense of, we'll talk about this later, but you don't know when later it would be. But she, to her credit gives you the space that your title gives you. She respects that.

Em (as Nelle):
“Okay, yeah. If you don't want to go into the other rooms, that makes sense. I don't know what's in there. I don't recognize the words at all.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Well, I mean it. I guess it doesn't hurt to look.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“It might hurt to look.”

Em:
Which room would you like to go to?

Jannes:
I'll take a peek. What's the one all the way on the left?

Em:
It’s the Myosenem.

Jannes:
Yeah, I will take a peek in the Myosenem room.

Em:
Okay, so you come up to the door.

Jannes (as Inanis):
‘All right, everybody stand clear.”

Jannes:
I'm gonna lean forward, put my hand on the door. Is there any sort of indication as to how this would open?

Em:
There is not, but as you touch the door, you are blown back across the room, you hit the back wall and you suffer one strain.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Ugh.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Oh no. See, this is not a time to say I told you so, but…”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Alright.”

Em:
There is however, a bowl in front of the door. I feel like everyone needs, I have been so anti in the D&D space and now I'm saying put on your D&D puzzle hats everyone.

Christian:
There's a bowl in front of the door?

Em:
There is a bowl in front of the door.

Jannes:
I'm gonna go over it.

Christian (as Plenus):
“Are you okay, brother? Are you… that look like it hurt.”

Jannes:
I'm gonna take some of the blood from pouring out of my nose from hitting the back wall, and I'm gonna kind of drip it into the bowl.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I think we might need some of yours too, brother.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Do I have to get blown against the back wall too, or can I just…”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“No, I think I can just cut you or you can cut yourself or…”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Oh. Okay, well you cut me so it's not self-inflicted.”

Jannes:
“Alright, yes.” And I will just prick the tip of his finger with my rapier, not with the Godkiller blade.

Em:
Yeah, probably a good idea. As both of your blood mingles together in the bowl, you see that it swirls around in a concentric pattern and seems to settle around a dark black obsidian rock in the bottom and is sucked into it. And you hear the door unlock.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Do you want to get that?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Well, I wonder, brother, this might be meant for solely you and I. What if she is harmed by setting foot in there?”

Em (as Nelle):
“I can wait. One of us should keep watch anyway. Just keep the door open and I'll yell if I need something.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Well, we shouldn't leave you here when there's angry Gods after us too. I just don't know what the right move is at this moment. We can try, but if you start feeling any other sort of way, you should leave.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“She’ll be safe.”

Em (as Nelle):
“I don't want to be a liability.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“That's a good point. She'll be safe. Let's go.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“You already are.”

Em (as Nelle):
“Well, that's not my choosing, Plenus.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I know, I know, I know, I'm sorry.”

Em (as Nelle):
“It’s okay.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Okay, no, it's fine. I'll, uh, after you, brother.”

Jannes:
And I open the door and go in.

Em:
Okay. The three of you enter into the room and you see simple stone. You are standing on a stone platform that seems to jut out over a large pool of water.

What would you like to do?

Christian (as Plenus):
“Huh. Would this be considered a well? Brother, is this... Is this THE room or is this another room?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I don't know. It does seem like a well. Maybe there are three identical wells and you have to guess which one to go to the bottom of?”

Jannes:
Does the water look normal?

Em:
The water looks clear and crystal and still. It's actually clear enough that you can see the bottom of what looks like a tank. There's no, there's nothing at the bottom, it's simply a stone basin of water.

Christian:
Was there anything in front of the other doors?

Em:
There was a bowl in front of each of the doors as well. Yes.

Christian:
Oh, okay.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Well, let's go take a peek in the other rooms. If they're all wells, then we know.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Sure, yes.”

Jannes:
We run back out, prick our fingers. Drip drip drip drop.

Em:
Okay, so you head out, you do the same ritual in front of Algeane and the blood swirls around and is absorbed into a ruby and it sinks down and you hear the door unlock.

