Ep. 147 The Nightmare’s Dusking Chapter Three

## Listen

Ep. 147 The Nightmare’s Dusking Chapter Three

Dex, Booyah, and Beric

Beric, Booyah, and Dex are on the verge of finishing their great battle in Dal Quor. With his last moments, Booyah throws the test stone from his bag to Dex and then collapses. Dex aims it at the eldritch machine and starts sending waves of lightning through it. Beric wakes up, sees what's happening, and attempts to Banish them both back to the material plain before the machine blows. Booyah's body is sent back. Dex is not.

Dex continues blasting it. Beric urges him to get back to his dreamscape. Dex is frustrated at Beric's need for self-sacrifice, but is finally convinced to leave—right as the machine blows. Back on Eberron, Booyah gives out and joins them in Dolurrh.

They have a heartfelt goodbye, satisfied with their mission and knowing they saved the world, at least for now. Beric is left alone, until Urik finds him and wraps him in her arms.

Across Khorvaire, the nations fight against the quori. Breland is the most unharmed, and when it's over, helps the other nations recover. Oargev destroys the docks of Stormreach. Somewhere on Xen'drik, Drakir flees with Venera and what remains of the drow after a devastating attack by Belashyrra and the aberrations.

Months later, their old friends gather to honor the memory of Beric, Booyah, Dex, and Therudak. Vor appears with a story of a hooded figure and a sword; Oriana takes the pact from him.

## Final Battle

With the quori all around them, Beric, Booyah, Dex, and Bhimanni make their final stand in Dal Quor. The Destiny Arms are overcharging the eldritch machine that will destroy the quori. Booyah takes a chance and reaches into his bag of holding, and pulls out a stone Gerald was using for testing. Infused with the half-elf's Siberys mark, the stone can be used to call lightning on their enemies.

The tail of a scorpion quori pierces Booyah's armor, and as he falls, he throws the stone to Dex. He drops to his knees and falls unconscious, face-down. Bhimanni is squeezed with the pincer that's holding her, and she also loses consciousness.

Beric and Dex continue to be attacked, and the machine starts to rattle. Beric gets knocked down by a quori, and Dex takes the stone and shoots lightning at the machine. The power of Gerald's mark flows into it and bounces through some of the quori behind. The quori see what's happening and swarm around Dex, attacking him repeatedly.

Beric is revived by Erebus's ability. He gets up and sees what's happening, runs over to Dex. He puts his hands around the stone and looks at him. With his last parting words, he casts Banishment on Dex and Booyah. Booyah's body is transported back to Eberron.

Dex stays.

He continues firing lightning into the machine. Beric begs him to go back, and promises to follow him if he's able. Dex lingers. He needs to see this through, and doesn't want to leave Beric behind. Finally, Beric convinces him, and he turns to go—and the machine blows.

There's a wave of energy as lifeless quori corpses are flung about, and Beric and Dex are blinded for a moment right before the explosion. Back on his home plain, Booyah fails his last death save.

"*I can't live with myself if I don't see this through.*"
—Dex

## Dolurrh

Beric, Dex, and Booyah are reunited in Dolurrh. Beric is quite certain he's there to stay, having not done what Erebus wanted. Dex and Booyah, on the other hand, quickly start to feel a sense of lethargy.

They make their goodbyes before being parted again, satisfied with what they've accomplished, and happy with the company they did it in. Booyah feels the light of the Silver Flame on his cheek, and goes towards it. Dex starts to fade. After a moment, they're both gone.

Beric takes a minute to gather himself, and then starts walking. After just a minute, Urik approaches and gives him a warm, but sad smile. She takes him in her arms and attempts to soothe him as he struggles to keep himself together.

"*Good to do here, right?*"
—Beric

## Epilogue

All over Khorvaire, the quori invasion is in full swing. Breland stands strongest against them, as Boranel had taken steps to remove as many obelisks as he could. In Thrane, the knights and clerics of the Silver Flame are weakened by the partial removal of the Flame itself, and the quori gain most foothold there.

Under the guidance of Adal ir'Wynarn, the wizards of Arcanix defend the royal district of Fairhaven. His sister and her royal guards are killed in the attack. In the poorer parts of town, Treyna runs through the streets, fighting any quori she can, but she's soon overwhelmed and is long among them. Word comes too late to the Gatekeepers of the Eldeen Reaches.

Stormreach is quiet except for the thrum of the obelisk's energy, when a far-off howl slowly turns into a deafening roar and Oargev releases lighting onto the ships. Corpses of Riedran soldiers and sea life are left in his wake. Later the citizens of Stormreach would claim it sounded not like the dragon was screaming in rage, but crying.

