Em:
Welcome to BlackwaterDnD, where good friends tell better stories. This series, Oblivion, is an eleven part miniseries using the Powered by the Apocalypse system, Godkiller, which was created by Connie Chang, now available on Itch.io for purchase. Our story tells a tale of the end of all things, and follows one prophesized soul who challenges the shackles of fated and foretold divinity. This story is our love letter to fearless storytelling, passionate vulnerability, and incredible creators who challenge us to bring our best selves to the table. For this story, your GOD, everyone else, and the thrum of the Cradle, is myself, Em Carlson, and my GODKILLER is played by Jannes Wessels and Christian Navarro. As this game falls within a holypunk and dark fantasy genre, it may contain themes and depictions that are triggering for some listeners. Please take care of yourself and access support as you see fit.
Content warnings for this episode include:
Heartbreak / grief / death of parents / graveyards / fantasy violence / guns as weapons / religious overtones / power dynamics and struggle / allusions to war and genocide / death / strong language / complicated relationships / memory loss / sacrifice / being chased
So sit back and relax, heretic. And welcome to Godkiller: Oblivion.
ARC 3, PART 3: RIDER
Em:
Your bones settle back into their proper places as you run through a scan of your body, as you now lie on the stone floor, your lungs heaving and your throat sore as you struggle to catch your breath. You each take one strain from this journey, but you've arrived. Your mind swims, putting together the last events that sent you hurtling from an old teleportation circle in the top of the Chime, sent by Allayne Ivenwood, Priestex of Allseia, to here, a matching teleportation circle in what you hope is the city of Riese. Your eyes are immediately drawn to each other, entirely corporeal, more fully than you've ever experienced in the River with Allseia, or in the Dreamscape with Soevan.

You are truly here with each other. And it's almost impossible to know the ramifications of what that means before you go outside. The room itself is simple. The walls made of adobe brick. There is a statue of Tenebe, the Gloaming Dusk and the Goddess of the night, darkness and the new moon. A silhouette of a woman with a short crop of curly hair, a flowing gown inlaid with patterns of galaxies. Her expression is neutral other than having one eyebrow starkly raised. Inanis, you would know about Tenebe as this is your hometown. You were born here, as far as you know, and left when you were a young man to go seek your fortune in the world and made headway towards Glass. Your mother, Pehlia, prayed ardently to Tenebe, and looked up to the sky each night. Here in Riese, there is no moonlight, a city under its own sort of protection and governess from its patron Goddess. In fact, what you remember, Riese was, for most of the day, shrouded in dusk, with only a few hours in the morning, from dawn to noon, bathed in light.

Plenus, you look to the other side of the room, behind your brother, and you see a statue of... Falir, the Welcomed, the patron god of Bright Rise, and of birth, dawn, and the day. If this is Riese, there should not be a statue to Falir here. At least not in this context. You see a statue of a humanoid figure made entirely out of prismatic glass, reflecting the lamplight from around the room. The statues in Bright Rise used to shine throughout the city, and you remember letting go of your mother's hand as you moved through the streets to chase the rainbows as the light was split into its chromatic array. Bright Rise, too, had an altered light cycle. Daylight most of the time, except for the hours between sunset and midnight. An acknowledgement and an understanding, it seems between the two patrons of the cities, or perhaps a mutual assurance of an alliance, if the worst were to happen. There is a door, just beyond, down a small hallway that leads out of this room. It's partially ajar, but the two of you seem to be safe here for a moment.

Christian (as Plenus):
“That's not good.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“It means the end is near.”

Christian:
Are you okay? Does he look okay?

Em:
I guess the best question is, how do you feel?

Jannes:
I think if there was, I don't know if there is a sort of a connection between the two of us that you would have of any sort of, be able to sort of intuitively know how he feels but I think if you did you would sort of sense from him that he is more set on his path than even before when you met him. He has cut all ties to his past life, and is now fully focused on his goal.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I'm... I'm okay. I... I am ready. Are you, brother?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I… I’d ask you if you saw her but, I know you have.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Katani you speak of.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Yes, yes you saw her, you went to her.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I went and saw her, yes.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“So you know.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“She was hurt. I healed her. I have done what was necessary for her protection.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“What do you mean? You know who she is, who she's been, right?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I do. I do. I know who she is.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“What happened on your path?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I assume you found the book. The one that took. The book you wrote in, you asked it questions.” 

