Hello, friends. Just wanted to let you all know
that we now have an official Fantasy Pants Discord
server. Feel free to come on in, hang out, talk
some nerdy shit, and just have a great time with
us. You can find the link in our link tree, in
the show notes, and on all of our socials at
FantasyPantsPod. One such figure is a legendary
enigma known only as the Mage Smear. His name
and clan are known. The Dwarven Warrior Wizard
has remained a figure of great mystery to the
world at large. The Mage Myth was named for his
unique weaponry, a smith and hammer for close
confrontation, as well as a pair of long tongs
used as a magical focus, and in the rare instance,
as a tool for grappling foes. With a heart that
burns hotter than a Dwarven forge, and the soul
of a craftsman, the Mage Myth has worked hard
to beat and burn the impurities out of our worlds.
Tithos has been lost to us, and we will always
mourn that loss. But we must always appreciate
the incredible things our sapphire world has
left behind after its fall. So as we move together,
I want you all to remember this. Of all the great
works our mage myth has forged, the most precious
is a piece he's brought to many, many lives.
Thank you, Hooli Forge, for filling out our world
just a little bit more. Hey, hey. Sorry, I sniped
your character off the Discord there. It just
sounded so cool, I couldn't help myself. So,
you know, this is a little thing I'm trying out,
a little something new. Every once in a while,
when I'm feeling like it, when Storyteller Orn's
feeling like it, he wants to do a little Luminary
Spotlight. Some of them will be characters in
setting, and some of them could be characters
we'll take from the Discord. Because, well, I
want to get you guys in my setting! We want to
fill the sale. We got 200 -plus luminaries out
there doing their cool things up to their shenanigans,
and you guys should be a part of that. What are
you up to, fellow luminaries? What are you up
to, fellow luminaries? Let me know. And thank
you, Hooli Forge, for being my test drive. Hell
yeah. First fan luminary spotlight. Hell yeah.
First of many, I hope. Hopefully, yeah. I hope.
Yeah, hit us up on the Discord. Drop your luminary
in there. Hold on. I'm, like, really dry. You're
always really dry, Steven. No, this is the end
of the Steven with a cold. It's been the past
like three or four weeks. A Steven cold trilogy?
Yeah, but now I think I'm finally over it. And
to celebrate. Hey. And to whet my whistle. That
was probably awful. Anyway. Let's get this iron
scape going. I'm going right into it because,
honestly, my note page is massive. And I don't
think we're going to get to it all today, but
I so want to. No, you know we're going to get
through like one line of it. We're going to get
through one line of this note page. That's going
to be it. It's going to be it. That happened
last week, so hey. Here we go. You guys are in
the preserve of the ancestors. And you are traveling
to the north. Last we checked in, you were heading
towards a rural town. And I don't believe those
plans have changed. Am I correct? I don't think
so. Yeah, let's head on to Aurora Town. Yeah.
All right. Give me a moment, because I lost my
map. I was going to say, I was like, was that
not in your notes? Was that not in your extensive
notes document? Look, my map is not in my notes
document. It's in my notebook. You are such a
mess. My map is not in my notes document. It's
in my notebook. And my notebook is in my house.
You put the map on Discord, actually. I also
have it on my phone. Okay, I just want to get
an idea. Okay. You guys are moving north. Soon
the sandy dunes beneath your feet slope down,
level out. and swiftly overtaken by grass, which
grows and grows and grows to the point where
you're running through this long grass or a savanna.
Far ahead, you can see a sort of temperate forest.
At the edge of this forest, where the savanna
sort of meets it, you can see the heart of the
citadel. You can see Auroral Town. Just these
colorful spires of diamond jutting out from the
sort of ground here, catching your eye, and you
move. The savanna becomes rolling, hilly grasslands,
much like the ones on God's Breath, as you have
to cut. At some point, you basically see there's
a river blocking your way, but a ways down it,
there's a bridge heading towards the base of
this larger sort of city inside this nature preserve.
And so you cut down the river, go through this
area that looks eerily like God's Breath, maybe
far off on a hill. A jasper pecan tree. Just
hanging out. It's all like, how you guys doing?
And the ground shakes a little bit. And you move.
As you go. I'll say this. Actually, give me an
insight check. Let's do some dice rolling here.
Oh. Alrighty. Insight, you say? Insight. Well,
if you don't remember, I'm not great at that.
Well. Zebulon's not great at that. That's a 10.
That's a 14. 14, okay. Yes. Okay, Zebulon, Classic
Zeb, you're kind of slow to catch this. Oh, dude,
he's oblivious, like so enthralled by what's
happening around him, just in awe of the beauty
and the nature. He's following a butterfly. You
catch a vague idea. Basically, John Franklin
seems quiet. That's all you know. Doesn't really
seem like anything more than he's just taking
in the view, maybe. And then far ahead of you,
you actually see Mesmerize and Grunt, who are
kind of moving. You probably saw them as sort
of dots moving along ahead of you this whole
time. They actually stop and turn as if waiting.
Jules, you read more into this. Okay. John Franklin
is... With a 14, he's upset. Something is wrong,
and he's been carrying something that seems like
it's been weighing him down more and more ever
since your scene earlier in the desert. Ever
since you let Trace go, and he nodded. He wanted
you to. And he just seems like he's been getting
more and more brought down by this. Something's
weighing on his mind, that's all I'll tell you.
Apart from that, up ahead, you notice the same
thing. The two figures ahead of you stop and
wait, and you get the impression there's no danger
in them, but there is something they want to
talk to you about before you reach the town.
You can do what you want with this information.
All right, Jules will walk up and stand in between
them, kind of looking out with them, not looking
directly at them. Okay. Put his hands behind
his back, kind of. sway back and forth. What's
going on, guys? And this is to Yara and Grunt?
Yes. So you move up, you stop to them. Yara is...
She takes you in, then nods. I have been thinking.
