Episode Nine: Choice

Following the events after the attack of the Matriarch, the party was tasked to repair The Last Resort as soon as possible.

### **First Night**

All the current members of Them residing inside The Last Resort are awoken by a burning sensation on their tattoos. The tattoos take on a blood red color which was supposed to have been part of the activation command to kill them, but it didn't. Cage tried to wear the mask to see if it still has any effects, as he was doing this the mask had crumbled into dust.

#### **Day 1**

Rattlesnake focused on hunting for supplies along with Bertha's squad.

Wolf and Fox continued their fixes for The Last Resort.

Cage went back to Rolio to get permission and advice on teaching the Soul Drive to other members of the group on The Last Resort. Additionally, he went ahead and tried to ask Rolio to scan for any existing Scrying magic on himself, on the Future Gadget No.1 v2.37: Thopter, and on Romeo just to be safe. There was nothing detected on any of them.

Ghost taught May on how to use Soul Drive and started training her on how to harness her powers properly.

Bedlam went back to Lamb's room to attempt to comfort him.

#### **Day 2 & 3**

Ghost and Bedlam continued their attempts to teach May on how to harness her powers. Bedlam focused on having May use her rage and anger to harness a stronger power while Ghost preferred having her control her emotions just as how the monks were taught. Unfortunately May had preferred using her anger as it had more immediate results.

Rattlesnake and Cage helped with the repairs on The Last Resort.

Cage also succeeded in splitting Connor and June for a while, by having Connor help with the hunt for supplies and June help him with the repairs.

Ghost also had the time to teach Wolf on how to use Soul Drive and she managed to learn it quickly.

The repairs on the communications were completely fixed on Day 3. While The Last Resort still needs a bit of fixing, but can be done shortly.

### **Final Night**

The crew managed to contact Tailor who then tells everyone that they have been officially disavowed by the resistance, and that they are only alive because they intervened on their behalf. They no longer have the ability to see other official members tattoo's.

Tailor then updates them on Shepherd, who has been taken to the Spire of Judgement where the empire wishes to test a new broadcast system on the execution of a high profile traitor.

### **The Rescue**

The rescue team was composed of Rattlesnake, Cage, Bedlam, Sunflower, Ghost, and Wolf. They managed to sneak into a train in the Damascus Circuit that leads inside the Spire of Judgement. There, they encountered and fought (***another monk)*** from the same ***(thing)*** as Ghost. He received a ***(water bending scroll)*** after the battle.

The party also meets and rescues Agatha Blackhammer, a gnomish shaper who is capable of bending metal to her will. She helped the party create a disguise with the armor of the soldiers they had felled inside the train. Additionally, she shaped an Adamantium Half-Plate for Cage and had a leftover of materials for another Half-Plate.

After retrieving Agatha's armor, the party went to find the power source of the shield generator that is currently blocking the Spire preventing The Last Resort to fly in and rescue everyone. After an encounter with some mages inside the generator room, they disabled the biggest power source leaving around 15 minutes of power left for the shields. Along the process, they retrieved a large Fire Crystal, two pieces of Circlet of Sending, and some Encoded Hextech Blueprints.

On the top most floor of the spire, the party found a bounded Shepherd along with an executioner, an announcer, and a squad of soldiers. Before arriving to the top floor, both Agatha and Sunflower started seeing a vision of the top of the spire. This was a broadcast system recently developed which allows the Empire to send a real time illusions of the execution all over Somnium Penates to the minds of everyone who is wearing a stud. Only Agatha and Sunflower got the visions since they are the only one's without a fake stud among the rescue party.

Before attacking, Cage asked Agatha to form some masks with some of the spare metal from the various Hextech parts inside the Bag of Holding to help hide everyone's identity. He also activates a spell that triples his speaking volume to aid with a Command Spell in case things go south.

### **The Trap**

The shields went down and the party used that as cue to start attacking. They quickly managed to slay the executioner, the announcer, disabled all the soldiers, and secure Shepherd (though his eyes have been taken by the empire). Unfortunately as it felt like the fight would be too easy, an image of all the Shrouded Council's members appeared to them. Meanwhile Kvothe who had recently been silent to Bedlam had finally spoken again only to tell him that the leader of the Shrouded Council is his killer.

It was revealed to the crew that some of their loved ones have been found, and are to be executed if they did not surrender. Among those who we're identified was Jorg’s mother, Dur’s father, Cage’s step father, Fox and Wolf’s younger brother and parents, and Shepherd’s children. Additionally, images of different headquarters of Them under siege was shown.

It was also said by the Shrouded Council that they would "have fun" with the crew before killing them if they surrendered. Despite the grim situation, Cage had remembered the "Real History" written in one of the ancient books found in Rolio's house which had described a kinder, more merciful, and possibly mortal Emperor Amadeus. Taking some advantage of the situation, with the boosted volume of his voice and the currently still active broadcast system, he replied with confidence against the Council while also addressing the citizens of Somnium Penates.

The order is given and their loved ones are killed. Wraithlords begin to pour through the doors and the crew makes their stand. Wolf guides Shepherd’s actions throughout the fight.

After a long and pitched battle, the Last Resort finally arrives to rescue the crew. The shield is reactivated and begins to close. Wolf puts Shepherd’s safety above her own, and due to a series of attacks, is fatally wounded as the Last Resort races to dodge enemy fire.

Shepherd, who is weak from his ordeal (and fresh wounds from the battle) is unable to hang on. With the last of her strength, Wolf sends a telepathic message to Shepherd, pushes something into his hands, and lets go.

Before losing range from the broadcast, Cage makes one final speech:

> "Citizens of Somnium Penates!
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> I give you the truth, all that's left is to open your eyes!
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> Stand up and fight for it!
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> Fellow soldiers, you should know by now who the real enemy is!"
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As he removes his makeshift mask, his already tear filled eyes had gone blank as he shift's his gaze towards Wolf who is currently falling to her death.