Christian (as Plenus):
“Oh, yes.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“And in exchange, it took information.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“What did it take of you?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“It's what it took of her. I asked a question and it asked for information, and she wrote everything she knew of me.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Why do you sound angry? I went to her, I loved you, I loved her as you asked me to. We had resolution, we had friendship. I was not angry.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I needed her... I needed her to forget me. So that if we were to fail, my loss would not hurt her.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“You've cut her off entirely.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I have cut off all things that tie me to who I was before.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I like who you were before. I mean, when we met, when we first met.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“So did she, but it is not who I needed to be.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I'm sorry.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“So am I.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Is this place... Riese, you know this place?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“This is where I grew up. Well…It seems different.” And I gesture to the statue that I was… would be unfamiliar with. “The place I grew up did not have this.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“No, I… don’t think it did, it being here means… Well, it's ominous.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“It seems as though the twin souls have finally found a similar plane. I wonder where that puts us.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Right where we're supposed to be, I think. I hope. I don't, I'm not familiar with this place. I will follow you, so lead on, brother.

Jannes:
I would make my way out of the temple.

Em:
You leave this room, this conversation behind you, walking into the main wing of the temple and you find it quiet. The halls do not ring with the sound of prayer or of worship. And as you go into the main chamber, the front room of the temple where the majority of activity happens, Inanis, you have been through this many times and you see a strange sight. There are people here, but they are still. One priestex of Tenebe sits with a parishioner, deep in conversation. Their mouths are frozen mid-word with no movement or sound. 

Plenus, looking around, you see a priestess of Falir, her robes starkly different than the rest in here cleaning a stained glass relief in a window. A priest stands at a dais at the front, preparing what looks to be a speech or sermon, and is wearing robes reflecting both Gods in color and design with one holy symbol on a chain around his neck and the other affixed to his hip.

Christian:
“I put a hand on my twin to stop him from moving forward. And I would like to Feel Someone or Something Out. I want to know if this is a trap, if they're expecting us in a way that maybe neither of us are expecting.”

Em:
Incredible. Okay. So when you try to feel out a person, place or thing, say what you want clarity about and answer one. The GM will give you the clarity you seek as you answer the other. So the two questions are that you can choose to answer from. What feels welcoming on the surface? And the other is what feels dark or unnerving when I peer deeper?

Christian:
OK, so what appears welcoming on the surface is the sort of spiritual cleanliness that this place emits. It's designed to be disarming… it feels, and clean and wholesome and maybe too welcoming.

Em:
Okay, so the other what feels dark or unnerving as I peer deeper. I think that feeling that you had when you were in the original teleportation circle chamber, if the both of you are here in corporeal form, what does that mean for the rest of the world? What else must have been pushed into one another, smashed on top of another to cause this to happen?

Your question as to if this is a trap, it does not feel like it simply because it could not be anything but what you've been hurtling towards all along.

Christian:
As I think that and take that in, another thought sparks in my brain and that's if we're here together, if the world seemed to have collided, then that means that Nelle is here too on this plane, right now. And I squeeze my brother's shoulder. And he knows that means that I've sussed it out. That it's probably OK.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I believe that she is in the ruins of Barrencliff, and I believe that is where we need to go.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I think you're right, but first we should suss this out a little bit further.”

Jannes:
Do I notice anyone moving? Is there anyone who's not frozen? Is there any sort of movement at all?

Em;
Not in this chamber, no, everyone is still. It is as if someone has paused the room around you.

Jannes:
I would keep moving forward; let my feet guide me.

Christian:
I'm on his left, I'm close but distant enough to be able to protect him should anything happen.

Em:
Okay, the front door is slightly ajar and leads outside, and from the timeline of when you started travelling to when you think you got here, it's probably about late afternoon. Outside, the sky seems stuck in a space of both dawn and dusk, with the sky, with the sun hovering at the horizon line off in the distance. The River, as it always does, flows across the sky, but there is a slight movement to it. You squint your eyes for a moment, blinking a few times before it too stills once more. A quick glance around and it seems that out here is under the same effects as inside. People stand mid-stroll, mid-conversation, a cart with a horse frozen in mid-canter, through the town square beyond. It is both Riese and Bright Rise, the architectures intermingling with recognizable locations for the both of you. Inanis, the bakery your mother took you each morning for fresh bread. Plenus, the mercantile where your mother sold a majority of her baskets.

