Chapter 3, Part III: Illusions, Allies, and Tipping Points

Ford's Letter to The Boatswain

    Written by Steve

Hey. Hopefully, you can still see what I see. If you can't, well-- I'd rather not think about what that means. If you can, then you're reading this and probably want to kill me. Which is... understandable. Look, I know this is the second time your ship left you behind (That I know of), and you probably don't love the experience. I'm not gonna lie, it's a real "two nickels" situation. Kinda weird that it happened twice. Anyway, don't worry about the ship. Raveth is incredibly good at running things, and she's a lot more likely than Preston to let you see it again. If you want to take your anger out on anyone, take it out on me. I decided to go in your place.

You didn't leave me much of a choice. I know we don't hang often, so this probably doesn't carry much weight, but I'm worried about you. A lot. You tried to leave town twice in the night, delusional with fever and ranting something about security for the Queen Dowager. You ripped open all of your stitches on the second attempt, and only a well-timed sucker punch prevented a third. On a completely unrelated note, you should write Penelope a Thank You card once you can handle a pen again. Trust me, she's earned it.

Hanx too. It took him a full three minutes to list all of the injuries that were competing for the glory of ending you, and those were just the serious ones. Cracked pelvis from the bartender's moose-riding prank. Cracked ribs from the Archon's kid. Dislocated shoulder from escaping the death trap. Stab wounds to the chest from an assassination attempt. Third degree burns and a concussion from the exploding jellyfish man. If I hadn't witnessed all of this shit happening to you in the time it takes to dethaw a turkey, I wouldn't have believed it. In fact, there's still parts of it I don't believe, like the fact that Hanx found traces of two separate, ancient poisons in your blood. Made from flora that have been extinct for centuries. So either one VERY eccentric collector decided you were worth wasting two invaluable relics on, or two different maniacs with the same resources had the same idea to kill you on the same day because that's how much the world seems to hate you. This must have happened that time the five of you went off the grid, because I have no worldly idea how it could have happened.

This might sound cold, but I want to believe that you're the unluckiest man who ever lived. I truly do. I want to believe that the reason I'm seeing all of these near-fatal disasters is because you're just misfortunate. I want to believe that, Boatswain, because the alternative is that you have a death wish.

Don't get me wrong, you only have so much control over prank-related trauma and assassination attempts; but gods damn it, man, you have two generations of archons who hate your guts right now. Until we verify the whereabouts of a third generation, I think it best you stay away from all public christenings, just to be safe. And also... maybe from the peace talks as well.

I know you have strong feelings about your boat and your crew, but I promise you with a tired certainty that my desire to end this war is far greater. Evervale and Crystalia do not need any more bumps in the hellish road we've been marching down for generations, and the party doesn't need your level of heat right now.

Another person who doesn't need that kind of heat? You. You don't need to prove anything. I'm telling you this as maybe the only other person on the planet who sees the world through your eyes. I know the horrible things that Aurelius was screaming in your face when you were being dragged off to prison. That you were nothing. That you were worthless. I also know that the fight on the ship couldn't have improved your confidence. Trinity almost died, and people were scolding you about the boat's lack of a lookout while you were still bleeding out onto the deck. I don't know if they realized that the reason there are so many empty spots in your crew is because the friends you wanted to fill them are now dead.

I wish I could promise you that the yelling and the criticism will go away some day, but they won't. They shouldn't. Not when the stakes are this high. What I can tell you is that at this moment, you need to shut them out. The only one screaming at you that you absolutely need to listen to is your body. It is telling you to slow the fuck down.

But maybe you won't. Maybe I was right about the death wish.

I know about the barrels.

We should talk when I get back. Just us, nobody else. I know what it's like to lose people. Some of them I lost in an instant. Some I lost little by little, year after year, until there was nothing left. I regret never telling those friends what I'm about to tell you. I know you value your utility more than anything else (even a real name), but useful or not, lucky or not, you still matter.

That's the truth.

Ford

Zara Trouble

    Written by Sean

Hello, everyone. Trouble here... Weird stuff happened to me... Zara's mad... She’s really mad... I've never seen her get like this...

Louie Dahlia

    Written by Sean

Hey, Punk. I guess we're making an impression on the O.R.C. shitheads cuz that fancy prick Tyr sent some weird ooze fuckers to try and kill us in our sleep. Don't worry, I'm fine. We're fine. If the fucker wants to get lazy about taking us out, I'll make sure to keep throwing it back in his dumb fuckin' face. Sorry, I know you don't like it when I get all charged up but, coming at us when we're asleep is just so fuckin' cowardly, it just makes me mad. I'm just glad I stuck with Theo, he was in a real bad spot during that attack and I'm not too proud to admit that I kinda blacked out. Theo said I took the oozes out pretty quick but not before they got a good hit in on him which still pisses me off.

The rest of the crew slept on the Void Queen and Boaty got roughed up pretty good and tapped Oxford (the minotaur guy who asks a lotta questions) in to take his place. I don't blame Boaty for needing a break, I'm jealous if anything... Ford's good people though, I don't mind having him around. Theo and I talked about how things are going with the group and I finally got to vent my frustrations with how we've been operating as a group. Thankfully, Theo feels the same way and we agree that the group needs to shape the fuck up if we actually wanna get through this.