As you go inside, you see a simple stone room. Most of this structure is stone. You are well within the mountain at this point, so these rooms have been carved out of it. And you see two chairs. They are made out of stone themselves. They sit in the center of the room. And as you go to look at them, you see that the stone is ridged into small, but exceedingly sharp points. They look pretty uncomfortable to sit on for more than a short period of time.

Jannes:
But there are two.

Em:
There are two.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Mm-hmm. You know what, brother? These rooms were made for us. So I do not think that they seek to harm us. Do you fancy a swim?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Do we, do you think, brother, that we should start on the one furthest left or continue down, Lethe, because the Study that you did said Lethe, right? But do we start in the, pick one or?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I don't believe these were meant to cause us harm. If we're the only ones who can open them, maybe they are here to impart knowledge. The followers of Nepthysaket, they have a pool of White Water. It's not clear, like the water in the other room, but when they swim in it, they are granted visions, experiences. Maybe this is something similar.”

Christian:
“Yes, yes, let's start there.”

Jannes:
“Alright.” So we'd make our way back in and I would slowly lower myself into the water.

Christian:
I turn to Nell before I go, I just say,

Christian (as Plenus):
“Please don't go anywhere. Stay here, be careful, be very careful. If there's any trouble pull us out immediately, okay?”

Em:
She smiles and she sits down cross-legged. She just kind of like.. pats you on the leg. She goes, “I'm good. I'll be okay.”

Christian:
I feel like my heart is bursting because I've seen her sit that way a million times, but not in what feels like ages. And I take in that moment one more time, and then I go in behind my brother.

Em:
You jump in the water, submerging yourself in. Do you cover your heads? Do you go fully under the water?

Christian:
You went first. Are you going to?

Jannes:
Um, yeah, I would, I would go in the same way that I had seen or heard, um, followers of Nepthysaket as it kept doing sort of like submersed, submerging myself in the water.

Christian:
Then I’ll do the same.

Em:
Ok. Then, Inanis. We will start with you first. So now. You can roll as many d6 as you like up to 6d6. However, for every d6 you roll, I ask you a question. And there is a potential of something on the other side. You can go one at a time. You don't have to tell me how many d6s you roll, but you can decide how many times you do this - how many times you open yourself up to the pool.

Jannes:
And what am I looking to roll? Like what number am I looking to roll?

Em:
On the d6 you roll, corresponds to something.

Jannes:
Ah, okay. So I can ask six questions, and for each one I have to roll a d6.

Em:
potentially.

Jannes:
Alright, I rolled my first one.

Em:
Okay.

Jannes:
I rolled a 6.

Em:
Okay, as you open yourself up to the water, an understanding comes to you.

Myosenem is the word in this language for memory. A question is posed to you by the water:
What is the memory you languish in the longest?

Jannes:
I think that has to be the memory of… like the mornings spent with Katani before she awoke. I mean, I've referred to those memories before, earlier in a different session, but there were those, there were times where she would still be sleeping and he would be awake. And I think those are the… The memories that if he lets himself start to think about them, he has a hard time getting himself back out.

Em:
The pool grants you this moment of peace, letting you sit with this memory. It is comfortable. It's been a long time since you've thought about it because you try and keep pushing and pushing and pushing it away.

And looking at her, you know the memory is ending because it always ends just before she wakes up. And as the memory fades, you may clear one strain. As the memories soothe you, then bring you peace.

Jannes:
Alright, I am going to roll again. That is a 1.

Em:
Okay. Shaking off the previous memory… difficult to let go of. Your attention is pulled elsewhere. As you cannot help but a smile starts to cross your face as the pool asks you: What is the memory that brings you the most joy?

Jannes:
I think, growing up, Inanis didn't have a lot in terms of, he grew up quite poor. And there were occasions when his mom would get home from work, and she would bring him sort of like some sort of sweet baked good that she had found some money for. And she would bring it and they would share it.

