Session 11 - What Was Lost

Beneath the Sea of Stars
* Most golden eye organization members ("Symphony of Lights") run away at your overwhelming strength, but some remain behind, watching you from afar
* William doesn’t recognize Castor
** "Bring me... into the sunlight" > "Castor... you've grown..."
** He turns to Mar and says: “Godric’s gone, huh? Well, he’s still in there. With the death of a Door, a fragment of their soul still remains, and passes onto the next wielder. Like an ever-growing jigsaw puzzle, where none of the pieces fit together.”
** He turns to Rip and says: “Mandras… I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
** Combat with a few Symphony of Lights members
* William says: "Go to the city's edge..."
** Move farther towards the edge of the city
** The city starts to lose its luster
** "After all these years... I'm sorry, Castor. It must've been unbearable."
* Meet Saturn
** "Mar? Is that you?" > "How are you alive..."
** You're about to fall asleep under some sort of magic, but then you hear Saturn say “I’m sorry Mar” and William says "Saturn... take us to him"
The Commodore's Camp
* Wake up in a tent, and meet Saturn again who opens the front of the tent and is bringing you food
** "Sorry - I thought Orhid might've messed with your minds in some way. I had to be sure she was dead."
** She pauses for a second, before saying: "I've known him and William since I was very young. He's been taking in tieflings for a long time, protecting them from the Order. He let me go to school when I really insisted, but took as many of us as he could out of there after the bombing. You probably don't know, but there was another attack that day, too. Families, homes, and inns were targeted. So many people died. It was a miracle, but we were able to get your parents out of there before anything happened to them. But... our numbers have been whittled down. Attacks on our camps increased, and they were caught in the crossfire a few years ago. They really missed you. Things have been better since the Order's leader was killed though, but we've been cut so thin that its hard to recover."
*** You look outside the tent, seeing a camp full of tieflings and Aarakocra - you see William talking to a man in dark black armor
*** You appear to be just outside the Cloud Forests
* The man in black armor comes over
** He walks up to Rip and says, "I've missed you, Mandras. My son…. Sorry, I can’t call you that. Your real father died a few days ago. I guess you’ve outlived the invincible man, huh? That’s my fault."
** “You have good friends. Powerful, too.” > He looks at you all and says: “My name is Emrys Magyarok. I’m the man known as The Commodore.” Then, he takes off his helmet, and you see a familiar blue head with red eyes. He turns to Castor and says: “You’re William’s son, aren’t you? He said you rescued him. I could never get into the city of Asphodel myself, but I’m grateful that he’s still alive… I suppose you’re wondering about me though, aren’t you?” > “… rest up. The sun is already setting. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Night Comes
* You see William sitting alone at a campfire, and Castor approaches him as they sit together
** "I'm sorry. It must've been like a curse, but I had to tell you... if something were to happen to me, there would be no one else to stop him..."
* Talks about himself
** 1. Background & Obtaining the Door of Ambition: You must already know, but... I was born Dorian Zharov. I was a child soldier for the Russian government, and had witnessed cruelty beyond imagination. It was a regime that I desperately wanted to end. But I lacked strength, courage... There were times I wished that this horrible world would just end. And one day, it did. There was an explosion, that destroyed everything. But just before it took me too… I felt myself change. Like I had become one with a higher power. That’s when I inherited the Door of Ambition. The next time I opened my eyes, the world had crumbled around me, reduced to ash. I had survived somehow, but it was strange. There were bright white lights around me and I couldn’t remember anything from the last week. It wasn’t until much later that I learned what had happened: the Door of Ambition recognizes its wielder's deepest desire, and until its realized, they’re functionally immortal. When they’re hurt to the point of death, they don’t lose their life; instead, memories dissipate from their mind. And when I learned of this truth, my first thought was to wonder what my “deepest desire” was. To destroy my country? To free the world? I didn't know.