Jannes:
I'd like to stop for a moment. And ever since that sinking feeling that I feel when there's another Eutoches near has sort of changed and become deeper, the closer we get, I wanna sort of take a moment and see, I wanna sort of use it as like a divining rod to see where I should go. Like I want to sort of trust my gut and feel for that sinking feeling and then drift wherever it gets strongest.

Christian:
And if he's doing that, I'm going to watch him, but really watching. I want to clock if anyone tunes into him as he's doing this.

Em:
Okay. Inanis, you take a moment and quiet yourself. Quiet your mind that has been running at a thousand miles an hour since this whole thing has started. You take a moment to connect with that feeling that always sits sometimes at the base of your spine, sometimes right behind your eyes, and sometimes right in the pit of your stomach. You feel a draw out of town to the east, far east. It feels faint, but tenable.

Plenus, as you watch Inanis turn inward upon himself, keeping an eye on everything around. Above the din and the stillness of this silence that is not quite Riese and not quite Bright Rise, you hear two things. First, you hear laughter, a femme voice that is rich and deep, and it gives you the feeling in your belly like when you see a shooting star coming from around the corner of the temple where you would have a sense potentially there might be a graveyard. And from above, you hear a very familiar shriek of a hawk. Your eyes draw upward with the hawk careening down through the sky at full speed, before gracefully slowing and perching on a fence post near the both of you. It looks tired, but those red eyes, you would remember them anywhere. And considering the last time you saw them look at you with this much contempt, one of you killed her and one of you cursed her eternally, so you're not surprised at her demeanour. Nyxal arrives, as she was bound to do. She gives you a slight nod, and then her eyes narrow and she shoots a glance towards Inanis, as if waiting for you to give her instruction.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I see we meet again.”

Em:
While birds have much less expression on their face, her divinity radiates her disgust towards you. She might be bound to you, but she doesn't have to like it.

Christian:
I imagine she can hear me in her head, can't she? We have a sort of bond, her and I.

Em:
Her head cocks to the side.

Christian (as Plenus):
She hears, “Cheer up old friend, you could be dead in both worlds.”

Em:
a ruffle of feathers at your comment as she looks back towards Inanis for instruction.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I need you to find someone, a woman. She's in the ruins. I think she's searching for answers. Her name is Nelle. “

Jannes:
And then I would, um, I would describe what she looks like, um... 

Jannes (as Inanis):
“When you’ve found her, do not make contact with her. Come back. And let me know where she is.”

Em:
She nods and gives you a very pronounced bow, that reeks of sarcasm and just absolute apathy towards having to do this. But she does as she is told. She takes off, her wings pushing her backward, and she flies up again once more and takes off towards the east.

Christian (as Plenus):
“I wonder if she'll ever forgive you, brother.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I doubt it, but I… I don't need her forgiveness. There's many other Gods I will piss off before we are done.

Before I ended up here, I killed Ashmedai's High Priest.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Why? Why did you do that?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“They were the ones behind the attack on Katani. I had to make sure that they knew that she was not a pawn to be used against us.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“You killed them. How much blood do you have on your hands already?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“A lot but… when we kill the void, I will be washed clean of this. I… I discovered something.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Tell me.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“There might be another way.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Okay.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“If we can give... If we can give him peace, it might be enough. We might not have to end everything.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Everything that I've learned would suggest that he would only know peace in absolute annihilation if everything was consumed, right? What else would bring such a being peace?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“And there is… a way. But I think it involves tearing the heavens from the sky and destroying hell itself. But we must get the River to flow again.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Yes, that'll save everyone?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“It was an obscure prophecy.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“They're all obscure prophecies. It's in their nature.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“But we know now there is another way.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Then why do you? Forgive me, but… I feel you are as lost as I was only but a few days ago. You feel hollow now, brother.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“When you… When you think you must, give up everything, and then you do. And after it is all taken, you are told there's another way… It's enough to make you want to ust do it the way we're going to do it in the beginning.