If I am to return to a rural town, if I am to
be seen, all of the blackmail Rune has will be
released. He will know if you are alive and I
am alive, do we have come to terms? This cannot
do. I must disappear. He must think you killed
me. Grunt will be okay. Grunt can return. He
cannot speak. Rune cannot ask him. Rune won't
bother. He'll just simply assume I died, and
that I'll be dead. I can vanish, and when the
time comes to take him down, I will find you.
We got you covered. I will need to go invisible.
For that. And she gestures towards Zebulon. I
will need my focus. I've never seen a butterfly
with six wings. This place is incredible. Zebulon,
focus. She needs to focus, so you need to focus.
Oh, God. Dude, I really don't want to give this
thing back. It's up to you. I mean, for her to,
like, pull this off, she'll need to go invisible,
basically just to get out of here without being
seen. Rune's got eyes. And I mean not just his
eyes. I mean other eyes. He's got eyes everywhere.
You know what I mean? So why should we trust
you and return this? So long as Rune has blackmail
of me, I cannot return to being seen, to being
alive. I have perhaps more interest in stopping
him, in defeating him than you do. I do not like
Rune. I do not want to work for Rune. But I have
to. Not for me. For my people. Well, if I give
you this, you can use it on us and drag our bodies
back to Rune and say, Oh, look at what I did.
Such a good thing, Master Rune. I think at this
moment, Jules moves around to the other side
of Grunt, takes off his glove, puts his hand
onto Grunt's shoulder and says, This is just
a precaution. Once we know you go, he's safe.
She looks between you two. Eyes wary. You gotta
understand. I don't want to, but... I understand.
I do. This is cutthroat, but it's... I respect
it. You will need to be cutthroat if you want
to stop Rune. This isn't trying to be cutthroat.
This is just to ensure our safety. Taking all
my fun away, Jules. He fucking tosses the fucking
wand to her feet. I'm sorry? She just very carefully
lowers down. You know, I mean, you could have
just, like, got changed. Maybe some new clothes.
You kind of stick out like that. Why didn't you
want me to have that? I'm not going to say anything.
It's too late now. God. Fuck. Oh. Hang on. Hang
on. It's too late for that now. Hang on. No,
your invisibility doesn't work on her. Oh, it
doesn't? It doesn't. It does. No, it's not. I
just always do it on myself. He's done it to
Chester. It's anybody. Really? But I used all
of my spell slots in that last fight. Oh, shoot.
So I don't have that anymore. No. Yeah. What?
For Shower Touch, you get to use it without a
spell slot once a day. Well, we already passed
that point, so. I'm genuinely a little upset.
Well, now I am, too. I can't believe I didn't
think about that. Shit. Well, when you said you
were pulling your glove off, that's what I thought
you were doing, and then you were going over
to grunt, and I was like, wait. Oh. That's the
wrong one to cast it on. No, that was my fault.
Whoops. Yara's like, all right, that's it. Blast
you both. She's very careful. Oh, my God. Shit,
son of a bitch. She's very carefully listed up.
Fuck you, Yara. Use your formal name. It's Mesmerize.
Mesmerize looks at you both. You have shown me
a great kindness. I will repay it. I will. I
will be watching you. I will smile slightly.
Don't say it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't
do it. I will have my eyes on you. Now I'm even
more upset. God. And she vanishes. We're like
five minutes into the most upsetting episode
of Fantasy Pants. I'm bringing the funny now
because we won't be laughing by the time this
episode ends. Oh, okay. Yeah. Fuck you guys.
Anyway, boom. She disappears. You see tracks.
You see grass swaying as she moves, basically,
over to Grunt. What was it worth? Taps on him.
I mean, it's a focus. I don't know. I didn't
actually research it. Oh, so you were just fucking
with me. It might have been worth some money.
It's a rare... Is it an antler from a rare beast
from the world of Arnikik? Yeah, it's worth a
lot. It was worth a hundred... Thousand gold.
So... She taps Grunt. You hear a visible... And
he just looks up. Did you just say you hear a
visible tap -tap? Yes, he absolutely just did.
That's what I heard. You hear a visible tap.
Clean your ears. So... Grunt just... And... You
see he reaches down and, like, picks something
up. dropping and putting it onto his shoulder.
It's yard. She's miserable. You can't see what,
but he was, he was our leverage to make sure
she doesn't blast us. And now they're going to
walk away together. That was the idea. They're
going into hiding. She didn't blast you. She
said that she was going to be fine. Since when
are they going together? You said that he was
going to, but she said. Jules, like, is keeping
Grunt until... Yeah, Jules, like, put a gun to
his head. It was like, you leave. I was holding
him hostage until she's gone. Let's zip -zop,
zippity -back. You see Grass sway. You hear,
like, maybe a tap on Grunt. Maybe some whispered
words you don't quite make out. And then Grass,
as she begins to move away from you, going in
the opposite direction. And Grunt just kind of
looks over, his eyes sort of following the moving
grass, and just says, Aye. And just looks back
at you. Aye. Kev pointing at your hand. I'll
take my hand off. Aye. He just starts walking,
like, slowly ahead of you. He's heading towards
a rural town still. As Zebulon watches back,
he just mutters, I fucking hate this town. It'll
be over soon, Zeb. You know, Jules, I don't believe
that. Not for a second. Well, we'll see how it
goes. And you guys continue moving towards rural
town? Yes. Yep. Now, one short of your party,
you begin to move. You notice John Franklin lags
behind for a moment, just watching the moving
grass, watching the pathway that Mesmerize just
took, looking far off. And with a shake of his
head, he turns and runs back to you. As you press
on, you see a... Zebulon didn't notice anything.
Zebulon saw an eight -winged butterfly and lost
his mind. Did you want me to talk to him now?
