4.8 Home is Behind

Preparing to face their final conflict,
the party moves to help Albert and Sajaina convince the final
civilizations to agree to evacuate to the old human ruins in the hope
that, if all else failed, the population of Tirisea could be
evacuated. Only the Dwarves and the Laputians remained. The Dwarves
are easily enough convinced once they hear that all of the other
civilizations have so far agreed, though they demand to be shown the
location ahead of time so they can be assured that it actually
exists.

 The Laputiians proved somewhat more
daunting of a prospect, since their population had been splintered
into factions following the disappearance of Viti. Perlapae managed
to convince Sajaina that Zebbi might be the perfect way to get the
Laputians back together again. She decided to test the effect Zebbi
has on Zanza to make sure the revelation that he is the reincarnation
of Viti doesn't, in general, cause Laupitians to go mad. She takes it
well, seeming to gain a sense of peace from the discussion, and
Sajaina grudgingly agrees to take Zebbi to Laputa to bathe him in the
sacred waters of Viti.

 Initially, the Chosen of Astor are met
with suspicion a hostility from the miitary leader of the traditional
Lauti faction. When the chosen refuse to help take down incoming
insurgents from an opposing faction that wishes to abandon the way of
Viti she decided to have them thrown in jail to be dealt with later.
Breaking out was practically effortless an the chosen made their way
to the sacred waters in spite of her. On the way, Perlapae used her
connection to Viti to show some of the guards her light from within
Zebbi, causing them to let the chosen pass either out of hope or
stupefaction.

 At the holy house they met the Holy
Mother, Innara, who, after hearing their goal, bade the chosen to
enter and bathe Zebbi in the sacred waters. As they began the rite of
baptism due a Laputian child, another faction broke into the sacred
halls. Their leader told Innara to stand and be judged for holding
Laputa back in this time of crisis. She was rather dismissive,
gesturing towards the sacred waters where Zebbi began to glow.
Suddenly, the song of hope and glory that was Viti's influence flowed
out over the nation of Laputa. For the moment, conflict ceased. With
Innara's help, the Chosen were able to convince Laputa as a whole to
evacuate, a nation once more, to the human ruins.

 That done, they boarded the Elfatina
once more and set off towards the Cathedral of Bartos. Deciding they
did not want to bring an eight year old girl with them, they had
Thain create a new arm for Cara so they could bring te Archivist
without dragging her along with them. As they few, they schemed,
finally deciding on an attack plan after seeing the blind fervor the
paladins of Bartos had been driven to. Wryn and the mages of the
group worked together to create a colossal antimagic field t keep the
powers of Bartos at bay while they invaded. Veller dropped them off
and then went to cause a distraction from the air. Moving quickly,
the party tries to slip through the hallways of the cathedral
unnoticed.

 Predictably, they are unable to avoid
all conflict. Their path is strewn with paladins who aim for the kill
as a priority. They fight as best they can, the Archbishop guiding
them through the hallways to the final door. They pass through rooms
laden with traps and ambushes, finally stumbling into a room occupied
by a pillar of light. The Archbishop uses the magic shown to him by
the Night Maiden to propel the party into the sky in a blinding
flash. Below them, they could just make out Tirisea dropping away as,
ahead of them, some great, ship-like construction of gleaming metal
loomed closer and closer.

 When the light cleared, they found
themselves aboard, standing in a room furnished with metal walls and
unidentifiable light fixtures and displays that may well have been
alien magic or alien technology. They quickly activated the gifts
given to them by the Night Maiden, each receiving a strange headband
with meta studs and an item of power to better allow them to deal
with the hazards aboard the ship.

 Examining the hip as they made their
way through, they found themselves in an almost indescribable series
of rooms that reminded them of a welcome center. Though in a language
none of them had ever heard before, the voice that rang out from the
walls nevertheless made sense to them. It spoke of investors and
experiments- an all to chilling echo of that same sentence “we are
an experiment,” upon the walls of the Tower of Apotheosis.

 As they wander through the place,
walls and furniture eerily scarred with signs of some long-passed
battle, the Archivist tried again to convince them that this course
was wrong. “You do not belong here,” he would say. “Will you
kill your creator? How can you win?” “You will not leave this
place.” Ignoring him and his increasingly hostile attitude, they
followed the path through the living quarters of the Overseers. They
came upon a break in the wall and, passing though it, found
themselves confronted by a shimmering globe of light. Inside of it
were their enemies- the three Ascendant they had resolved themselves
to kill if they could. The Mad half of Albert was there, alongside
Dal and Finean, though Bagel was absent. The three tried to argue for
their release, but Sal punched a glyph of destruction on the wall
nearby, atomizing the three of them. Not meeting anyone's gaze, he
walked into the next room.

 Somewhere in the distance, alarms
begin to sound and the scrape of metal on metal follows the party as
they move on. They find themselves in a room made of too many
blinking lights and flashing screens to take in. The exit is covered
in a grid of light that erases anything to touch it, though the exit
it also barred by a thick door. The Archivist says he can open it
but, the instant he is inserted into the control slot, activates the
rooms defenses in an attempt to kill the party instead. Using the
gifts of the Night Maiden, the party manages to rewind time, once
again holding the Archivist in their hands. They threaten to kill him
if they tries something like that again. He grudgingly tells them how
to open the door and they prepare to venture forward, wondering, not
if but when, they will have to kill him.