![[Spoilers C3E101] Downfall Conclusion](https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/17ba0a0e-13f8-4f22-a7c4-bb72cd02f29d.jpeg){kind=link}
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Runtime Break start 6h 30m 1h 51m
Episode 101: Downfall: Part Three
For those coming back, the gods have not only infiltrated the city of Aeor, but have infiltrated Exandria itself. A plan decades in the making while Exandria remained choked under ash and beset by monstrous hordes of the armies of the gods both Prime and Betrayer alike.
A plan was hatched to bypass the magical wards of the mighty city of Aeor; for the gods to take mortal form to pass those boundaries that only mortals could pass.
Having arrived in Aeor disguised as humble ground-dwelling mortals bringing food. Probably the last thing tethering Aeor to terrestrial Exandria. The gods and their companions discovered that they would need to work quickly, that the Factorum Malleus was all but operational.
Moving swiftly, our divine protagonists (we have to wait to find out if the word ‘heroes’ is appropriate or not) discovered the Archmage Cassida Preven who was working on the Factorum Malleus. Part of a secret society of Aeorian archmages dedicated to helping the Prime Deities win the Calamity. After all this is a war between gods isn’t it? Or are they not so much enemies as family?
We also discovered the Obtenebrator Engine and beneath it The Scribe (an Aeormaton tasked with operating the massive obfuscation that is hiding the city from divine sight, but also in the event of an emergency, broadcast the schematics of the Factorum Malleus across Exandria; an insurance policy should the gods somehow bypass Aeor’s defenses). It took less than six seconds for you to dispatch them.
We return now to an extra-dimensional holding chamber (a “back room” if you will) of the Ars Elysia (the hidden speakeasy/society of beauty/nightclub run by SILAHA aka The Arch Heart). Within this realm, you now appear:
- The six of you
- Cassida Preven (one of the archmages who crafted the Factorum Malleus)
- Your sister and companion Arcadia (also masquerading as an Aeorian archmage; one of the two deities to have spent some time in Aeor.
- Zaharzht, Father Milo Caust, and Tishar
All of you dwell now under scintillating silver light forming an ovoid sphere with elongated twinkling silver strands in all directions. You do not stand on the floor so much as you hover in suspended space here in the middle. Though it is clean and scintillating and extra-dimensional, perhaps you can smell that not very long ago, a celestial died here.
You have removed the Obtenebrator Engine and thus the gods can see Aeor. You have removed the Eravox Protocol and thus their insurance policy to disseminate this knowledge has faded. In that engine room you heard winds kick up outside; omens of things to come. All that remains is the destruction of the Latimus Princeps that force keeping the gods physically away and keeping you definitively mortal. That Latimus Princeps has been integrated to and built within the weapon itself.
You have one task remaining, but can you agree on what that task is? As we enter this chamber and Cassida (standing by Trist’s side) looks as Zaharzht coughing blood. Tishar goes and flanks Cassida on the other side and puts her chin close to Cassida’s shoulder and sniffs,
Tishar:”Mortal. Funny.”
Cassida looks to all of you now gathered here after the flash of combat and feels the power radiating off of all of you (who have just unmade decades of arcane work in a matter of seconds),
Cassida:“Who is everyone here? Are you…?”
Tishar reaches up a hand and puts it on Cassida’s back.
Tishar:“This person is supposed to be here? Or they leave?”
Tishar grabs the hair on the back of her (Cassida) head. Trist takes Cassida’s hand and looks at Tishar.
Trist:”She’s with me. Please take your hand away.”
The Factorum Malleus…
That which was created to hammer the gods themselves, (The Creator Hammer in Latin).
You now behold a spherical chamber nearly 200 feet in diameter encompassing this platform emerging on a central massive column of stone and steel. The catwalk extends far back.
SILAHA, as you approach, walking to the catwalk, you see a number of figures here. On top you see a massive solar, a celestial, Acastriel, speaking to a group of three mages here (that you don’t recognize and some don’t even look like mages, necessarily), and to Adamar (the leader of The Cogence), and Selena (another archmage and your creator).
On the lower platform, two Irrevocable Automata. SILAHA, you call for Selena while approaching to announce your presence. You feel the feeling of turning a corner and having a gun pressed against your head. A feeling of sudden, cold, factual lethality, as you walk into this place. Understand that you are standing in a machine that can erase you from reality.
You see four of these wards, set into the stone and steel themselves, and three wards atop the upper station, as the machine begins to pick up speed, much like the acceleration of the Emissary earlier. You approach and speak to Selena in this moment. As you do so, you see her turn to look at you,
Selena:“SILAHA. Good, you have come. Where have you been? What have you seen? The city is in chaos.”