No, it's eight -winged now. Six of them before,
now it's an eight -winged one over there. Oh,
damn. Yeah, it's crazy. Have you guys ever seen
an eight -winged butterfly? No, but I've seen
a nine -winged. That's insane! I don't know,
dude. You were kind of saying it slowly, like,
do you want me to talk to John Franklin now?
No, I just... making sure it's out there that
you notice he's upset by something. You don't
need to bring it up. I mean, you know he's a
very volatile turtle. He might not like it if
you bring it up. Sorry, turtle. We've discussed
it before. Turtles are not turtles. Don't, don't
even. Okay. Jeremy, that's completely up to you.
This is a role -playing game. Yeah, exactly.
Don't, don't, don't. When I do things like this,
I'm not, it's honestly, it's for you guys. For
the back of your mind, and also for the audience.
It doesn't necessarily mean I'm like, get in
here, lasso you into the scene. I think I'll
let it simmer for right now. Okay. Given what
just happened, just kind of let things settle
a little bit. Okay. Tensions are high in the
party. Yep. In many a ways. With that, you reach
the edge of a rushing river, seeming to move
from one sort of glacial bay to the east. To
the more tropical bay that rims the sort of nature
preserve. The inside of this diamond to the west.
You see there's a singular bridge moving across
it. A bridge that brings you to a rural town.
The bridge itself is the first sign that things
are different here. You see it is this crystalline
structure. Strong and beautiful, ornate, with
these sort of grand -looking edges to it. We'll
call that the structure that kind of like, you
know, builds up around the bridge. Like a wall.
Yeah, it's a grand -looking wall. Bridge wall.
A wall around a bridge? Like trusses? You see
like crystalline cables running from like pillar
to pillar all the way down this rather large
river. And ahead of you, you just see this grand
spectacle of light. And do you cross into a rural
town? Yeah. Let's go. I love a rural town. Oh,
yeah. You cross. I could live here. Wait, this
is actually it? Oh, my God. You cross this bridge.
I love it. And as you do, you watch this rapid
shift as all surrounding nature is drowned out.
And you step onto rough diamond streets shimmering
with multicolored lights. Ahead and around you
stands a mess of diamond domes, towers, and blocks.
You see thick diamond cables seem to connect
these buildings overhead where strings of luminance
and text swims from structure to structure running
through these cables. Constant spread of information
running between every building in town where
anyone can see. You see Atash discover Silent
Roar base. Captures 20 members. You see Sereno
claim six more victims on San Satyan. You see
benefactors send aid to families of God's breath
tragedy. Just these snippets of news running
all over the place before your eyes. All around
you, the world is alive with swirling, vibrant
color. Every facet of every building shimmers
with it. Great spotlights dance in the air above
you. Frozen images of advertisements and posing
luminaries greet your eyes at every corner. As
well as live feeds of the network itself, which
is currently running a special. discussing the
Mighty Pig Man's upcoming Lucha Libre challenge.
There are not nearly as many people here as you
would see in the outside, said Elle, and the
ones you do see are very, very different. There
are folks in white robes who seem rushed and
frantic as they moved down the street, hurrying
past well -addressed folk with easy smiles that
just don't seem to touch their eyes. And almost
nobody here seems to pay any mind to the luminaries.
You see them here and there, moving between buildings
or leaning against diamond walls. Figures who
just stand out, wearing colorful attire and wielding
impressive weapons and accessories. Many have
their outfits or shields adorned by symbols,
either representing themselves and their own
sort of personal brand or their patron businesses,
which, hey, may be something for you guys to
consider. These folks seem more laid back and
casual here than they ever seem outside of this
place. The luminaries just seem less big. They
seem less grand. They're just people here. And
you are in this place. You are in these streets.
It is a world like you've never seen before.
Every time your eyes catch those cables, music
sort of erupts, playing in your ears. Whenever
you can see the text, it's just... It's Aurora
Town, baby. I feel like we just walked into,
like, fantasy Los Angeles. Yeah, that's such
an upsetting... idea that like if you can see
the rolling text then the accompanying music
it's like a just a constant like bullshit social
media feed yep yeah I imagine Jules is he's getting
really overstimulated right now it has to be
a lot I mean this is your eyes look around and
you realize like it's luminaries it's crystal
network like higher ups and sort of the sort
of magical architects who work on things behind
the scenes, who can actually work with the diamonds,
the auroral diamonds, sort of secret, magical,
very powerful features. It's the elite. This
is where the speakers for the ancestors live
and their personal staff and families. This is
the elite of the elite. Hidden gem inside the
auroral diamond. I expected this to be a little
more sacred. We're rubbing elbows now, Jules,
with the... makers and the shakers of the world.
You liking this, Zeb? This is where everything's
going to happen. Jules puts his face in his palm.
Oh, God, what are we doing? Zeb grabs him by
the shoulder. Come on, Jules, can't you see it?
Our names up on those lines. You don't know I
can see it. A voice cuts in. Whoa, jeez. And
just behind you, you see us sort of heading your
way, sort of pushing out of a building and beaming.
Storyteller Oren. See, y 'all made it. Took you
a little longer than I thought. Oren, this place
is incredible. Hey, isn't that right? Wow. So
many, I mean, there's a lot of diamonds. So many
diamonds. It's a far cry from God's breath, huh?
Yeah, I mean. Takes some getting used to. Are
any of these, like, coming loose, or? No, in
fact, it's, Near indestructible. You can't break
any part of this town. I have no idea. No one
does how Kejau Kamal managed to mold the diamond
the way he does. No one can do it still. I mean,
after discovering the network way, way back when,
I mean, man's incredible. That's why he's a legend.
But, hey, nothing about the past. Let's talk
about your future, huh? Yeah, let's, um, yeah,
take us, um, you know, wherever. So y 'all met
the Incarnate then, right? Yeah. Yeah, not without
a little bit of trouble. What do you mean? Getting
like you? Well, that's not really, I mean, no,
but we had a bit of a tussle out there. There
was sort of an ambush. Who the hell ambushed
you? Do you know Rune Rasong? His features darken
at the name. Y 'all didn't get mixed up with
Rune, did you? Tell me y 'all didn't get mixed
up with Rune. Whatever he offered you, it ain't
worth it. No, that's the reason. That was fast.