And I think as he… As he finds himself in that memory, he looks down and he sees the baked good. And he looks up, he can't see her face because that's what he gave up.

Em:
So this memory that brings you so much joy now even sits with such a hint of sadness to it. Something missing that you willingly gave up. The smile stays, even though it hurts a bit.

And you are granted a plus one or minus one to any role.

Jannes:
Alright, I'm gonna roll one more time. That is a five.

Em:
Okay. Grateful that you're underwater, and potentially you don't have to explain why a joyous memory causes a tear to form in the corner of your eye. You feel a cold sensation rush around you, and the pool requests of you: What is the memory of when you felt the most alive?

Jannes:
I think it's something that he has a hard time sort of wrapping his head around and rationalizing, but anytime he wields the power of a god, I think he feels alive in a way that...
and that's embarrassing to admit that it feels so good. I think it's like… when you've done certain drugs, life without drugs sort of takes on a sort of a pale. And I think he finds himself in that sort of like, when he feels absolute power and the ability to sort of mold the universe to his will. It's a thrill even though it's terrifying.

And I think that moment of retribution against Ashemedai's priest and being able to protect someone that he loved. I think that's the moment that he felt the most alive.

Em:
The cold sensation brings such a wonderful shock to your senses, as you hold that memory there. The pool revels in this. You feel the revelling of the Godkiller wielding the powers of gods that he killed.

And in this moment, you are granted the ability to wield a power once from a power you have already given up.

Jannes:
Okay. I think he would… Having felt that last one, the last two really, both feeling booned by them, but also disturbed by the taint to them of what he has had to do and become. Um, I think he would swim back to the top.

Em:
Okay. Plenus, as your head fully submerges under the water, I would say you can roll as many d6s as you like here, and I'll ask you a question for each one.

Christian:
I'm just gonna roll one, I think. It is a 3.

Em:
Perfect. Plenus, something that comes to mind as you submerge yourself…The water begins to feel comfortably warm like a bath. And you remember that you have been trying so hard, using your powers and yourself to calm the emotions of others where you often are a tempest, your emotions everywhere. What is the memory that brings you the most peace?

Christian:
About 15 minutes ago watching my brother and my partner, my life partner, banter over my sake.

Em:
It's strong. Being so fresh. You can hold it and see it so clearly, and bolstered by the fact that you will see the two of them again in under a minute.

And you are granted the ability to turn an overkill into a regular hit if you so choose.

Christian:
Okay.

Em:
So as you both crest the water up, pulling yourself out, Nelle kind of extends her hands.

Em (as Nelle):
“No gods yet. Next one?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Yes, let's see what the next one shows us.”

Jannes:
Yeah, we would go and I think... Yeah, I think we would just go and have a... I would go sit.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Would you care to join me, brother?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Yes.”

Em:
Okay, the chairs hurt. Your clothes are wet at this point, so there is little buffeting of what it feels like as these prick your skin. It doesn't break the skin, but it is meant to hurt, and sitting in the chair, you understand. Algeane means pain.

So here, same rules as before. You can roll some d6s, and I will ask you a question for each.

Christian:
Would you like to go first, Jannes?

Jannes:
Yeah, I'm gonna roll just one this time. Five on the dice.

Em:
As you settle into the chair. There's something that twinges in you slightly. Your mind is pulled to your brother and to Nelle. And while that fades, the pain asks you a question:

When did you feel the most jealousy?

Jannes:
The first time that he met Plenus and Plenus told him that he'd had a relationship with Katani. And there was a moment where he thought… that somehow it had all been a play by her and that somehow she had either cared for him as much as she cared for him for Plenus or that she didn't care for him at all but just that moment where he found out about it. I think…

I think it was… a realization for him that was his biggest obstacle in completing what he'd set up to do was her.

Em:
Okay, sitting here, moving through that feeling. Pain is a funny thing - can dull other senses, other feelings for you. This pain both shows you this moment and helps you bear it, and I grant you essentially one re-roll.

