Session 112

The Words of the Writer

Advice? No. I have none worth giving. Aspiration is a candle that burns until it’s gone. Writing is the act of burning. So stop aspiring. Start burning. If you are writing, then you are already a writer. No crown will be given, no permission granted. It begins the moment you decide the silence has gone on long enough. Write as if the end draws near and your allies have fled the realm. Write like the gallows wait and the words are the only thing that might break the rope. Grip the page as if it were the edge of a cliff and your story the only thing keeping you from the fall. Write like a soul unchained, a bird that sees the world from above and can no longer bear to keep the truth to itself. Tell us what you see…what we’ve forgotten, what we fear to name. And if you can, whisper the secret that keeps you awake at night, so the rest of us might sleep knowing we are not alone in our madness. Write as though a message has come from the divine…urgent, sacred, meant only for you. Or don’t. Perhaps you are one of the few spared the burden of having something to say.

Thomas Mair - The Act of Defiance page 1

Orianna hears voices on the other side of the door - a familiar one. Claire.

“Orianna,” Claire calls, fierce and trembling. “Lilith and Garthos Melantha are in there. It’s our chance - our only chance - to take back the city, to free those stolen from us under the Melantha name. Stand with me. We’ll tear down their house and drag light back into Ruunmaire.” A roar of many voices answers her.

Then Lelune steps out of the mist. About the weapon, she tells Peach, plans have changed: “Unless you want a blade that comes wrapped in your sister’s corpse, we’ll need to alter the terms.” She turns to Ember - if not for Muvara, Lilith would already be gone. “You’ve got someone fierce in your corner.”

To Peach she says, “You got the bad one.” Instead of the moon-forged weapon, she’ll put him somewhere useful - “a way to try and stop something.”

She raises a hand and the mist coils up around their boots. The world tilts, and when the fog clears the party is standing in a room full of ruun guards, several with blades already drawn and aimed at them.

Claire and Lelune

Orianna hears several guards gathered beyond the doors that lead out of the Hall of Mirrors. Among them, she recognizes Claire’s voice as she rallies the others, urging them to ensure no Melantha escapes.
Lelune appears before Peach and the group. She tells Ember that Muvara is struggling to keep Lilith alive. Because of the Blood Laws, a deal must be struck if they hope to reunite everyone with Dax and Orianna. In the end, Peach sacrifices the boon he was meant to receive from the moon goddess in order to save his sister.

Crimson-Painted Halls

Seeking to negotiate with Claire, the group finds her unwilling to listen. She dismisses their pleas and declares death to all Melanthas.
Enraged, Peach lashes out at Claire. In Claire’s final breath, she manages to sound the alarm.

Mirror Step Into the Hall of Mirrors

When Peach pushes open the doors to the Hall of Mirrors, Ember mirror steps into the chamber to join the effort to protect the Melanthas.
Aydriann conjures a whirlwind of flame that engulfs the guards, driving some to madness from the pain. One guard, the same one Dax saved earlier, confesses he was never meant to be involved and does not want to take part in the conflict. Dax tells him to stay close, hoping to help him survive the chaos.
Dax summons his shadows, which take the form of a fiery bird, to aid the party.
Orianna becomes surrounded by guards, but Sirius and Peach rush to her side. Together, they withstand the assault.

Death Threads

More Death Threads manifest around Lilith as she unleashes her power against the remaining guards. It becomes clear that time is running out. Muvara intercepts each thread she can, but even she cannot stop them all.
Peach hurls Sol to sever the threads around Lilith. Tavina screams from within the blade, but when Peach checks on her, she insists she is fine.
Seizing another moment, Peach throws Tavina toward a point Ember identifies. Ember can see Muvara desperately fending off the Death Threads woven by Edmeera. Tavina screams again and struggles to respond.
With the threads briefly cleared, Ember seizes the opening and casts Dimension Door, pulling Lilith with her. They escape to the manor’s library, where Ember prepares to cast a Teleportation Circle.