I had her sacrifice all of her memories, only to be told that she didn't have to, only to be told that everything didn't have to end. Now what's the point? I might as well end it the way we intended.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“If we can, if we can breathe magic back into the world the way it used to be…”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“What is there to save? What is there to save? A bunch of squabbling gods.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“We could save our soul, brother.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“You know, the Gods, they never minded us until they faced mortality themselves.” 

Christian (as Plenus):
“Right.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Then all of a sudden they came down here. They conversed with us as equals. Only when the threat of death was upon them did they deign to actually walk among us. Now they beg me to find another way to save them. For what? So they can go back up on their plinths and gaze down on us.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I don't know for certain. All I know is that not too long ago at all I thought myself insignificant. I thought this… gift or curse, futile, and yet look at all we've done in such a short time. The impact, the profound impact we will leave on this world because we chose to, because we chose to do something different, because we defy prophecy. Behind that prophecy, another prophecy. Smoke and mirrors.

They will remember the power we show them. And if we spare them, they'll remember that as well.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I will leave this bearing to you, and I will show them a different kind of power. We are two sides of the same coin. This is my lot: to be the Godkiller. I do not discriminate which Gods. if we can let the river flow and start again, we might be better off with fewer gods when we start new.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“You sound like them.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I guess I… well you know they say only a god can kill a god. And here we are. What does that make us?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“We are no gods.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“That might have been true at one point when magic flowed, but now that it doesn't flow, we might as well be. The only thing that separates a God from a mortal is the ability to kill a God.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Empathy. Empathy separates a god from a mortal.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Then I am a God. Let us go find her. For the half of us that still has empathy.”

Em:
Plenus, as you see Inanis  turn and take a step off of the front porch of the temple, that laughter cuts through the silence once more.

Christian:
Is the laughter familiar?

Em: 
No. But you hear another voice chime in behind it, a giggle and hushed whispers shared between two. What would you guys like to do?

Christian:
Go ahead, Jannes.

Jannes:
No, I was gonna say, I don't hear any of that, so... I would just keep going east unless... Plenus was supposed to draw my attention to it.

Christian:
I know where he's headed, I think. And I'm disturbed by the conversation we just had. I think that there's, there are a few realizations dawning between the two of us. But the laughter is too light in this place of darkness to ignore. And so I'm going to without him knowing, even though I feel as if there's this tether he knows anyway, but I'm going to pull away from him and just peek my head around that corner briefly.

Jannes:
I think what it is is, and Christian you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think what it is… it's like when two friends from childhood meet each other again like 20 years later and you still see that person that you knew, but they are changed in a way that's… both noticeable, like, that is both of consequence and not of consequence. And I think you see Inanis, and you still see the same Inanis that you met that very first time, but the events since then has made him a stranger in a way.

Christian:
Yeah, it feels like a faded photograph. It was vibrant when we met. It was a fresh memory and now it feels washed over.

Jannes:
Yeah, exactly.

Em:
As you peel away, you peek your head around the corner and you see a modest graveyard attached to the side of the temple with rows of simple headstones laid flat on the ground. It's nothing opulent or imposing, just some of the graves of those who likely served at this temple and perhaps a select few from the city of Riese themselves.

You see two figures sitting on a bench, almost curled in next to each other. It is familiar and their positioning with each other suggests deep intimacy, deep closeness and connection. And I am going to have you roll to recognize a God, please.

Christian:
Oh gosh, that’s a five.

Em:
Okay, when you want to recognize the signs or influence of a God of the Cradle, when you want to recognize the signs or influence of a God of the cradle, you roll 2d6 and we add one for each true statement. You're in or near their domain. Yes. You're familiar with their gospel. Yes. It would be bad if you didn't know. I feel like your mother would be upset if you didn't. So yeah.

So you can add plus three. So your total is?

Christian:
So it was a five that I rolled, plus three, all three of those, so that would be an eight.

Em:
Okay. The first of the two that you recognize comes from the light refracting from them, balancing between the two of them in this kind of twilight. This is Falir, their form changing and shifting the light coming off the freckles on the other's shoulders. You see Falir here in their true form as well.