The fighting comes to a sudden halt as the quori die en masse all over the continent. The Riedran soldiers try to keep fighting, but are no match against the Khorvairian nations. Confusion is spread among the continent about what these aliens were and why they attacked as they start the healing process.

The dragonmarked houses deploy their people to help with their various specialties. The remaining Inspired are taken prisoner, but few of the nations understand their talk of quori and utopian futures.

### Aftermath

Months later, the world is recovering from the quori attack. The Church of the Silver Flame assures the people that they'll rebuild and be stronger than ever, but there's murmuring of its diminished strength and the return of the monarchy. Jaela is troubled.

The dragonmarked houses call for a meeting at Thronehold. In exchange for the resources expended to help the five nations, they demand looser regulations. Boranel vehemently denies their demand and covers the bill, threatening that if the houses ever try to hold Khorvaire hostage again, they'll redraft the treaty, and the houses will be begging for scraps in the gutter. As the meeting ends, Boranel is stopped by Paulo. She says the people of Stormreach are resilient, until Oargev appears with a correction: the people of New Cyre.

A group of drow trek across the desert at night, carrying trophies from their war—but they're retreating. Drakir looks over his shoulder with rage and fury in his eyes, and Venera puts a hand on his shoulder. She wonders at how they knew how to infiltrate them so efficiently. In the Qabalrin fortress, Beric's eyes shoot open from Belashyrra's chest and observe the corpses of the drow and aberrations.

"*It was like they knew exactly how to enter the city, where our guards were. We never stood a chance.*"
—Venera
At the Wott-Hightower home, Cassian trains. Charlie is concerned that he's too young, but Oriana points out how helpful it would have been for her and her brothers. A lone figure rides up: Vor. Fighting back tears, he asks for their help. A hooded figure came to him and handed him a sword, saying he must do what Beric would not. Crast and Gerald take him into the house. Oriana walks away, letting her emotions overwhelm her when she's out of sight. She pulls out Beric's note that he gave her at their parting.

### Wake

Jace pulls the airship up to the Wott-Hightower homestead. He, along with Rikard, Paulo, and Oargev, take a skiff down and join the small crowd that arrived earlier that day. Folks are exchanging stories about Beric, Dex, Booyah, Therudak, and Draconos. Farlan and Oargev talk about the warforged attack on the lightning rail, Thorin—not enjoying the spotlight at all—talks about the weirdest day of his life: the day he met them in Wroat. Gram and Alben talk about their first weeks at the station, and how Draconos had to played the peacekeeper between Beric and Dex. Oriana gives Paulo a note from Beric.

Eventually the gathering moves to the four gravestones that have been set up outside. Bala places a Dark Lanterns badge on Therudak's; Rikard puts a Flame insignia on Booyah's; Boranel puts Urik's General insignia on Beric's. Lastly, Cassian walks up with Charlie, looking unsure. He starts crying and unwraps the strap of silver dragonhide that Dex left him, and ties it to a hook on Dex's stone.

Far in the distance, Draconos sits, watching. He wipes a tear, and takes off on his griffon.

The people begin leaving.

Vor and Oriana sit on the porch. It's too much for him; he wishes he could be rid of it. Oriana produces Beric's will, wherein it references a hooded figure handing over the sword—and that should it be offered to her, she should tell it to go to the deepest pits of the nine hells. Vor chuckles bitterly, wishing he'd known that a few days ago. Oriana tells him how Beric talked about giving it away, and that he couldn't—but maybe Vor could.

After Vor leaves, Oriana goes looking for a note she was told would be with Beric's grandfather, Tors. She finds two laying out on a desk: one labeled "If You Listened to Me," the other "If You Didn't." She picks up the second one.

End of episode.

## Locations

* Dal Quor

Epilogue locations:

* Aundair (Arcanix, Fairhaven)
* Breland
* Eldeen Reaches
* Thrane (Flamekeep)
* Xen'drik (Stormreach)

## Spells

* **Beric**
	+ Banishment [0:16:56]
* **Dex**
	+ Chain Lightning [0:10:42]

## Quotes

"I'm vomiting, I'm scared, and I'm ineffectual, but I *am* healthy."
*—Jeff 0:01:37*

"This thing's done."
"Yes."
"It's as good as done."
"Yes."
"And you'll go home."
"If I can get back, I will go home."
"Let me know when you're there."
*—Dex and Beric 0:23:54*

## References and Footnotes

1. ↑ Ep. 141 Waking of the Dreams Chapter Two