SILAHA:“Pure chaos. Complete disarray. Where would you need me?”
Selena:“Well, more than anywhere, we need you here. We are trying to collect as many archmagi as we can. The weapon must be used immediately.”
As she speaks to you, the solar Acastriel turns to regard you.
Acastriel:“In your heart of hearts, you are immortal, Aeormaton, and bear no truer self. Is this fact?”
SILAHA:“This is true.”
Acastriel:“I myself am not a liar.” (Solars always know if they hear a lie)
The Solar draws its sword, ready for combat.
Abubakar:“Listen man! That last one we took back, innit? So let me just…”
The Ward for Divine Prowess falls. After rolling a skill check, double the result. After calculating all bonuses, double all passive skills.
Laura:(gasps)“How dare you right now!”
Topher:“I’m here with Hailey and Dad and it’s getting kinda scary. I don’t know how much longer you’re gonna be. Do you think it’s possible to send ships back here to Hawk’s Hill? People are starting to freak out cuz there’s a place called Tallgrove or Highgrove, or something like that. People were were supposed to come back and they’re not coming back. There’s sounds coming from the forest and people are starting to run, and I think some tents are on fire.”
Trist:“Where’s your dad?”
Amaris:“Hi, darling, I’m here. There’s a man named Purvan here…”
Purvan:“It’s normal where I come from.”
Amaris:“I’m not sure, he says he’s looking out for us, but we don’t know what’s happening.”
Trist:“Listen. Go with him. Take the family and go with him, please.”
Trist:“I don’t know! This feels so wrong!”
Arcadia:“I can work a miracle in this room. No one looks to me for comfort or light or anything other than maybe things that no one should’ve known in the first place. If there’s a miracle you can work, you owe it to yourself and our family to go do it.”
Trist:“Okay.”
Arcadia:“I love you.”
Trist:“I love you.”
Trist hugs a resistant Umleta before leaving.
Umleta:“I hate it. One day I’m gonna spin you up in my web and never let you go.”
Power Word: KillTaliesin:“Don’t say that out loud!”
casts Level 9 Wishat SILAHA who uses their last luck dice to succeed halving a blast of 120 points of force damage to 60 (Finger of Death).Laura:“You didn’t destroy that shit.”
BLeeM:(laughs)“It does just say fucked.”
Turns into a massive undead dragon.
rolls a 6BLeeM bluffs Noshir to use a luck point for a reroll, who calls it and the gamble pays off.
BLeeM:“I love that. I absolutely love that. I’m not gonna lie, I fuckin’ looove that.”
Meteor Swarm!
Taliesin stands up to help and, as they discuss where to demolish, their mannerisms resemble The Property Brothers (or other any ‘open space’ remodeling show).
Adamar is evaporated.
HDYWTDT on Acastriel.
All three major wards are destroyed, god mode enabled.
BLeeM:"This is the (most) ‘Rules-Lawyer-iest’ shit I’ve ever seen.
We have
Divine Vitality
At the beginning of your turn, if you have not taken damage since the beginning of your last turn, you regenerate all hit points. All death saving throws are considered nat 20s, maximum current and temp HP granted by spells and abilities is multiplied by 10, Immunity to poison, petrification, paralysis, and disease.
Divine Magic
Once per turn, you may cast any cleric spell or domain spell of any level without using a spell slot. After calculating all bonuses, double your spell save DC. Double the range, AoE, and duration of all your spells.
and
Divine Potency
All damage from spells and weapon attacks are multiplied by 10. After rolling an attack roll, double the result. After calculating all bonuses, double your armor class. Double range with ranged weapons.
“It’s not a fair fight and it never was.”
Aeormaton:(gasps)“I believe.”
smashes nearby wardLegendary Resistance
Legendary resistances x 5. After rolling a saving throw, double the results. Immune to all non-magical damage. Immune to all damage from non-artifact weapons. Immune to all spell damage from spells of 6th level or lower. Gain 2 elemental damage immunities and 4 elemental damage resistances of your choosing.
casts SunburstNoshir:“Must be nice.”
Brennan starts clearing the platform of slain NPCs.
“Every person that I’m peeling off of the board now is one of the most brilliant mortal wizards that ever lived.”
Nick:“I was way more psyched when I started that action than I feel now.”
BLeeM:“Pah!”
BLeeM:“You will add 40 damage.”
Nick:“You’ll add 80 damage because you do double damage to objects.”