The second… your mind draws back briefly to the room, the teleportation circle, the dark of Tenebe, as if the entire night sky was contained between the folds of her dress. You see the two of them curled up with each other, sitting on a couch, sitting on this bench, enjoying each other's company.

Christian (as Plenus):
“Go, the two of you, now. If he sees you here, you must go.”

Em:
You see Tenebe whip her head around.

Em (as Tenebe, The Gloaming Dusk):
“To whom are you referring?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“My brother, my... The other half of me. I fear he will not distinguish between good and bad, dark and light. A God is a God. You have to leave.”

Em:
Falir turns to you as well, and though their face is mostly expressionless, mostly featureless, you can tell that they are regarding you with care.

Em (as Falir, The Welcomed):
“We were wondering when you would arrive. It's been a while since you both have visited.”

Em:
And it's then that you notice that the two of them seem to alternate who is speaking, switching fluidly between their sentences, perfectly in sync, perfectly in unison. And, Plenus, in this moment, you cannot help but draw a comparison between the two of them and yourself and your brother, two halves of a whole, just under very different circumstances.

Christian (as Plenus):
“I… I'm trying to do the right thing. Please go. Seek refuge somewhere safe until this passes.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“We came to see your mother…”

Em (as Falir):
“And to see the man that you had become. She spoke of you often…”

Em (as Tenebe): 
“...prayed about you often…”

Em (as Falir):
“...lamented about you often.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“We will spend our time, and then we will go.”

Christian:
Are they sitting? In the tense environment and all of the tension in the air, I think I may have overlooked this. Are they sitting near mother's grave?

Em:
You have never been to Riese, so you're not sure where this version of your mother is buried.

Christian (as Plenus):
“You said you came to see my mother. See her where?”

Em:
The two of them who are sitting in the middle of the bench move to either ends of the bench. And you see there is a small plaque in the middle. You can't read it from where you are.

Christian:
I approach the plaque. I want to read this.

Em:
The plaque says… as you approach you can get a read on it. As you walk closer, you're able to get within about 10 or 15 feet before you can read it. Your eyes always sharp when trying to discern writing.

Pehlia Andrade, beloved mother, gift giver to all of the Cradle.

is what the plaque says on the bench.

Christian:
I stare at the plaque and I address… I address Falir and Tenebe.

Christian (as Plenus):
“Did she know? Did she know what we were meant to do?”

Em (as Falir):
Not as far as we know, 

Em (as Tenebe):
each version of your mother tended to you.

Em (as Falir):
and it as if you both existed together but separate.

Em (as Tenebe):
“You would likely not remember us. There was a time…”

Em (as Falir):
“...when your mother had to run to the store, but you were asleep at home in your crib.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“We watched you. Sang you a lullaby. She has a beautiful singing voice.”

Em (as Falir):
“We figure that your mother's love ran so deep that the universe saw fit for there to be two of you.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“That one wasn't enough to house all the care she had for you.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“That wasn't it though. That wasn't it though, was it? No, she was used. They used her. They gave her children. They knew they were going to rip away from her.

Em (as Falir):
“We were not responsible for the split.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“BROTHER!”

Jannes:
I think you would see that when you turn and call, um, Inanis is already sort of standing, just far enough back watching, I think he would have not been able to help his curiosity as to where you would have gone to. And, Em, correct me if I'm wrong, he would know of this bench, right? 

Em:
Absolutely.

Jannes:
So he knew where you were headed. 

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Yes, brother.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Maybe you’re right. They toy with us. They toyed with our mother. She was kind.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I can't believe I'm going to say this but… I do not defend them. But to say that our mother didn't do what she did out of her choice? Would be too painful for me to bear. To think the love that she felt for us might have been something conspired by the Gods rather than her choosing? That is a truth I cannot… No, I'll-

Our mother's only folly was that she believed in them. You see how it says on the bench that she was giver of gifts to the whole Cradle. We are those gifts, brother. The end is a gift for the Cradle.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Oh, brother. This is a farce. I only care about Nelle. The rest is as you will.

I took this,”

Christian:
And I reached into my cloak and pull out the weapon.