** 2. Survival & Meeting a Familiar Astronaut: But once I survived, I made my way out to sea and wandered for months, before stumbling upon a group headed by this young woman Their survival was nothing short of a miracle. I stayed with them for a while on this small island off of the continent, but I knew I needed to come here at some point. To rebuild, on the last place that life could still exist. I made a raft and took no food of course, as I didn't want to take any resources that I didn't need, and off in the continent's direction. I approached the shore, and... that's when I first saw him. A man, with snow white hair, and a peculiar blindfold. He told me his name was Jay. Jay English. He was... interesting. Different, like me. I don't know why, but I felt as though he shouldn't exist in this world. Like an unaccounted for variable that makes an equation unsolvable... And he was strange. He would act differently, every day. Like he had endured a lifetime of hardships overnight. He knew things, that he shouldn’t. Like he’d already lived this world, many times over. Nevertheless, we quickly became close. He explained to me how this world had changed from the one I had known into what it is now. How a vitality was now filling this world's every crevice, which, in turn, was making life develop extremely rapidly over here. Humanoid life, that was incredibly intelligent. It didn't take long for us to have thousands of people under our belt, and thus began our rebuilding. Over the course of a few centuries, we built up fine cities across the world, for all different types of people. These blue-skinned giants were particularly helpful, just like your friend. The city of Asphodel was his work alone, though. We formed an organization of our most powerful to quell any evil that had risen. This "scroll" from another world manifested in front of me one day, and I used it to make two seals: one for me, and one for him. Each of us agreed to use it on the other in case we went out of control. And there was peace, for a time...
** 3. The "Truth": But one day, he said that there was something he wanted to tell me. He said it might be a truth too difficult to bear, but I assured him that I would be alright. And then... he told me. Something that I couldn't believe. That I chose not to believe. But by then, it had already sunk its teeth into me. Everything around that time is a dark blur, but I remember something horrible and inconceivable. Suffering beyond imagination, that I knew he was bearing every single day. Before I lost consciousness, he said something to me: "Atlas too, Dorian. Atlas too, carried the weight of the world on his shoulders." What he told me… I came to a few days later. I couldn't remember exactly what had happened, and still don't to this day. But I woke up with bloodied hands, scratching at my own throat. Who knows how long it went on for. I had lost weeks of memories, but part of what he told me stayed hidden in the back of my mind, no matter how hard I tried to forget. I started whittling in my free time, which turned into a habit - cutting off memories bit by bit. But its still there. Even after 15 years of pain, the truth is still... there....
*** Castor pulls out the carving > "A small part of me wanted to remember what he told me. I felt as though it was something I had to bear. But you can't see it, can you? It's dark for me too. It seems I truly did want to forget."
*** He reaches out to poke it, and it zaps him
** 4. The Big Mike Q: But after that day, I knew I had to do everything in my power to stop him - I knew he was planning something to do with that horrible truth. I traveled the continent; in the Kanserine Empire, I founded a school of the sword, to one day give rise to people that could potentially defeat him, in case anything were to happen to me. I found letters from him, addressed to no one - like he was losing his memories. I believe he wrote them thinking they’d help him remember things. He also carried some book around with him for a time, that seemed to answer all of his questions, and almost tell the future for him. But for me, I spoke with wise scholars and elevated my mind; learned the history of our world. Learned of the Oscillation, and the demon that threatens its destruction. Discovered these strange, egg-shaped objects connected to the Traveler, imbued with his unbelievable magical presence, that seemingly absorb memories - like he’s trying to fill his destroyed mind with what was lost. I met Emrys and learned that he shared the same goal as me. I learned that Jay was gathering Satroleyes for some purpose, but by the time I realized, it was almost too late. What was once hundreds of them, scattered across the continent, was reduced to almost zero. And I couldn't look for them myself. I spread rumors to shamans in small villages, that these "objects of power" could connect them to god, with hopes that they would find them and hide them