Divine Awareness
Truesight. Blindsight. Tremor Sense to 120 ft. Speak and understand all languages spoken and written. Can communicate telepathically with any creature you can see. Immune to Charmed, Frightened, Stunned, Blinded, and Deafened conditions.
Nick:“That mother father.”
casting Wish, absorbs and disseminates the design plans across the entire city of Aeor.Eldritch Blasttakes out the last aeormaton and the last ward.Divine Vigor
You regain all limited-use class features at the beginning of your turn. You’re immune to exhaustion. After calculating all bonuses, double your speed. You gain 3 Legendary Actions per round.
Across an ocean in the land of Gwessar, a bloodied werebear and a burnt dryad fight side-by-side with the champion of the Matron of Ravens. Surrounded by devils who have come to destroy this place. A massive fiend speaks up, “We do love to destroy Her followers most of all.” As the fiend raises a wicked blade over two half-furbolg children, from across an ocean, a brilliant light shines like a star lit on the horizon.
A stone from a slingshot.
The fiend’s head is destroyed. There is no chance for redemption here. As the light glows, Topher steps forward, picks up the stone and holds its partner knowing that he will never speak to his mother in this world again. Hailey puts a hand on his shoulder as the devils come, knowing that his slingshot just saved them and that it’s okay to tell a little lie.
Hailey & Topher:“I love you double triple infinity.”
The Calamity is not over, but its final chapter has begun.
Asmodeus:“You look shocked. I always look like the most beautiful person anyone has ever seen. I’m gonna tell you something now. Before she died, she renounced you.
chef's kissIt’s even better than killing a follower.”He smiles with a scroll and calls out, “Turn it on them, NOW!” and you see he holds the keys to the Factorum Malleus in his hands.
Every wizard of flesh and blood within Aeor is seeded by her
Wishwith the knowledge of how to create the Factorum Malleus. With herWishshe says “Run! Save this knowledge!” The knowledge of the weapon touches every corner of this city.As the Emissary disanimates, the Knowing Mistress looks at the Arch Heart as the final blast of energy comes… Above you, the people of Aeor who are left, witness a god whose feet touch the bottom of the ocean and whose head scrapes the top of the sky, call down lightning. The Genesis Ward is cored out; emptied. Every piece of brumestone in the city disenchants. The city lurches horrifyingly to one side. Little arcane engines trying and failing to stop the inevitable. As the city-state of Aeor lists towards a frozen island. The land of Eiselcross.
“Find those who are worthy and take them home.”
Selena is pushed through the gate to safety.
(continued)
Okay “sunburst”
Far above, you are joined by your sister who appears in this moment. As your form passes, Wildmother, you appear here above the clouds. The Lawbearer arrives and the Knowing Mistress stands with you.
“The Lord of Hells will not be long gone. Once the city crashes, they will gather the others and they will know we are here. We should not dawdle long.”
TLawBs:“For love. If something were to happen to her, I could not break my own rules to save her. So I gave up my son. (to RQ) Thank you for taking care of him.”
RQ:“He was a pure heart.”
RQ:“It is the path I chose.”
Ioun:“I agree.”
Everlight:“As do I.”
Wildmother:“We have. Now what?” Ioun:“There is a way. Our efforts have been half measures. We seek to do as we did before, not to kill our kin who oppose us or place them in realms of their own design that they craft into some torture (perhaps to torment us, I do not know). It will not last unless we close the door behind us.”
RQ:“This is the only home I’ve ever known.”
Wildmother:“This is ours. No.”
TLawBs:“Look how far they came, my love. They almost took it from us by force.”
Wildmother:“I don’t want to go.”
RQ:“If we do this, it protects them from the others as well.”
Dawnfather:“We protect them.”
TLawBs:“Do we? Look at what you have wrought, Dawnfather.”
RQ:“I have ushered many souls, this day.”
TLawBs:“We killed them for being good. My heart is tired.”
The Wildmother and Law Bearer depart.
In short, brief life can even the infinite change, realize, recognize, commit to something new, singular. To move forward on the paths of destiny and fate. Changed. Beautiful as the dawn. We do not see the gods, we only see light.
MFMM replaces BLeeM
Light.
Endless light. A fractured divine memory, captured in a long lost relic. Bits have cracked and ruined history realized once again. As the light fades, here in this dark subterranean room, the ruination of a great and terrifying city, these memories, they surface once more here in this glistening arcane sphere in the hands of a man born in the lingering fires of what the gods have done.
Here, the light has echoes.
Here, who knows the danger these ripples might have.