Christian (as Plenus):
“I am familiar with quills. You're the weaponsmith. This is yours.”

Jannes:
You see, you see a smile on Inanis' face.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Do you know how I met Katani?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Uh, no. No. We didn't speak of other men when we were together.”

Jannes:
“That is fair. I found that gun in the waste. And when I returned, I sought a buyer and… Lo and behold, the temple of Nepthysaket deigned it to send Katani to purchase this gun.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“She was always two steps ahead of us.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“We did trip her up though, brother. She might have been ahead of us, but I do not think she saw it coming - that she would fall in love with the Godkiller.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I haven't laughed this much in ages.”

Christian:
I address Falir and Tenebe.

Em:
As you turn to speak, they're already gone.

Christian (as Plenus):
“Well, let's kill them all.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“As you will, brother. But first we must find your Nelle.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“My Nelle. Yes. Let's find my Nelle.”

Jannes:
And we would head east.

Christian:
Addressing my brother... as we march east, as we make our way east.

Christian (as Plenus):
“She's not really mine, you know. Not mine, as I knew her.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“No, that is true.”

Christian:
Yes, and I think maybe you realize that, I don't think you've ever seen him nervous. You've seen him worried, you've seen him anxious, angry, but I don't think you've seen him nervous. And I think you realize he's truly nervous because this is the woman he loves more than anything on the planet and he hasn't seen her in ages. And he says, 

Christian (as Plenus):
“things might not be the same, brother, things might be different, she might not recognize me, she might not… like me at all. I didn't know she liked me all that much when she was alive to be honest. Love and like are different.”

Jannes:
I think Inanis would stop and turn and he would sort of straighten Plenus’ jacket. He would say...

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Brother, she might not be the Nelle who shares memories with you, but she is close enough to the Nelle who fell in love with you. But I will warn you this: the closer you become to how I am, the less likely she is to feel the same way as your nail did about you.

She fell in love with... the you of before. So if for some reason she feels differently here, it might be because of how you've changed, rather than how she's different.

Do not lose the hope, and empathy that you had. Only one of us needs to be hard. The other can be soft.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I don't want her to love me. I don't want her to know me as she did back then. She's not the person I knew. I simply want her to live. I want her to have the opportunity to do what she always wanted to do, whatever that may be, before it became seeking us.

I want to make sure she's safe. And so I don't, when we get where we're going, you talk to her, you see her, you make sure she's safe. I will stay outside.

I fear seeing her again would cause an irrevocable shift. I feel as if I've only just now truly accepted she was gone. And she's not gone. And I don't know what that truth would do to us, to this mission we have now.

You see her. You see her. You make sure she's safe. And if she is, we'll continue. And we'll save her. And everyone else is undeserving.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“As you wish, brother.”

Jannes:
And we keep hitting east.

Christian:
I'm gonna hum as we walk. I'm gonna hum the same tunes that my mother used to sing to me. That I believed she used to sing to me.

Jannes:
And I think that after a couple moments, Inanis would join that tune effortlessly. A tie that they both share. One of the few common threads they have in their past.

As you walk eastward to head out of the city, you see two shapes near the city gate. You see a large black stallion, wisps of shadow trailing off its mane and tail with what seems to be starlight patterned across its back. And next to it a palomino mare with a mane like gold glinting off what little light is present through the dawning dusk. 

And Plenus, as you clock these, you hear a voice in your head. Flair’s. 

Em (as Falir):
Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. You're traveling far. A gift instead?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Okay. What do you have in mind?”

Em:
As you approach the horses, you get to the eastern gate and you see these same two figures, Tenebe and Falir, sitting on a piece of fence, probably about 30 feet from you. Tenebe looks towards the horses.

Em (as Tenebe):
“It would take you weeks on foot. Don't be silly.”

Christian:
I look to my brother.

Jannes:
Can I hear any of this?

Em:
You can hear her speak out loud, yes. The first was simply to Plenus in his head to get you, I'm assuming, to come closer and actually engage with them.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Thank you for your gift. It is much appreciated. You know that giving us this will hasten the end.”