I'm a great GM. I'm a cool GM. Giving you some big stuff before I throw some big stuff at you.

Christian:
It just makes me feel like I'm not gonna make it out of this alive because when you, when all of these boons are coming it's because the shit's about to hit the fan.

Em:
I love to give boons as a GM because for this reason, it scares my players.

Christian:
Yeah, exactly.

Em:
Okay. Plenus, same to you.

Christian:
I will roll one again. Let’s see. That is a two.

Em:
Okay. The pain sinks into you... yet, physical pain can be ignored. Emotional pain often cannot.

The pain asks you, when did you feel the most heartbreak?

Christian:
I think that there are two answers, the one that comes up immediately that I don't say, which is holding Nelle as she died. But I think that has been supplanted by and almost impulsively or without me wanting it to come to the surface. I think the memory that comes to the surface immediately after is watching my brother not too long ago say that… essentially that he would risk everything for... Nelle and I. For me. For me, and that he would do what he needed to do. Because that, I think in this moment when I'm asked, I realized that I might, there may be a world in which we survive, but it would mean surviving without him.

Em:
You contemplate this juggling the sensation of the physical pain and reliving this emotional pain as your eye drifts over to Inanis sitting next to you, and you gain a plus one on any divine move for having confronted your own pain in the face of the end.

Christian:
Okay, all right.

Em:
Throughout this, Nelle has been watching you sit silently, cross-legged again on the floor. And as the two of you kind of come back to the room...

Em (as Nelle):
“Last one?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Let's go finally meet them.”

Em (as Nelle):
“Alright.”

Christian:
I think I'm moving slowly, more slow than I usually do. It's not an intentional slowness. This is, or like a methodical nature. This is just.. if I could, I would baby step every way, like little millimetre by millimetre to this next door, because I am dreading whatever is coming, because I don't… I don't want to lose anyone. And I don't want to lose.

Jannes:
I think you would see that in Inanis is… He has a fatigue to him. That is like someone who is looking forward to laying down and having a sleep.

And we would drip, drip into the last bowl.

Em:
Okay. You enter in to Lethe, and this word swims around in your mind a bunch of words flooding through. Void, oblivion, forgetfulness, peace.

And rather than opening up to an empty room, you see a hallway that is smaller and leads down at a sharp angle. You see sconces along the wall. And as you move, all of you, three of you into the room, a similar familiar black flame gives off a small amount of light to help you chart a course down. It looks like this stairway leads at a quite sharp descent.

What would you like to do?

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Shall we go, brother?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I really don't want to.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“We don't have to do anything yet, we can just see what's at the bottom.”

Christian (as Plenus):
Can we just take a second, here with each other. We don't have to speak, we don't have to...
I just want to stand here with you two. Okay”

Em (as Nelle):
“Plenus, though I'm just learning about it now, you and I have had time together. And I am assuming that it is much more than the time you've had with him. And I say this in no means to compare anything. But I'm gonna step back. And I think you two need to take a moment for the two of you before we go anywhere else.”

Em:
She like takes the two of your hands and she places them together. She kinda like squeezes them.

And she looks at the both of you and she says,

Em (as Nelle):
"'Cause I know nothing about this. And I'm gonna wait over here while you sort through some of that.”

Em:
She takes a couple steps away and does her utmost to give you space in the most silent and empty chamber deep down below a mountain in the middle of nowhere.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I don't know about you, but after those last two rooms, I feel...emboldened. I struggle to understand what, why a God would wish to aid us so much in his own end.”

Christian (as Plenus):
I would have liked very much, to have you as a brother when I was younger, Inanis, and in truth? You are the kind of man I hoped to be, but lack the courage to be. Lack the resolve to be. My why was taken away from me. And your why you relinquished to save us.

I think you understand more than anyone else in this entire world, what Archeveleon is feeling. I wish you didn't feel it. I wish I could take that from you. I wish I could share that with you. But I feel happy. I feel happy here with you and her, and I will, whatever comes next, remember that feeling and do my very best to search for it every day.

