Brothers

*Brothers* is the title of the twelfth and final episode of the seventh season of S.H.A.D.O.W. and the eighty fourth session of the entire game.

This session was played on September 13th, 2020

## Brothers

### Writer

Jonny Christie, Matt Christie, Richie Maynard

## Synopsis

Splash. Aragi slowly sinks to the bottom of the lake. His vision is blurred as a body floats away from him. He starts to see flashes of all the members of S.H.A.D.O.W., lingering on his friends and their Deaths until one face is left in his mind, Phylyco. Harvest recovers Phylyco from the rubble. Team Sirobe arrives in Stoneclaw, having stowed away on a boat. In the distance, Onyx notices the Orc carrying a box with a Cat and approaches. Harvest brings an unconscious Phylyco back to Wroth who shoos them away before sending his payment to Elbije. Phylyco awakens next to Jenella who is ecstatic the plan worked. He is not amused. Tadal exits the lake, after failing to save Aragi. However, the Stormcaller is already out of the water, sitting on a rock next to Lara’s sword. His eyes glow.

*He is sitting against a tree, speaking to someone. He has lost everything and doesn’t know what to do. He is talking to Hylophagous who doesn’t answer. He begins to walk away and shifts into a black smoke dragon.*

Aragi awakens in the rubble next to Tadal who attempts to heal him with his new abilities. He informs him that Lara was wrong about how to lead, as Vargas before her. He tells him that the people followed Aragi because he made them believe it was the right thing to do. He rules Aethel now. Aragi has a plan. They need to contact Elbije and Ibis. S.W.A.R.M. must end. He thanks the orc and moves on, prepared to cut off the head of the snake. Phylyco has recovered and is resting on a rooftop with Kazard. He tells him to prep for retaliation and the captain departs. He heads over to a battalion that has arrived and briefly gives a book to a Kobold soldier before Singula lands on his shoulder to inform him that Commander Winter is pursuing rebels in the walls. He has her bring Onyx to him. The Commander informs him of an Orc with a Cat carrying a box into the city. Phylyco tells him to let them in and stick with them. Onyx notices something different about Phylyco but decides to go through with this task. Winter finds the orc and demands to know their intention. Sirobe tells him it’s to save him so he gets up and has them follow him.

Aragi is on his feet, heading in the direction of Stoneclaw city. He notices that nothing is stopping him or causing him danger. That is until he comes across Thoren and Kazard. They stand there for a second before a fight breaks out. He is severely outmatched but a string of unnatural occurrences helps him slay Thoren, followed shortly by Kazard in a shootout. He continues his path.

Phylyco is informed of his captains’ deaths as he makes a visit to his prisoner. He tells the man to not worry and It’ll be over soon before leaving Thane to watch over the young Emberstorm. As Phylyco is leaving, he is met by Winter, who is caught off guard by Phylyco’s presence. He takes Onyx weapon and walks back into the cell, handing it to Thane. He leaves again and tells Winter that he’s waiting for him as he leaves the two to fight. He has a disguised Villberg and Sarya follow him to Harvest. Aragi arrives outside of the walls of Stoneclaw City. He spots a small stem sticking out of the ice at his feet. He touches it and gets a message from Tadal who informs him that Sirobe has made contact and has escaped the city with Ike but his team was captured. Aragi understands that he will have to attempt to save them if he can as well but his mission isn’t rescue, it’s revenge. He enters the city. Phylyco has returned to his quarters and looks at his scrying orb to see Aragi has arrived. He slides the orb off the desk and shatters it, heading to his meeting. Aragi spot the man in the distance walking towards a cave outside of the city, but something within him tells him he has to save the others so he heads into Harvest’s throne room.

He is stopped by Onyx who is there to help. He agrees to distract the Minotaur while Aragi gets the others out. It leads to an immediate fight and Onyx is ripped in half by the monster. Unfortunately, Aragi is only able to save Sarya as Harvest crushes Villberg. The two friends get to the walls and he hands her Lara’s sword, telling her to get it back to Aethel before departing for the cave. He arrives and sees names written in infernal around the entrance. All of them are people he has killed. There is a space in the middle with a rolled-up banner above. He knows it’s his name so he takes a breath and enters. He sees his target and fires on him immediately. Phylyco takes the blow as a ray of light shines down on him from the ceiling. Aragi shouts at his former friend that it’s too late for peace talks and only one of them will make it out of here. Phylyco knows this and came unarmed. Aragi shoots him again, he takes it again. He fires once more, no response. Aragi knows there is some game involved in this so he drops his weapons and walks up to Phylyco. They trade words again and Phylyco informs him that everything that led Aragi to this moment was thanks to him. Aragi is not buying it and tells him he murdered his friends, his family. Phylyco shakes his head and sighs. They begin the brawl, the entire time Phylyco reminding Aragi of all the bad things that happened to the circus, and his involvement. Both of their involvement. They beat each other senselessly, Phylyco spotting a hidden blade on Aragi’s wrist and knocking it away and getting him locked in a choke. Aragi reaches for the blade and gets it to Phylyco’s neck. The man releases his grip, grasps the blade and shoves it into his own chest, looking his brother in the eye as lighting flashes around them. Aragi screams as he shoves it farther into Phylyco’s chest. The man reaches and pulls Aragi closer, whispering into his ear with broken words before falling into the ground, his eyes lose their light and Aragi begins to cry into his chest. The cave begins to collapse around them so Aragi grabs his bow and Phylyco’s blade before retreating. As he exits, the banner falls to reveal the name “Phylyco Brokenwhisper”. He passes out in the snow. Elsewhere, Sirobe gets Ike back to the Crimson Keep, Sarya rides back to Aethel, Tadal enters the Bank of Pentropolis, Vargas is left a gift of his father’s rifle repaired, Elbije has tossed the bribe away, Wroth knocks down a chess piece on his desk, Singula lands in front of a different cave, and Delsin Emberstorm is sitting in a cage. A commotion is heard outside as a man breaks through the door. It is Darrow. Before Delsin can thank him, the man slams his blade through his brother’s chest and it begins to glow as the barbarian smirks.

## Cast

### Main

* Aragi Maxul
* Phylyco Brokenwhisper
* Vargas de Orion Highstar
* Sirobe
* Zinonna Murium
* Onyx Winter

### Special Guest

* Saint Hylophagous
* Darrow Emberstorm

### Supporting

* Singula
* Elbije
* Harvest
* Amarel Jenella
* Saint Wroth
* Tadal
* Sarya Nameless
* Villberg

### Guest

* Thoren
* Thane
* Kazard
* Niks
* Ike Emberstorm
* Delsin Emberstorm

## Trivia

* Season 7 Finale
* The Aragi and Phylyco fight was planned all the way back in Season 1. The fact that it happened the way DM Jonny Christie and Player Matt Christie planned it is remarkable.
* This session reveals that the Black Smoke Dragon haunting Aragi Maxul is actually Saint Hylophagous.
* This session sees the return of Darrow Emberstorm, signaling his major role in Season 8.
* Final appearance of Phylyco Brokenwhisper.