away. And I don't know why, but I felt as though the worst possible fate would soon descend upon the world if Jay were to get any more. Fifteen years ago though, I could sense something. That whatever he was plotting... building... was nearing completion. Something that would bring forth some "eternal evil" into this world. I thought it must be in Asphodel - the "golden city" that he had built by himself. I thought that was where I would fight him, but... I didn't bring the seal, that I had created centuries prior. I thought I could just convince him to stop, but that was a horrible mistake. Under the city, he sealed me away with the seal I had created for him - told the King's family that I was an "evil spirit" that had to be extinguished. That my life force would give them power. The ”stars” that you see rising up out of the sea, are fragments of my soul, imbued with memories. They power the city, but also suffuse themselves into its citizens. Every now and then, one of them would simply disappear; the truth still hidden in the back of my mind, now in theirs, would breach the surface - obliterating those who couldn't overcome its crushing weight. > "That's my story. But how have you been, Castor?" > You have a pleasant conversation by the campfire
The Next Day
* You wake up, and as you unzip your tent, Emrys is standing directly outside. He says: "It's time. Let's talk." He comes into the tent, takes off his helmet, and begins speaking:
* 1. The Continent's Origins: At this continents origin, there were Goliaths. They were the first humanoid creatures to appear. They built the first cities under William, and they were loyal. William already knows this story, but the man he calls Jay… he may be strong, but there are certainly things he can’t deal with alone. He wanted to get rid of us - our numbers and strength grew, and so did our allegiance to William. He would have a hard time with that, though, as we had an innate magical resistance that even the most powerful sorcerers wouldn't be able to deal with. And Goliaths don't die of old age. The population kept growing and growing, and he thought it had eventually gotten out of control.
* 2. False Religion: One day he told William something, and after he (William) left, that's when his plan begun. He rounded us up, brought us underground. We were a race who loved literature and the arts, and he said that we would have to write a "story of loyalty" to appease a god called the "Great Writ" - the "Father of Stories." A god who is a complete fabrication. And we were told to help build something. A machine, unlike anything we had seen before. By day, we worked to build the machine for him. And by night, we could write our story. A story suffused with every fiber of our being. It mattered not what was actually written in the book, but instead what we imbued into it - parts of our soul. This, he said, was to make the "truest story one could produce." Bit by bit, our souls went into the book, and our strength was drained. We chose to simply write the word "fate" in the book, many times over - a sign of our surrendered destiny, in the hands of that false god. A sign that we would give everything to it. Slowly, over centuries, the book was filled, and the machine was nearing completion. When both were finished, Jay said, our souls could be "liberated" to a higher world. 
** (Images flash through Rip's mind - pages covered in looping, esoteric script, people physically pulling out their life force, and pushing it into a book, as letters start to appear on its pages)
* 3. The Machine: The machine was eventually completed, but he had us keep writing, every day - the book took too much time. After centuries had passed, our magic was draining. We began aging faster. And one day, the entire race had finally been weakened enough. That's when he began slaughtering us; bodies fell by the dozen. I was barely able to escape with the corpses of my wife and son, and when the dust settled, I was on the edge of the Wastes and the Cloud Forests. That was a hundred years ago (another image flashes in Rip's mind - a mountain of corpses). I took in tieflings and really anyone else who'd been harmed by Jay. I started building an army to defeat him. I learned of this world, and now I'm almost certain I know what he's trying to do. He’s going to use what Satroleyes he has, along with the machine he had us build, to breach a full hole in the Dream Veil, and let the Demon through - into the one place he could never reach.
* 4. His Life of Crime and Ike Sanakan: And I’m sure you’ve heard of my crimes. But all of this, everything I’ve done, has just been to stop him. To even slow him down for just a few years… I made wealth through crime, bribed my way into power, fabricated an esteemed military general who would eventually rise to the position of emperor. > Enma Valdara shows up, and the Commodore punches a hole through him > “I’m not sure how useful he is now though.”