Thank you for giving me that back.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“It's sometimes much easier to take care of others than it is to take care of yourself. I… It’s
funny that you look to me and wish you could be like me.

I wish I could have been like you for her. I wish that… I wish that my choices didn't say that our love didn't matter.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I think we can only be who we are, brother. And you do that exceptionally well.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I'm tired.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Let's get you some rest.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I don't yearn for the end because I feel that that's what I must do. I yearn for the end because… I don't know how else to get any rest.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Maybe that's what they're feeling too, brother. Maybe we have common ground with Archeveleon.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I would like to meet them.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I think I would too.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Not with plans of the demise, but just… Just to finally meet the person who changed our course. It's as if this journey that you and I have been on has simply been one of trying to teach us what it feels like to be them.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“In a way, we have Archeveleon to thank for bringing us together. We should go thank him.”

Jannes:
I would reach out and take Plenus’ hand in mine and walk down the stairs.

Em:
Okay.

Nelle walks a step or two behind you and you begin the descent downward. You travel for an hour, two hours, four hours. Time begins to slip and lose meaning. You are both so tired. It has been a long time since you've slept. The tunnels wind and twist down with simple stone stairs. There's barely six inches on either side of you. It is claustrophobic. And you lose sense of direction as you just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

You finally exit out into another large empty chamber. You see that the room seems to empty out onto a ledge that stretches out about 15 feet from the door and just drops off. A huge crack running between this side and the far side. The gap itself seems to be about 100 feet wide. It feels in here like being in the house with the dying Eutoches It feels like a hollow, crippling nothing. A nothing without end.

Nelle is struggling slightly, as you see her try and manage the feeling of retching. And yet for the two of you, your breath is calm. There is no fear. You’re home.

As you approach the edge, there are no stairs. You have no idea how deep it goes. There is a small stone sign or placard just to your right with writing on it in both the language here from Barrencliff and the common tongue of the Cradle

And it says, They who jump into the void hold no explanation to those who watch.

What would you like to do?

Christian:
Plenus is a scribe, he's a writer, and he understands the power of language. And I don't think he's ever felt a clarity like the clarity that's hit him just now with those words, because it takes so much courage to leap. And I've watched my brother leap over and over since this has begun. And I've been hesitant and I've been afraid. And I think that is all let go when I read it. And I let go of his hand. And I turn to look at Nelle. I take her in. And I jump.

Em:
Do you jump while holding her?

Christian:
No.

Em:
Okay. As Plenus almost abruptly pushes Nelle back and with no malice just momentum and falls off the edge. She looks to you.

Em (as Nelle):
“I don't think I'm supposed to go down there.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“No. Thank you for coming this far with us.”

Em (as Nelle):
“Okay. Um…I should wait here? I don't want to wait here, I want to go down with you. Both. Not just for him, but for you. I don't know you. But he cares for you. That feels important, even if I'm still grappling with how much I care for him. Or what my care was for him. Even before… with the other side.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Just promise me that when this is all done. You look after him.”

Em (as Nelle):
“I can't make you promises that I can't keep. I will do everything I can, but I don't know what's gonna happen when you do it.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Promise me you'll try.”

Em (as Nelle):
“Yeah, of course, Inanis. Of course I will.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Then he will see you shortly.”

Jannes:
And I think I would just turn and fall. I would fall backwards.

Em:
You both jump, entering into freefall. You feel the air rushing past you, but you never fully reach terminal velocity. You carry on through this endlessness and, with an echo back to your first meeting, a falling towards Archeveleon, you seem to slow down, drifting like a feather to the floor. You've reached the bottom of the Chasm of Lethe.

Jannes:
Can I interrupt you just quickly?

Em:
Of course.

Jannes:
I would like to, on my fall…

Em:
Yeah.

Jannes:
I would like to make a mortal move.