That was very quick. All right. No, we didn't
get in with him, and that's why he's after us.
I see. Well, we need to talk. Zeb shoots Jules
a look. Yeah, he just doesn't like us for some
reason. I mean, Orin looks very troubled. He's
just kind of shaking his, you know, scratching
at his beard. Yeah. But... This ain't good. Rune,
let's just say he knows a lot of people in high
places. Luminaries and such. Well, we sent those
lackeys packing, just like the rest of them.
Jules shoots Zebulon the same look. I mean, we
kicked some serious ass. I should be worried
about y 'all. I can see if you're getting some
kind of guard or something. I don't know what
I can really do, but... I think we're good for
now, but he might come back. Yeah, Zeb shrugs
his shoulders. We don't need no stinking guard.
Please. Well, all right, all right. I mean, yes,
y 'all are my guard, so who am I to send people
to help you? I know if I'm in danger, I'm calling
you guys. Just be careful, all right? Stay wary.
He's got some big allies. Yeah, let us take care
of Rune, but if you hear anything, you know,
give us a heads up. All right. Now, I think it's
time we got you all your passports. Soon you
become full -fledged luminaries. You got all
your paperwork, you know, eyes dotted, teeth
crossed. You'll be a lot safer then. Yeah, we've
got places to go. How long is this going to take?
Not long at all. Actually, again, I've been...
Called up to be your guide through here. Well,
next step is... I don't know how y 'all gonna
feel about this. But, uh... You gotta meet with
a speaker from your world. They're in office
right now. Hours are open. They've got your passports.
They've got your papers. I am not looking forward
to this. Neither am I. Fuck. Can we, like, show
up? Or... Pray that ain't part of the deal. And
I wanna meet you with y 'all alone. I was just
going to ask if we can go together. Is that normal?
Oh, my God. Normally it's the case, but they
were very firm about it. Y 'all are supposed
to go alone. Well, I mean, we could just show
up. Yeah, why not? What are they going to do,
kill us? Jules will give Zeb a little nudge with
his elbow. They can try. You know it. Um, John
Franklin just, like, immediately perks up at
all this, just, yes, yes, finally, my goal's
at hand. Where are we going? I must see to this
now. John, are you going to be good? Oh, I'll
be more than good. Finally, finally, I can pass
on the, well, the information I have. Finally,
I can bring justice to those who've, well, brought
dishonor. To my world and my house. Gentlemen,
we can come with you. I don't care about what
these people have to say. At the very least,
we can wait outside the door. No. You've done
enough for me already. This is my glory. And
I... I'd like to be alone anyway. For a moment.
Look at my eyes. What? What? They're very nice
eyes. Are you... gonna be good? Absolutely. Make
sure you take a short rest. Can I roll a check
on that? Sure. Roll insight. 17. There is a major
conflict playing out somewhere behind those eyes,
but he doesn't feel concerned about this meeting.
This meeting he has every confidence in. He thinks
he's going to go in there and drop whatever bomb
he's going to drop, and it's all going to play
out perfectly. What's bothering him? Is not that.
Okay. Jules won't press it any further. So, Jean,
just very eagerly. By the stadium, correct? Or,
yeah, you know a lot about this place. I've been
preparing for some time now. Well, I'm not getting
a passport, but they will meet with me, yes?
Yeah. They'll meet with you. All right, then.
And I think it just turns back to you guys. Good
luck. You too, friend. He walks away. Nice. I
try to make moments. I try to make moments, and
this is what I get. You guys are left. You see
Jean moving. You see there's a very large, you
saw away too, there's a large amphitheater, like
stadium structure sort of at the very center
point of this town, and Jean is... beelining
for that, pushing people out of the way ahead
of them. People are running past me, just, boom,
knocks them to the side, like, out of my way!
Well, so wait, aren't we going the same way?
Yeah, are they all in the same place? You could
ask. Or are they all in the same place? It's
like one of those things where we say goodbye
and then we walk in the same direction. Oh, you
just, yeah, you see the amphitheater there. That's
the meeting place for the speakers of the ancestors.
It's sort of the main focal point for the, uh,
well, the auroral diamond's power. It's where
you can activate a lot of the deeper functions
of this place. Holy shit. All around it, the
buildings you'll see, those are the 25 sort of
manors that belong to the speakers. They all
live close. And so we have to go right now. Y
'all can take your time if you want. Just get
there before nightfall. Why before nightfall?
Because then they're not open. They're sleeping.
The speakers go to sleep, too. Oh, it's not like
a vampire zombie. He literally said they're open
right now. Okay. It's not 24 -7, sort of. No,
people have to sleep, Zip. Even the speakers?
Yeah, even. What? Oren walks away. He's walking
to the amphitheater. Some guy. Come on. All right,
George. Let's get this over with. Let's go do
it. All right. You push down these streets, take
it in the light show, and I think in a blur,
you find yourself standing at the edge of this
amphitheater, looking around this sort of open
plaza that surrounds it and a number of, like,
larger structures, all of them very differently
shaped. You see a couple of, like, larger -looking
domes, more squared -out sort of buildings. There's
one that's very tall, a large sort of pointed
diamond structure, taller than the rest, but
like narrower as well. And Oren points to that
and says, there be yours, Jules. You see on the
far other end, basically, almost the polar opposite
side, as you're kind of approaching this stadium
from the front, he points to the east side of
the stadium for the spire that belongs to Cirilla
LaRoche. LaRoche. Let's get this right now. I
forgot that she's the fucking speaker. Yeah.
Oh, for real? God damn. Oh, this is going to
be bad. That was the whole, you know. I know.
I just, it's something that slipped my mind.