Theo and I spoke with an Archon. We let her in on everything, that we're all blessed, the O.R.C., and that Tyr tried to assassinate us like the pussy bitch he is. Hopefully, telling her all that wasn't a mistake but at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if it were... We got back to the Void Queen and we got visited by another one of our "benefactors", a dwarf by the name of Tali. She gave us our trial for her power of illusion. Theo and I kinda laid into her, let her know pretty clearly that we're fuckin' sick of getting jerked around by them and their silly little games. She told us that we are the most important people in the world right now and that we do have the agency to walk away if we really wanted to. I apologized first for losing my cool... I wasn't being fair to her, she's giving up her life to make sure we're strong enough to do the job that's being asked of us and I realized I was being inconsiderate. I'm realizing now more than ever just how much I need you around to call me out for being an asshole... Gods, I miss you...

After some puzzles and bullshit, we finish the trial. Tali kinda dropped a bomb on us when we finished it. Raveth is Tali, just like her mortal half or some shit. I'll have to have Theo explain it to you, I barely understand it but basically, even though Tali is gone, she's not really gone cuz Raveth is still here. I like Raveth, she's really funny, you would absolutely love her, I hope you get to meet her. I've gotta get back to work, though. We've gotta go to some peace talks. Here's hoping we break character and don't fuck this up

Theodore

    Written by Justin

Ambush resolves

Morgan misty steps and firebolts

Rix heals and swings the flail

Louie gets up and splooshes some ooze

TBoats messages Trinity and does some punching

I missed a lot of the combat

Louie busts through the window to help me

We get through it, in spite of some explosions

TB goes back to Wiltspar to tag in Oxford

Louie and I have a conversation about how this group needs some order and a leader

Long rest, level up, portent are 3 and 6, I took Haste and Hypnotic Pattern, access to Dispel Magic from Boatzard

We tell the Arhcon that Tyrrus tried to merc our asses

We tell her about our Blessed status

Emperor Tyr has always been obsessed with the Blessed legend

We set off toward the peace talks, day goes mostly well

Raveth comes and warns us that someone is going to set off the alarm

Tali, the highkeeper of Illusion of the keepers of destiny, wants us to complete a trial to get her power

Theo is not happy about feeling like a pawn in these people's games

Raveth will lose her power if we complete the trial, a bit of a debate whether to tell her or not

Tali says the moonlight Carnival is run by two Titans (Trixie and Adelair). They are Titans of Nova. Every deity has Titans

Major puzzle room

This room is naught like what it seems, and the answer simply lies in your hands, and often your eyes. To stop the fires of ruin, you must lean on more than just your strength. This trial is for your mind, not your eyes. And remember, just because something isn't real doesn't mean it's not really there.

Piano on the fireplace?

Grandfather clock, minute hand at 12 and hour hand at 6

Book under the clock is named for Nocturne

Morgan shuts the lights out, on the spine of the Nocturne book, just the N glows

Morgan does a chord on the piano, noting changes on the Harmony book

Books on the table, Whispering, Chronicles, Icebreaker

There's something under the rug, underneath there is a trap door

We go through the trap door, we step into a bright and lavish ballroom, rich people around us

At the center a beautiful grand piano

Symphonies of Rorak to begin at 12 sharp

Clock in this room is at just before 12

Rorak starts playing his song, room is engulfed in flames, we go back to the first room

Morgan tries doing the song on the fireplace, doesn't work

Ox tries moving the clock to 12, nothing

Painting frame seems to be missing a couple of leaves

Lydia, Universities, Salutations, Harmonies, Delusions, Revelation, Nocturne, Whispering, Chronicles, Icebreaker

Ox's locate creature

We grab the sheet music and the chess piece from the ballroom shit

Morgan plays the notes on the sheet music and the fireplace opens up and reveals a passageway

Rix walks through the passageway

Raucous birthday party on the other side

Happy 12th and 2nd birthday FIddles and Fubster

Book called Indigo

I give the kid some goose and he drops us a leaf-shaped gem

We put the gem in the painting, it clicks in, still one missing

We set the clock to 12 and 2, door in the clock opens up

A rook in this room has the second gem

Put the second gem in the painting, bronze key to open the locked door

IN this room is an execution about to happen

Book called Legislation, RIx takes it, the executee runs away

ILLUSION

Bookshelf opens into a massive cathedral, high vaulted ceilings, stained glass windows, Tali at the altar

One more thing she needs to tell us, walls begin to rattle, through the stained glass window flies a giant dragon, as the dragon flies into the room it comes up to Tali and snatches her, dragon dissipates, Tali is standing there next to Raveth, Tali tells us that her and Raveth are the same person. When Tali goes, Raveth will be the only thing left of her on this plane. Raveth will live, but Tali will not. Oxford offers to record her last words. "I have enjoyed doing my best, putting my best face forward about half the time. I wish every single day that I could go off, steal someone's boat, and disappear into the ocean like Raveth got to. I'm glad to be done with this final illusion of me. I'm glad that Raveth gets to exist."

Tali goes into the shield, we are launched into a void, floating toward a golden gate. The gate opens, beckons us to go through as it did before, we feel the pull of our deity, hear them congratulate us, "one step closer, you're stronger, becoming one" all different voices. "You're getting closer, we're so proud of you"

Suddenly back on the ship