Em:
Please.

Jannes:
I'd like to Pray for Guidance.

Em:
Hmm. Wonderful.

Jannes:
When you pray for guidance, name the aid you seek and answer one. The GM will describe the aid that actually comes as they answer the other. I want to... what kind of God answers your prayers, I'll answer. And I want it to be, Soevan. And I just want to say...

Jannes (as Inanis):
“It's the beginning of the end. Get her to safety.”

Em:
I'll answer the other. What unclear omens or visions besiege you? As you call to Soevan in this moment, you get this image of her brushing Kindri's hair. She's enraptured with it, putting braids and plaits into one of her eldest daughter’s long long locks.

And she looks up, hearing this, your call from across planes. You hear, you see her look around. You see her start trying to count how many of her children are there.

But she hears you.

Em (as Soevan):
“The doorway to the Dreamscape will always be open for her. I don't know how long she would languish here. She would spend her time in the River, and for a hope beyond hope... No matter what she did or did not remember… She'd wait for you. But I will call her.”

Em:
And I think as that fades, you see almost all of the Kalashtar spring to action and attempt to call their siblings to bring them home as you continue your fall.

As you reach the bottom, there is no light. You strictly have the lantern to guide you. You look around and it's dark. You don't know how, you assume it's about a hundred feet wide. You don't know how long it stretches on in either direction. And about 20 feet in front of you, there sits a well, a hole in the floor of this chasm - about 10 feet in diameter, and it is surrounded by circles containing arcane runes, symbols, and language carved into the stonework.

You see that there seems to be a seat that essentially would fill most of the space big enough to fit two and a winch to lower you down at the pace of your choosing.

What would you like to do here?

Jannes (as Inanis):
“It seems that there's a seat waiting for us.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“No time like the present, brother.”

Jannes:
Can I glean anything from the runes or the inscriptions on the ground?

Em:
Would you like to use a move to do so? I don't think I can give you that one for free.

Jannes:
Sure! All right, all right, let's do something fun. Let's say...

Jannes:
Okay, okay. I'm gonna Wield a Power.

Em:
Ooh.

Jannes:
I'm gonna wield the power of Allseia. I'm gonna orchestrate reality.

Em:
We stan Allseia in this house.

Jannes:
The reality I want to orchestrate is I want to change the language that these are written into, into a language that I can understand.

Christian:
That's so sexy. That sexy swashbuckler shit right there.

Em:
Oh man. If this wasn't a collaborative game where there is no antagonist, if I was a traditional GM in this standpoint, yeah, man. Okay.

Jannes:
You be choked.

Em:
I’d be choked. That's a brilliant use of this move to Wield the Power. You still have to roll for it. So let's, uh..

Jannes:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got to reroll and a plus one if things go poorly though, so. Cause I got a cool GM.

Em:
You sure do.

Christian:
We're about to face the end of all things, so maybe hold on to those, alright brother?

Em:
So when you wield the power to do something. Only a god can, roll 2d6. Add one for each true statement. You've done this specific act before perfectly? No. You're desperate for this to work?

Jannes:
Yeah, I'll mark one strain.

Em:
Okay, how many strains are you at?

Jannes:
Oh, I got healed one.

Em:
You did.

Jannes:
Um, but I am at two.

Em:
Okay, that's good to know.

Jannes:
Don't say it like that.

Christian:
No, I didn't like that either though.

Em:
Well, I have to keep track of those things. We're almost at the end of things.

Jannes:
I need to get to five at the end, right? Okay.

Christian:
No, that's not a goal!

Em:
You're close to a shrine, lair, or domain of the god you took this power from. No, unfortunately not. So unless you're wanting to use one of your boons, this will just be a flat roll of 2d6.

Jannes:
Do I have to say I'm using the boons before? I mean, not the reroll, but the plus one probably before, eh?

Em:
No, you can use that after seeing the result, but before I tell you, before we figure out what's going on. So you can, you can decide.