Oh, my goodness. This is going to be bad. Yeah.
This is bad. And I'll say, while Cyrillus is
the tallest, Choles is the biggest. He gestures
to the west, to this grand, gigantic, sort of
dome -shaped structure, just almost dwarfing
the other ones. And gestures. That's yours, Zeb.
Your grandmother's waiting. Zeb, like, swallows
real hard. All right. Well, I guess I hope I
come out with a passport. Jules is going to pull
Zeb in for a hug. Be strong, Zeb. Pat on the
back. You be strong. Yeah, thanks. Oren's getting
in on that. Oh. Are we like this yet? Are we
close like this? Oh, thanks. Yeah. All right.
Nice. Thanks for, you're a good guide. Yeah,
Jules will pull him in too. Jules will get him
in on this group hug. This might be the last
time we all see each other. Yeah, right, exactly,
yeah. Let's rip this band -aid off and then get
to Saint -Étienne. Hugged you tight. Let's go
for a second. Oh, wait, one more. Give this to
Kiana for me. Give you another hug. Oh, yes.
Okay. I love you guys. That's a long hug. You're
a long hugger. Oh, we're so unhinged because
we all know so much bad is about to happen. Is
that chandelier? I feel like, yeah, at this point
we're stalling and I'm okay with that. Even I'm
stalling. I have the notes. And I'm stalling.
He steps back and gives you a nod. What are you
guys doing? You have two different directions
for your two different objectives. I think we've
said enough. Yeah. I think Jules just nods and
turns around and starts walking in. Okay. We'll
cut the music for just a moment here. I want
to know, and you can tell me, who's going first?
Isn't this a same time sort of... Rock, paper,
scissors? I mean, who's opening scene first?
I thought you meant like... I'm asking the players.
Let's flip this pick from Hooli Forge. Oh, yeah.
There we go. Perfect. All right, the makers mark
his heads, blank his tails. All right, you call
it. No, it's your pick. Zeb his heads, Jules
his tails. God damn it. Jules is going in first.
Oh, thank fuck. All right, then. Jules, you move
around this theater, approaching this crystalline
spire. The first thing that catches your attention
is that there are two men standing outside the
one sort of singular entrance coming off the
main sort of thoroughfare here. You see one is
a LaRoche family guard in fine plate armor. in
a blue and white tabard. And the other is a very
familiar man wearing shield -bearer brass. And
you know, the one that's sort of facing you now,
face locked in a scowl, is Jessenth Kellig. His
eyes locked onto you as you get closer and closer.
Jules? Ever the rat? And here you are, crawling
out from the darkness. And you're going to regret
crawling out where you can be seen. Looks like
you're still trying to crawl out from your...
Got him. From your butt. What? Never in my life!
Well, look where I'm at now. Looks like you're
still trying to crawl out of whatever swamp you
came from. I'm a luminary. What are you? His
face just kind of goes red. And there's something
so defeated about him. You have to wonder, I
mean, after his last showing, getting sent away
by Arhalon, losing a letter. A very precious
letter carrying some very precious information.
What has happened to him since? His eyes just
lock on you. Luckily for you, this isn't about
us. But I'll have my day. Brother! He turns around,
snapping at the man behind him. And you look
up to see the LaRoche guard in plate armor who
stands at the door. Cirilla's personal guard.
And I would like you to describe this character,
Jeremy. Jules is looking at... Dresden Kellig.
He's a pretty tall, fit gentleman. Long, brown,
greasy hair. You know, he's seen a lot of, you
know, seen a lot of shit. Doesn't keep himself
up all that much. He's got an eye patch over
his left eye, which covers, clearly, a large
wound. There's a scar that he has from the top
of the left of his forehead all the way down
under the eye patch, all the way down to his
chin. Wow. And you can kind of... I'll leave
it up to the imagination what it looks like under
the eyepatch. Ooh. Yeah. That's all I got right
now. Who got the looks in the family here? Oh,
Dresden. Dresden's still got the looks. I read
Dresden that's kind of like the... I mean, for
Marvel fans, picture Bucky. Ooh, yeah. And that's
exactly who... the image that came into my mind
when I think of Dresden. All right. All right.
You know. Bucky with an eye patch and a large
scar going down the left side of his face. That's
it. Jethens just like turns to his brother, makes
a gesture with his hand, very aggressive, just
sort of wiping the air with you. Sort of storms
off to the side. As he does so, you catch Dresden's
eyes. As he opens his hand up towards the door,
pressing a certain spot, whispering some unheard
word, the door begins to open. And your eyes
move instinctively to his other hand, where in
a brief second, a flash so fast it's barely registered,
you see he raises two fingers and puts them away.
An old sign. Two enemies ahead. And he simply
nods towards you. The door opens. Jules gives
Dresden a nod and walks in. All right. You move
past him into this spire. As you step in, you
can see maybe there's some staff inside that
kind of like wave you a certain direction. You
look into this room that's just so lavishly furnished.
Just... Paintings of all sorts hanging up on
these sort of crystalline walls. You see a great
staircase moving up in the middle to higher floors.
But you are gestured to a room straight in the
back. A private office. Where Serlo would have
her meetings. I keep going. I don't think I look
around at the lavishness. I think my face is
straightforward the entire way. Hell yeah. I
don't give a shit. You push through this room.
Move to the back. Another servant at the door
sees you. Whispers his own command word, touching
a similar spot on this door. And again, slides
open. And you see your cousin up close for the
first time in how long? I don't remember how
long it's been. Did we discuss this? I don't
think we ever did. I don't think we ever did.
I think it's probably been probably at least
a few years before I left. So, I mean, we were
probably around, you know, 10. Yeah. Maybe. She
was a bully then, and she's a bully now. Yeah.
And you've said it before, she is the spitting
image of your mother, just a younger, maybe less
fierce version. She's always had this hate for
you. You were always so damn special. And you
can see that same hatred now. Her eyes are cold
as she sits behind her desk. A lavish chair.