Em (as Falir):
“We're not all bad, you know.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I know.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“Yet you treat us so uniformly.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“When you are in a position of power, in a position to influence change, and you watch those with similar gifts abuse that power without ever stepping in or helping, you become part of the problem.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Yes, brother, I knew an alchemist once. I wrote his letters. He once dictated to me a curious line. It seems apropos at the moment. I believe it went like this. If you drop… a tiny bit of poison into a bucket of water. All of the water is poison.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I have no personal qualms with you, but I also… will not lessen what I  must be done.”

Em (as Falir):
“We're not here to ask you to stop.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“We too have felt the shackles of this system of power.”

Em (as Falir):
“The two pinnacles of the major seven uphold everything in our current structure.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“There is a tight dominion over all magic, over everything, with little room for change.”

Em (as Falir):
“They have held capital on this control for so long and perhaps with you… perhaps the River felt it was time for a change.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“With Allseia gone and Nepthysaket being unaccounted for as of late, there will be plays for their seats…

Em (as Falir):
“Likely coming from the Strix or the Matron if she has her due.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“We want no part of this.”

Em (as Falir):
“We want no part.”

Em (as Tenebe);
“We have struggled time and time again as one of the Minor Gods to simply care for our people.”

Em (as Falir):
“Why do you think the rest of us retreat to our towns, retreat to the places we are loved?”

Em (as Tenebe):
“Because there is so little for the rest of us to go around.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Well, I thank you for your assistance, and I will... I will end it all, as is the prophecy. I do not hate you, and I do not have any feelings of malice towards you. You cared greatly for our mother…”

Em (as Falir):
“We did.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“And I will always be thankful for that.”

Em (as Tenebe);
“Whatever you decide to do…”

Em (as Falir): 
“Sons of the void, you must decide together.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“If you fight that, then you will be doomed by your own indecision. The universe will fracture upon its precipice and you may both just be stuck there…”

Em (as Falir):
“With the empty God as the universe crumbles around you for eternity.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“if those in power were to die…”

Em (as Falir):
“If those who kept the rest of us in shackles, were to be ended…”

Em (as Tenebe):
“Who would be there to enact this hierarchical nature that they themselves created?” 

Em (as Falir):
“That which keeps the powerful and those who clamber for what they have down and pressured.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“We are closer to you than you think. And now that you have read what you have read…”

Em:
And Tenebe looks to you, Inanis,

Em (as Tenebe):
“That is out in the world and cannot be unknown.”

Em: 
Falir chimes in.

Em (as Falir):
“I do not wish my mother dead, but after what I am piecing together happened... to my sister. There is no love lost. If you take what action against her, you must.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“Prophecies are there for a reason.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Do you know what is blocking the flow of the waters of the River?”

Em (as Falir):
“if it is the Heaven and the Hells? Then, it is likely Ashmedai and my mother.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I think we should head to hell first.”

Em:
Tenebe Smiles.

Em (as Tenebe):
“Hell is where you're going. Hell is at Barrencliff.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I thank you for your patience with us. We are, despite our experience, still the children that you once sang to.”

Christian:
I'm going to step forward and I'm going to Wield my Power a bit. What I'd like to do is, as I did, my brother wasn't here for this, but I utilized the water and adapted the water in our last session. And what I'd like to do is I'd like to pull my hand out, I'd like to put my hand out and feel for all of the...the water in the air, and I'd like to pull the water out of the air so that in my hand a sculpture of my mother's face appears. And I'd like to hand that to them as a peace offering.

Em:
So when you Wield the Power to do something only a god can, you roll 2d6 and you'll add one for each true statement. You've done this specific act before. Perfectly. Not quite. You're desperate for this to work? Probably not. You're close to a trine layer or domain of the God you took this from? No. So this is going to be a flat 2d6.

Christian:
That is a 3 and a 6 for a… 7, 8…9.

Em:
On a seven to nine, you do it. This perfect replica of your mother's face coalesces from the air and the water around you. And you see a smile across both of Falir and Tenebe's faces. You realize as you see them now as they begin to move towards you, as if to accept this offering that you're giving them, you see that there is always a moment, always a part of them touching. There is a slight desperation to it as if they fear that if they let go, they will lose the other. As Falir, the god of Bright Rise, moves towards you, you see that their pinky is interlaced with Tenebe’s, Falir extends their hand to take the offering.