* But twenty years ago, I feared the end was in sight. An extremely powerful man of the Sword Saint bloodline came into power under the rule of "Enma Valdara" - a man named Ike Sanakan. And I did something that I regret to this day: I kidnapped his son, Silva. Said I would kill him publicly if the Sword Saint didn't end his own life. I knew the Kanserine Empire would subdue him somehow, as they couldn't lose their most valuable asset. And then, I knew I had to truly kill his son, or I wouldn't be able to break his mental fortitude. I was praying that he would fall to wrath. That he would destroy the world that had taken his son from him. I couldn’t think of any other way to stop that man without destroying everything he had spent the last thousand years building. But I knew what it was like to lose a son. To lose everything you’re fighting for. Although I did end his son's life painlessly, he didn't stay dead for long. I was going to keep his soul alive, just in a new vessel. But being the son of someone of such strength... I couldn't do it alone. I called up William, and dug up the body of my own son - Mandras. He was the around the same age when he died, and was the only vessel I could think of that could contain the soul of someone so strong. I dug him up from where I buried him, and William helped me imbue his soul into my son's body (more images flash - a man standing over Rip). He'd probably forget who he was... and he wasn't my son anymore - he's been dead for a long time. I put him in the Cloud Forests before he regained consciousness. He was raised by Aarakocra, and was supposed to live a new, normal life. But I guess the fact that you've ended up here means that its been anything but normal. Mandras, you're like the armored one over there (he points to Mar), but somehow less so: two half-souls in a shared body. Your soul exists in a state of constant chaos; like there's a power inside of you just waiting to come out. But you’re not my son anymore. He’s gone. I can’t have an attachment to someone who doesn’t even recognize me. I wouldn’t be able to go on."
** He pulls out something from a bag on his back
*** To Rip: "Take this" - He hands you (Rip) a book bound in leather and gold lettering, with dark smudges around its edges, as a sign of extremely old age. And the second it hits your hands, you feel a colossal magical presence, on a level to what you felt when you first met Collins.
*** You look inside, and its similar to the infinite page book. The first page just says "fate." So does the second. And the third. After the first few hundred, the handwriting starts to get a bit more messy. Then, the words start to double up, and before long, pages are filled entirely with the word fate - written hundreds of times. And soon after, the letters become jumbled. It’s as if you can literally see it’s writers descending into madness. And beyond that point, each page is a chaotic mess. And at one point, it abruptly ends. But you know with absolute certainty, that this is your race’s “book of legend.” The one that's been in your mind since you were first found in the Cloud Forests.
*** Emrys says: “I stole it right before I escaped. All of our ancestors, everyone, are imbued into this book. I want you to have it. My life of crime is not the type of legacy I want to have for the future of this book. It should be with you.”
** Then, a tiefling walks up to Emrys and whispers something to him
*** He says: "You confirmed it? So it's there, then. I knew this day would finally come.” He turns back to you all and says: “Ever since I escaped a hundred years ago, I’ve sent countless scouting missions to the Wastes to find where we built that machine. And it seemed we had found it. I had to send a second group to confirm, and then a third, but now I’m certain.”
*** He takes a piece of paper from the tiefling, and says: “I don’t know why, but you’re different. All of you. Probably much stronger than me. I don’t think an army of mine of any size could defeat that man, but I feel as though you may have a chance. Go there, to the Wastes, with William. If you fall, then this world will fall with you. But if you kill him, then I’ll be here to help you rebuild all that’s been lost over the last thousand years.” Then, he hands you the piece of paper, which appears to have coordinates written on it.
** He then says: “Make the choice of what you’ll do. But if you choose to fight, you’ll leave tomorrow at dawn. Do as you wish in the meantime.” > He then begins walking away, but turns around abruptly and says: “There’s one more thing. Just before I escaped from underground, something strange happened. Everyone I’ve mentioned this to has been obliterated, apart from William, but… when I came into the sunlight, he was there. Jay. Like he knew I would escape. He walked up to me, and whispered something in my ear. Something that he thought would cause the redactions to obliterate me. But nothing happened. And once he realized that, he simply walked away. Like he knew he couldn’t stop me. But what he told me… it’s never gone out of my mind since that day. I fear what will happen if I tell you, but you're all quite attuned.”
