SoSS 1.8

***Altar-Ego*** is the eighth episode of the first book of *Stories on the Subjugated Straits*, and the eighth overall.

## Plot

Having been warned via text message of a "massive problem," Kaseos departs for the altar of Drolene at the Temple of the Saints. He finds Voy asleep next to it, wakes him up, and then futilely attempts to breach the curtain around the altar. When Voy urges him not to wake Nati, Kas tells him she isn't there, having been physically taken by Drolene. They reveal that they both know the new gods reside in space, and without a way to access the altar, resign themselves to waiting for Nati to be returned in the morning. Voy and Kas agree not to ask how the other knows the truth about the new gods. Elsewhere, Detonia claims a new victim, killing a city guard who had been harassing civilians.

At dawn, Voy is able to move the curtain, and finds Nati sleeping there. When she awakens, she realizes that she can once again remember her life before arriving in Reo. A relieved Voy embraces her; Kaseos, on the other hand, asks if Nati has any memory of Oyja, but she doesn't understand the question. On the way back to the tavern, Nati tells the two her life story: she grew up in Anzuelo, a small island village off the coast of Disni, until raiders attacked the island and forced her and her mother to flee. A head injury presumably fractured her memory, and after being cornered, her mother used the last of her magic to send her far away to the Wornor Straits, to the boat where Kas found her.

Hours later, the rest of the party finds the trio eating breakfast, and notice Nati acting different than usual. Cassandra is furious to learn that Voy took Nati to the altar of Drolene, while Lynx, a follower of Drolene, is thrilled. Voy quietly urges Cass to talk to him about it later; in the meantime, he hurries the party to collect their rewards from the bishop, then follow the oracle shrines' direction to Aku. At the docks, the party buys tickets for a ferry to Rellastoria, from which they'll be able to sail to Elmore in the morning.

On the boat ride, Lynx asks Nati about her visit to the altar, curious if she'd seen Drolene herself. Lynx claims to have met Drolene in her dreams, conflicting with Kaseos's observation that she didn't dream at all. Nati asks Voy why he and Kaseos seemed so distrustful of Drolene, and an irritated Lynx echoes the question. Voy claims that his distrust of the gods isn't unique to Drolene, and even extends to his own god, Axedite. Lynx is unconvinced, and the group sits in tense silence for the remainder of the ride.

While the boat makes a connecting stop in the city of Falkor, Kaseos and Lynx hop off to visit the oracle shrine there. Amidst a large crowd, Kas summons the apparition of an oracle who speaks in Quiori, a rare language he knows that few onlookers are likely to be able to translate. After it speaks, a bystander hands Kas a magic locket, voicing support for the rebellion; he takes it, and he and Lynx sneak through the stunned crowd back to the ship before it leaves. He seeks out Detonia and tells her that the oracle warned visitors from other planes, like her, to watch out for an unknown threat, which he suspects may refer to Lynx. Detonia is unreceptive, privately confused as to why he's helping her.

The party arrives in Rellastoria. Outside the tavern, Kaseos gives Voy his first swordfighting lesson. While sparring, Kas confides that he's a dhampir, whose adoptive father made a magical deal for him to eat dreams instead of blood, explaining what he knew about Lynx. They discuss Kas's claim to the throne of Elmore, and decide to inform the rest of the party of his plan to reclaim the throne in the morning. After their sparring match, Voy talks to Yowuli, and it confirms the records placing it in Disni during the Caurdal War. Voy laments not being able to truly speak with the sword, to which it responds with a feeling of utter heartbreak. Voy promises to spend more time with Yowuli, and he and Kas part ways.

Meanwhile, Silence breaks from the group to pray to his god. After performing a ritual, he gets a vague response, confirming he still has a connection. Detonia breaks from the group as well, and spots a Commonwealth Marine reading a letter. Using the cloudy weather as a cover, she strikes him down with lightning, then swipes the letter; reading it, she learns this Marine was a high-ranking member of the Guild of Legitimate Thieves, an intelligence agency dating back to the end of the Divine Flux.

Inside the tavern, Cassandra talks to Val and Nati. Apart from the prophecy, Cass reveals her own motivations to kill King Rasp: he was responsible for the demise of the Dunewatchers, the people in the Xyvcliu Desert from which she hails. When Cass later expresses disdain for the new gods as well, an aggravated Nati asks to be brought into the loop. Cass eagerly tells her what she claims is the truth: that the new gods are not gods, but coalitions of humans based in outer space. Cass lets it slip that Voy sent Nati to space, distressing her further, before Val urges her to leave. She assures Nati that Cass was only spouting conspiracies, but Nati remains troubled over what she'd heard.

Early the next morning, the party boards a cheap, standing-room-only ferry to Elmore. Nati questions Voy if he'd sent her to space; he barely manages to convince her otherwise. Hearing that Cassandra was the one to tell her, he seeks her out, and admonishes her for burdening Nati with the truth. Cass, in turn, chides him for recklessly sending Nati to space, and insists that she and others involved with the new gods should know the truth. After a lengthy argument, neither is able to change the other's mind, but they eventually find common ground in complaining about the boat ride, and the prophecy they're stuck in overall.

Upon reaching Elmore, Kaseos gathers the party, and informs them of his claim to the throne and his intent to take it back from Rasp. Though exhausted, the party agrees to help him.

## Characters

### Main

* Cassandra Dunewatcher
* Detonia
* Kaseos
* Lynx
* Nati Serrano
* Silence
* Voy Graves

### Supporting

* Val
* Grey
* Bishop of Oz