A number of, like, files and such revolve to
one side. Fine brandies and a little stand on
one side. And she speaks. Come in, Jules. Nice
desk you got there. She doesn't rise to it, just
waits pleasantly until you step through the threshold.
I step through. Okay. You step through the door
behind you. closes that smile drops your eyes
look down just in front of her there is a couple
papers just resting on the desk one looks like
a little like leather almost like a little wallet
resting on top of uh some larger certificate
or something you know that's what you're here
for she's got a hand resting on top of it wanting
for all the world never to let you touch it why
don't you take a seat Jules. Jules will walk
up slowly, and he's not going to sit in the chair.
He's going to lean on the back with his elbows.
So you're, like, leaning on the desk? No, I'm
standing behind the chair, leaning forward with
my elbows on the back of the chair. Okay. There's
a long moment. You guys just staring at each
other. She raises an eyebrow and smiles. Well,
where is it? Didn't you promise you were going
to kill me? And now you've found your way into
my office. Here you are. I didn't give you a
timetable. Ever the comedian. You do have the
worst jokes. Jules the Roche. Luminary for the
Citadel. Hero of God's Breath? That's funny.
Yeah, you never saw that one coming, did you?
No. No, I didn't. It's grimacing. It won't last.
You think you have what it takes to make it in
this city? You have no idea what it takes. What
it's already taken from me. You'll go gallivanting
off to your little people. You'll run away, screaming.
All those little people are bigger than you're
ever going to be. I... She stands up from her
chair just like, I will not... And she freezes.
And her eyes... furious at you, change an instant.
Can I roll a perception check to see who else
is in the room? You can. It's only a 12. That's
enough for you to see that her eyes go wide with
fear. Fuck! They move not to you, but beyond
your shoulder. Yep. And you hear a soft footstep
on the diamond floor. And before you can react,
I need you to make a wisdom saving throw. Uh
-oh. This is not good. No. This is not good at
all. It lands down now. Oh, my. Eight on the
die. Minus two. How does Jules react when he
realizes there's someone behind him? When he
realizes who is behind him? He doesn't look because
he knows who's behind him. So you stay in the
same position? Still leaning on that chair? The
cool principal position. Yes. No, that would
be like putting my leg, putting my foot on the
butt of the chair, lifting my leg up, hiking
my pants up. I call that the cool gym teacher.
That's accurate. I'll say this. He doesn't turn
his body around. He looks over his shoulder.
And just glares sideways out his eyes. You do
this. And then your body is frozen. Of course
it is. As you are under the effects of Hold Person.
You see a hand outstretched, slender, white fingers
glowing with magical energy. And Cerise LaRoche,
with this easy, calm smile, steps out from the
back of the room. Her body becoming visible as
she had been cloaked before in a very similar
magic to the one you actively use. Jules. Oh,
Jules. Finally. Your body is locked tight. You
cannot move your mouth. You can only glare. And
her eyes flicker from you back to Cirilla. Cirilla,
leave us. Cirilla just, you can't see her now.
She's, you know, behind where you're facing.
You can hear her almost like with some upset,
just standing up. He's, he's nothing. We don't
need him. I'm the one who, leave us. Without
another word, just a long, agonized breath. You
can hear your cousin just moving swiftly out
of the room. A whispered word. An open door.
And then... Did I hear what the whispered word
was? Or can I roll for it? Go ahead and roll
for it. Go ahead and roll for it. Go roll perception.
Okay. Nah, probably not going to do it. It's
a 10. Yeah, you don't quite make it out. Maybe
there's an S to start off. The rest was too quiet.
Okay. I'd like you to make another save. It's
been long enough for you to try again. Nope.
Three on the die, minus two. You try to fight
these invisible bonds holding you, but your mother
steps forward, moves right up to you, places
a slender hand against your neck, taking in your
face, a hand that you know is so much stronger
than it looks. Jules, you are magnificent. Absolutely
beautiful. I can sense it. Your power has grown
so much. Her hand trails down your arm to your
glove on your hand, and she just squeezes. And
just, like, almost just takes in this long, delighted
breath. Oh, Jules. And here you are, a luminary.
You may actually get storyteller Oren on your
side, already with the powerful allies. There
are so many allies for you to gain. Oren's usefulness
is waning. The speakers have him under close
watch now. Cirilla has seen to that. The girl
does have some uses. It's time for you to accept
your role with me. Make another check. 14 this
time. Are you kidding me? It's almost, you can
feel almost, but like, your mother is powerful.
I mean, to be fair, this is probably for the
best. Oh, yeah. This is very much for the best.
Yeah, you should stay where you're at. Yeah.
I admit, my power base is not what it was before
Tythos, before the fall. But my allies in other
worlds and, well, my role under the Horned One,
they still give me power. And I've been waiting
for you to hand that power off. God, Steve. Just
like over here in the corner, like popping popcorn.
God. Her eyes just take you in sharply. Now,
Cirilla, I don't know how much longer the Speakers
will harbor a politician from a world that no
longer exists. Right now, her entire position
is reliant on the soft hearts of the other worlds.
She holds no real power. She is useless. She
has always been useless, but not you, Jules.
Your power does not come from soft hearts. It
is innate, an overflowing well I saw. To that,
you are special. And she's like right up in your
face now as she speaks. Hand just gently stroking
at the top of your pompadour. Make another save?
Nope. Nine. What's going through your mind right
now? You're trying so hard to fight off this.
I don't think... There's not really a whole lot
going through Jules' mind. I think at this point,
he knows and understands that it's probably better
just to not say anything. And that's not from
a position of being scared to say anything. He
just feels more powerful and more in control.
It's maybe from a position of... Being under
a hold person and you can't say anything. But
even without, I mean. I wasn't, Jeremy as a player
was not planning on saying much. Right, right.