** He walks back over, and comes close before whispering: “What he said to me was… 'Strings Tuning is a story written by Jackson Lichtman.'”
Leaving to Go to the Wastes
* After a few hours of traveling in the cart and talking with Castor, William stops speaking for a few seconds and looks as though he's just realized something that he’s been trying to understand for a long time.
** He says: "Castor… you've become just like me, questioning all that you thought you knew. You’re trying to reach it, aren't you? The truth of this world, just like I was?" > He then looks scared for a second, before a small smile spreads across his face
* He puts his hand on your (Castor's) shoulder, and says:
** “I’m sorry, Castor. I had to leave you. I had to stop him. Could I not desire the world, and promise humanity the stars? To free everyone: that was what I always wanted. For no one to have to live like I once did. It was so close, yet just out of reach. But now I see it in you: salvation. Ambition, true and just, has always gone down the path of salvation. I won't be able to save the people of this world. I... I've already failed them. Death and destruction have always clouded my mind. The people of this world could not wait for me, but they will wait for you. Because you are the freedom they deserve; the conqueror of their pain and suffering, and the harbinger of their hope and determination. With you, I know that my dream will be realized. ... It’s a strange feeling. Not once in my life have I truly desired more time on this earth. Please forgive me. I'm just a greedy human being."
*** You feel his hand on your shoulder start to become lighter. And as you look down to it, it’s gone. You look back at him, and you see his body crumbling away, to fine dust. And the last thing you see, is his warm, unwavering smile. And then, he’s gone.
*** And the prophecy around your neck glows - the Mountain is gone, and so is another line: the Prince's plight will sink the stars beneath the god's domain. The new Prince of Ambition's plight, will cause the "stars" to stop rising from the god's domain, the seas. Bright white "stars" will no longer rise out of the Sea of Stars, and the city of Asphodel will lose its light.
*** And then, you feel yourself changing. Like a higher power is suffusing itself into you. And images, memories, flash through your mind, of the previous wielder of this power:
**** Talking to you fifteen years ago, telling you something that would make you lose consciousness, and then, setting off for Asphodel.
**** Carving… something, hidden behind a black bar. Something that a small part of him didn't want to forget - a truth that he felt he had to bear.
** The infinite page book then flips to a page that reads: “It was his final dream. Dorian Zharov’s final dream is freedom. Freedom from the shackles he bears. Knowing that his will, his entire being, everything he lives for, will be passed on to another.”
** And then, something happens: redactions in your mind, falling away - a “memory” is revealed to you:
*** "There’s something I need to tell you. About myself, and about the truth of this world. The Traveler… You won’t be able to comprehend it anyway. Not now, at least. The day will come when you will attune yourself to this world. It is only then that you will learn the truth. I fear something is coming. Something that could end everything - hiding in every crevice where chaos lurks. This world... it is much stranger than it may seem. And he is the only one who knows this. On that day, one thousand years ago, was our meeting really fate? With me out of the picture, who could possibly stop him? That millennium demon… as long as I’m alive, he can do nothing. But he knows this, of course. He’s planning something, and I can’t let him win. I have forgotten much of who I am over the years. Memories fading, whittled away by time. And by me. But this I could never forget. This is my final dream. To restore the Dream Veil, and bring peace to this world as its Impression. To destroy that man - he is the true demon. This is the role I have been given. This I choose to do. I will disappear for a long time, and I can only hope that when I return, you will have found your place in this world. Away from me, and from all the cruelty and suffering that still remains. And what I wish for you is… happiness. I wish for your happiness, and your freedom from the restraints of this world. And you, Jay. You're listening now, aren't you? Atlas too, huh? He’ll defeat you. I'm certain of it. But until then, I can only hope that the Traveler sleeps for all eternity.