Jannes:
So I rolled a 6 and I have a plus 1 because I marked one strain. So that is a 7.

Em:
Okay, on a hit, you do it. What are you looking for?

Jannes:
I'm just looking to understand what it says. I'm just trying to get an idea of, I guess, what we're agreeing to, essentially. I assume that the runes essentially are a way of gaining almost consent, in a way of like, hey, if you sit in this chair and go down, you are consenting to deal with whatever happens below. And I want to know what exactly are the terms of the agreement.

Em:
Fantastic. You look to try and comprehend these series of six to eight concentric circles that ring the well, marking its place at the bottom of the Chasm of Lethe, and you find nothing of what you're looking for. You do, however, find two of those rings place calls out amongst the universe for two specific beings.It doesn't say who, but it is an arcane language. A summoning ritual.

The others are warnings, entreating those who do not belong here not to come down.
One ring speaks of patience, of biding time.

Jannes:
I think I would be like taking this in as I walk over them. And when I see the one about summoning two things, I would stop. Do I get the impression that this was added after? Has this been modified from what was originally? Like, is this carved differently? Is this.. Does this feel like it was here in the beginning?

Em:
I'm gonna have you roll to Tempt Fate.

Jannes:
Alright.

Christian:
Oh shit.

Em:
So when you tempt fate with your actions, I will say what perilous feat you were accomplishing in Roll 2D6, you're looking at stuff that wasn't meant to be examined.

Jannes:
By the players or by the characters.

Em:
But by the characters for sure. I had anticipated that you were gonna, you were, I didn't think you were just gonna waltz right down to the well. There was gonna be some, there was gonna be some shit. Alright.

Jannes:
I'd like to make the argument that a skilled ally is lending a hand. My brother happens to be very adept at languages.

Em:
Yes, I will take that. I will accept that.

Jannes:
Perfect.

Em:
You have no other options. I don't think that's true. I think you have other options.

Jannes:
No. Yeah, I could ignore it.

Em:
And you're far from any God who wishes you harm. No, that place doesn't exist for you anymore. Sorry.

Jannes:
and so plus one. Alright, big money, no whammies. Oh, yes, that is a seven plus one for an eight.

Em:
Okay. You strain and struggle, try and get through to the minutiae of what has occurred here, whether this was built in by the people who… created this well, the original people from Barrencliff, or whether this was altered, potentially following the Devoid Massacre.

These were added.

Jannes:
I think that would look like he would bend down and he would run his finger through the grooves and sort of bring it to his tongue. He would just taste brimstone ever so slightly.

Em:
The outer one tastes like brimstone. Do you touch the inner one?

Jannes:
Yeah.

Em:
It smells like ozone.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Brother my… these two rings, when we go down. We need to go down to see Archeveleon, but if we go down, these two rings will summon Halinaea and Ashmedai.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“That makes sense, doesn't it? That feels right. Let them come.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“The heavens must fall and hell must freeze over. I think our options are… We either kill Archeveleon or we kill the other two. Maybe that's what they're talking about.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Well.. It feels like they were orchestrating this so that we could kill... get all the Gods out of the way for them. Maybe they are the real enemy. So the moment we descend, they'll come. So we won't have any time to speak with Archeveleon beforehand, will we? Is that what you think?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I don't know how fast they will get here. Just that they will be summoned. I don't know if it's a instantaneous thing or if it's a ‘they know.’”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Well, they already know we're here, right? They followed us. They sent their minions. Maybe they can't... Well, we know they can't access this place. They have to be invited in, sort of. They're barred from it. Until we descend, I think. Or they would have come in already, right?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I don't know if they can get to him, but they've been to this room. These circles were left by them. I would attempt to disrupt them in an attempt to stop them from coming, but I think… I think that we have to face them.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Together or do we…”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“At least now we know they'll come.”

Christian:
Right. There is the option of you descending and me staying up here in case they come so that they don't interrupt you or vice versa, whichever you prefer, but or we go down together and we face whatever… we face whatever comes together.