Interesting. Also, Jeremy as a player is really
pissed off that I didn't think about grabbing
the diamond and hitting record before I came
in here. Ah, shit. Oh. With that information.
You see Cerise just suddenly takes a step back
from you and. with this almost supernaturally
quick flutter of dark skirts, vanishes from your
view. You can hear the chair behind you as she
sits behind the desk in Cirilla's place. Now,
son, I want you to understand that if you want
to protect your little people, if you want to
save the children you've come to love so much,
you will hear me out. And you feel the magic
evaporates around you. Cerise sits at the desk,
her hand, her fingers drumming on the passport.
Do you do anything? No. Jules just turns his
head to stare at her. You will find, as you press
onwards into this new life, that great shadow
surrounds your spotlight. The cult has already
helped many luminaries survive these dark waters,
and they have flourished. Now that you've reached
this far, you need to know the right people if
you want to thrive, if you want to stay alive,
even. And you do know the right people, Jules.
Did you think that a mother would ever give up
on her son? I was so glad to hear you survived
Tithos, and yet I knew, I knew you would. You
would not die so easily. You have too large a
destiny for that. Now I know you won't accept
my hand. Not yet. But the time will come when
you will. She slides the passport towards you.
She's keeping two fingers still on it. Jules
grabs it quickly off the table. Roll athletics
check. For a piece of paper? She's got fingers
on it, and she is strong. A four is not going
to do it. You go to grab it, and you hold it,
her fingers easily pressing the passport down
to the table. I don't try to tug of war it away.
Once I feel that she's got it, I let it go. She
just beams at you, gently lifts it, and holds
it out to you and says, Oh, and good luck on
Saint -Cityon. Chessanth Kellig lost a formal
document of mine during a struggle with you.
Don't worry, I'm not upset. But you should be
wary. Your father is not as understanding as
I am. If you meddle in his affairs, He will kill
you. Are we done? No, my son. We're just getting
started. She puts the passport in your hand.
I grab the passport, fold it up and put it in
my pocket, and walk toward the door. Can I open
the door, or does it have to be open for me?
As you get close, it strangely just opens. You
see, as it opens up, there's a figure on the
other side. Maybe there's like a... Small stone
near his ear. He steps to the side. It's one
of the servants. Before I crossed the threshold,
I turned my head just like I was when I was frozen.
You are just the woman who had me. And you are
too arrogant and stupid to realize that your
time is up. And you have failed in everything.
Everything you've tried to do. And I turn my
head back and walk through the door. The last
thing you see is her smile. Zebulon. No, not
Zebulon. Your turn. It's your turn. And we'll
call it there. It's the next two -parter. Zebulon.
You approach the door to Sholay's massive, like,
dome -shaped manor. As you come close, the shield
there at the doorway takes you in. Um, Zebulon,
hey, um, I, I, I am a huge fan. I was there on,
uh, on Tithos. I saw you clear the way to the
sapphire. I just... Oh, wow, yeah, Tithos was,
um, Tithos was really, it was really tough. Wow,
you were there, huh? And, and, wow, you're, you're
here with your passport, right? That's what I...
I mean, I'll be watching. Hey, thanks. What's
your name? And Zeb reaches a hand out to shake.
Brent. It's really great to meet you, Brent.
Wow. You should go in. She's, um... Good looking
there. Yeah, how's, um... So, not good? He doesn't
say anything, but his posture tells you everything.
He just turned to the door, touched it in the
right spot, whispers a command, and it opens.
Well, wish me luck, Brent. I did just a minute
ago, like a second ago. Double luck. Oh, yeah,
sir, shit, luck again. Thanks. Double luck. You
don't need it, though, because there's Ebulon.
Yeah, no crashes count. And you move inside,
where Cirilla's... Home was what you might expect
from a politician. Just this lavish, lavish,
sort of well -furnished, well -decorated building.
Tall and impressive. Shoelace is so bizarre.
You step into this vast, open space. This crystal
cavern. It reminds you for a moment of Xenas.
A dragon's horde, except... No, this is different.
You see stacks and stacks and stacks of files
and papers and neat rows, sort of almost lining
a sort of open walkway heading straight towards
the back. You see dozens of recording diamonds
lining the edges of this paperwork. You see that
Cholet's treasure is found in written word and
recordings, not any kind of material wealth.
But this is a hoard. You see this path in the
midst of these stacks leading all the way to
the back to a large form sitting in the darkness.
All you can make out amongst the shadow is the
outline of scowling dagger teeth backlit by bright
flame. Zebulon starts to walk forward from the
way back of the room. Hey, Shelly! It's me, Zebulon!
The figure steps forward, where her face catches
the light, where her brass scales shine brilliantly.
You see her full draconic majesty, Sholay in
her natural form, towering and fierce. And you
know that Sholay does not enter her draconic
form easily. Her... Use of it during the fall
of the sapphire was one of the only times she's
publicly actually shown herself in that way.
This is a private thing you're witnessing. And
you see that there are a number of scales missing.
Interesting. But she steps into the light, her
eyes boring and down on you. Trying to decide
if she has a different voice than the dragon.
Go ahead, make it harder for yourself. I know,
right? I think I have to. Zebulon. Black. Black.
I've been meaning to ask you how long you've
known about your mother. I suppose I shouldn't
be surprised. Your horns. The coloring of your
scales. There was no hiding it forever. But to
think you would take that name. In lieu of mine.
Well, I mean, you drove me away from it. From
brass. I drove you away from foolishness. Well,
it might be foolish, but you can't stop me now.
It's all over the crystal network and people
will be mad. Do you think you're self -clever?
Child. I mean, at least clever enough. I do as
well. I was almost killed just earlier today.