Em:
Inanis, you would remember that at the bottom of the prophecy that spoke of the heavens falling and hells freezing, there was a few small words: together, or not at all.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“You and I have faced much of life alone. I will not face this without you.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Well… Let me see if I can help us.”

Christian:
I am going to, I'm looking at the sheet now because I would like to manifest a miracle.

Em:
Oh, we're out here just manifesting miracles, are we? Okay. What would you like to do?

Christian:
Yes, I will sacrifice the only power I have, my adaptability. And I will attempt to remove whatever spell calls them here before we descend. I'll try and remove that inscription in those two or three concentric circles that would call them. I want to break it and I want I don't want them on our heels so I'm going to try and manifest that miracle.

Em:
Hmm. There are two circles. This would require two miracles. Which one do you choose to disrupt with this miracle?

Christian:
I can only get one of them, right?

Em:
Mm-hmm.

Christian (as Plenus):
“Brother, which of the two are more dangerous, in your opinion? They're Gods, so they're probably both dangerous, but which do we really not want on our heels?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“No but brother, I think we want them on our heels.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“We want them there. We don't want them. Okay.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I think we want to face them. If the prophecy is true and we kill them, that might be the way of doing this without ending everything. I think it was always meant to be this way. I think, they, in setting a trap for us, have set a trap for themselves.”

Christian (as Plenus)
“Okay, I'm afraid we won't have much time with them Archeveleon before they arrive, and they might rush our decision here, but… But I trust you. I trust you implicitly. So... I will do what you ask.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Let's… Let's go meet them for however brief it might be.”

Jannes:
I would go and sit on... I feel like I would sit on the left.

Em:
Well, as you broach the outer ring, your foot crossing the threshold, you see it light up and thrum, a red light whipping around, igniting all the arcane runes. As your next foot crosses the inner ring, a piercing white light arcs up.in the opposite direction. The ground begins to rumble and shake. The winch stays put. And a pulse of energy emanates out.

Inanis, you are blown off the seat, probably about 15 feet away from it. Plenus, you land, you are a couple feet back, so you simply fall down on your back. And that's when you feel the heat. You smell the sulfur, as you shield your eyes from the glow as a rift opens and you see a massively tall figure step through. Two large ram horns curling up at least three feet and emerging from the creature's head, covered with slick gray hair and goat-like face and ears. He is otherwise humanoid, shirtless, under spiked shoulder pauldrons and an intricate neck plate, matching golden bracers, leaving hands that fade from rosy-toned skin to dark soot black with long pointed fingernails. His skirts flow blood red, secured with a wide leather belt, the large garnet set amongst the design of a flaming crown. Ashmedai the Cloven, Lord of the Ninth, marks his arrival.

Inanis, as you attempt to recover yourself, you smell that ozone once more, almost lingering around your mouth as you had tasted. You hear the crackle of electricity before a bolt of lightning strikes down just about almost between your legs in front of you. You reel back instinctually and when you turn, you see standing in its place a femme presenting figure with long flowing blonde hair that stretches almost as long as the fabrics of her hooded golden dress. She wears intricate platinum scaled armour and light radiates off her, illuminating this entire space, probably in a hundred feet in either direction. Her fingertips crackle with electricity as The High Nova, Halinaea, joins the fray.

[‘Something & Nothing’: Main Theme begins, composed by Sean McRoberts]

Em:
Godkiller: Oblivion is performed by Em Carlson, Christian Navarro & Jannes Wessels. Special thanks to our campaign artist, Mischi. You can find her at @Mischiart on Twitter, as well as to Sean McRoberts, for our composing ‘Something & Nothing’, our main theme for this episode. Music and effects by Epidemic Sound. For more stories, come follow us everywhere at @blackwaterdnd, and be 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. This show is made possible by our patrons, and sponsors who graciously support us playing pretend and having feelings about it. 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 series like this one! 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!