And I was clever enough for that. So it's already
begun. I wanted so badly to protect you. And
to think you could summon such lofty allies as
Auron. I hadn't expected it. So you have your
win, Cebulon. I'll give you your credentials,
your passport. I will make you a luminary, but
you will first hear three things. You will know
three things. Do you accept? I mean, yeah, of
course I accept. Grandmother, we don't have to
be enemies. The Incarnate said that you could
help me. She takes another step. Boom! Pounding
on the floor. Her massive leg just driving in
front of you as her body shifts forward. First,
know that you've entered a game that you cannot
hope to win. To survive and prosper as a luminary,
you will be forced to choose between a plethora
of lesser evils. You will lose yourself in the
system, or you will lose your life. This network,
this place is corrupt to its core, and I have
spent the last 50 years in a losing battle against
it. What do you think you can do? Well, I mean,
I guess we're already luminaries that don't send
anybody to jail, I think, so... I mean, it seems
like we're probably on the same side. Just a
long, growling breath. Done a lot of breaths
this one. Let's not do that. It's a long growl.
The guys who tried to kill us, we let them go.
You don't intend to follow the role of Atash.
I mean, after a stern talking to, and they stole
their weapons. I mean, I had to give one of them
back, but... The prison, it's too much. It's
not fair. Of course it's not fair. But that is
the system. You want to change it. You're now
a part of it. You can't change it from the inside.
I have been working tirelessly. Have you tried?
You don't understand anything. You don't know
what I have been putting... You don't know what
I have sacrificed. In the position you've put
me in now. That is the second thing you will
know. That your actions hold dire consequences.
Your brother trained you in the art of dueling.
And so you must understand. A person's strength
is easily overshadowed by their weaknesses. And
you are my weakness, Cebulon. You break me. You
break your brother. Know that every step you
take on this fool ambition of yours will break
your family again and again. Well, if somebody
would... If somebody would let me help instead
of just trying to set me away. You could have
helped by stinging out of it. That's not helping.
That's not a life. I can't live like that. Another
step forward. My protection hurt you. That's
your argument? You will stand before me and tell
me that I hurt you by keeping you safe in the
same sentence that you will admit that you fought,
barely survived by the looks of things? An encounter
earlier today. You still look like you're in
bad shape. Yeah, he's got eight hit points here.
Already, you find yourself in danger. It's not
just you, Sebulon. You are my weakness. My enemies
will come for you. You endanger yourself, your
family, and your friends. You can argue all you
want that your life was no life for you, but...
Your choice here is selfish. Then why are you
protecting me? Why? Why? I mean, this doesn't
feel like love. Step forward. Approach me. You
will know a third thing. Yeah, Zebulon will take
a step forward. You approach. At this point,
she stands towering above you. I imagine you
feel very, very small. You step forward, and
she lunges at you. You feel strong claws wrap
around you in a blur of speed, yanking you violently
forward. You are pulled. Pressed into her chest,
her great wings close around you, blotting out
the outside room. And you are locked in an embrace.
What? What? You feel boiling tears falling around
you as Xole's face lowers and hangs just above
you. And she whispers, a voice only for you.
You will know that whatever happens now... I
love you. With all the fire in my breast, with
every scale in my body, I love you, Zebulon.
And I cannot protect you now, but I can offer
you this, my love and my blessing. And in this
place, everything begins to glow this soft orange.
You can feel a great warmth pressing in around
you and then filling you. surging through your
veins, pooling in your chest, in your heart.
You feel a well of power opening within you,
and you have gained the gift of the metallic
dragon feet. Whoa. Holy shit. This is not what
I was expecting. Zebulon, whatever name you take,
whatever path you choose, just know, That I love
you. I pushed you away, but I... I wanted to
save you. I've always done what's right for you.
I... I love you too, Sholay. And you scare me
to death, but... I just want to fly too. I want
to be my own... You know. You feel her pull away,
the wings opening up around you, the room visible
again, the warmth swiftly retreating. You see
the warmth fade from her as well, from her eyes.
That usual coldness slowly overtaking her features
again. The mask is back on. Xiole, I need your
help. I don't know where to go. What to do about
Arhalon? I'm still new at all this, and I'm scared.
The worlds are falling, and it's not just Tythos,
is it? She looks away from you, and that's it.
The very thing I most wanted to protect you from.
The truth I never wanted you or your brother
to know. I'm scared, too. And she picks up her
paw. Claw. Is it dragons of paws? I don't care.
Takes her hand up. Her claw. And you see, resting
on the ground before you, is a wallet -like passport.
A certificate beneath. And Zebulon bends down
to pick him up. I know this won't help me save
the world. Kind of your job right now, but this
will help me save my friends. This is kind of
all I can do right now. Stay safe, grandson.
Pretty strong now. She turns and begins moving
back into the shadows in the back of the room.
But wait, what can I do about Arhan? He's...
Have you seen him? I have. He spoke to me a few
days ago. He requested leave from the Citadel.
To go on a humanitarian mission. To put his healing
magic to some use. Naturally, he has ulterior
motives, but... I hope he finds his heart again.
When he's faced with good people in true and
dire need. Where's he going? San Sityan. To help
with the victims of Serenno. What's Serenno?
Doesn't matter. i suggest you stay away from
your brother you can't help him you -you can
only hurt him more he bears deep wounds you -you
both do and there's something else said bullon
you don't understand the weight of what you have
done you can't and that is my fault We are on
opposing sides now. You may not believe it, but
it is true. I love you, Zebulon, but I can never
trust you. We will not meet like this again.
With a stiff lip, Zebulon curtly nods his head
and turns to leave. The great form behind you.
Slowly lowers. Fully vanishing into the shadows.
That soft, growling breath. It could be crying.
And you push your way. Past the files. Past the
recording diamonds lined up all around you. Through
this horde of information. Away from your grandmother.
And back towards the exit. And as you step out
into the plaza, you on the western side of the
great amphitheater and Jules on the eastern,
the two of you finally holding your certificates,
your passports, finally facing down that last
hurdle, you have finally become luminaries. And
we'll call it there.