Jannes:
Um, Em, I would like to attempt to do something very, very cheeky.

Em:
Okay.

Jannes:
The wording of Spare a God…

Em (01:14:10.997)
Okay…

Jannes:
Is that when you confront a God in their true form and reveal you know their downfall, but relent, describe how you spare them. And I don't want to do it as a threat, but I do want to do it as a “I know.” And I don't know if that's enough to qualify for a spare, but it only says when you confront them and reveal you know their downfall.

Em:
The question will be whether you know their downfalls or not, which I already have written.

Jannes:
All right, well, the way I want to phrase it, and it's not an attack, if this statement rings true, then you can decide whether or not it counts as Spare a God. But Inanis would just say:

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Despite it all, I will do my best to make sure the two of you are not separated from one another.”

Christian:
I would like to, because we are of one soul, and I know where he's going with this. I'd like for them to feel, if possible, to piggyback on my brother, my so smart, keen brother. As they focus on the crystallization in my hand, floating in front of my hand, I'd like them to feel the air between them. The water begin to... The moisture, the life essence begin to… thin out between them.

Because I think I realized that if we separate them… It's their downfall as well. So it's a threat, it's a veiled threat. I offer this to them, but I want them to know that I also… am of a mind of my brother.

Jannes:
And then also the good, great thing is, is if it turns out to not be their downfall, it's not really much more than just a statement.

Christian:
Yes. And the air got tingly around them.

Em:
Falir in this moment is… trusting and potentially the more naive of the two. Tenebe, having had her heart broken many times as the stories have been told, less trusting of others simply as a matter of her nature.

While Falir may not clock what you're attempting to do or attempting to say, Tenebe would be a bit more suspicious of it. And in reply, lets go of her partner's pinky. So that is to say, no, that is neither of their downfalls.

Jannes:
Inanis would them a nod and then make his way to the horse.

Em:
Inanis, as you walk to your horse, you feel something become heavy in your pocket. And as Falir behind you, beside you, regards this new structure, this new form of your mother with joy, you hear in your head…

Em (as Falir):
“If the end you find, Inanis, is not the end you seek, I would see that you have a first that you chose for once. A parting gift for your kindness.”

Em:
As you feel something heavy in your pocket.

Jannes:
I wouldn't draw any attention to it until... we'd left.

Em:
Okay. Tenebe moves over to you, Plenus, and gives you a nod, gesturing to the palomino.

Em (as Tenebe):
“They made that for you, and I made that one for him. We hope they keep you safe.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Thank you.”

Em (as Tenebe):
“Ride hard. And whatever you do, do not stop until you get there. The screeching steel will take any opportunity to enact the will of the metal feathered mistress. Best you pray she doesn't go with them. If they are to set upon you, do not let them take you. Death will be better. That we can assure you of.”

Em:
As the two of you saddle up, you feel Tenebe's eyes on you, Plenus, as you walk to the palomino, and a voice comes into your head.

Em (as Tenebe):
“If the end you seek, Plenus, is not the end you find, I would hope that you could find a place to rest your head in peace. A parting gift for your kindness.”

Em:
You feel, move softly around your wrist a small silk bracelet. It feels cool like the night air and soft as that hazy feeling of falling asleep. There is one knot securing it together.

Christian:
“I’m conflicted. Christian’s conflicted. Because it feels like…well, because we're dealing with these entities who are so similar in nature to us as twin souls. I feel like there's an inclination, certainly we believe that dividing is the quickest way to conquer. So this feels like a bit of a division between the two of us here.

And I don't want that, so I'm going to draw attention to the bracelet. I'll saddle up to the palomino. And as we start to trot onward, I will say to my brother...

Christian (as Plenus):
“They gave me this.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“And they also gave me a gift. I have not looked yet to see what it is.”

Jannes:
And I would reach into my pocket and pull out the heavy object.

Em:
You pull out a crystal prism. It's about the size of your hand in length. It's smooth and cold, and it could very easily look to have come from Falir's body itself. And your mind draws back for a moment to what Falir said, having a first that you chose for once. Your knowledge of the Gods is not as deep as potentially a priest or a priestex, but everyone is taught about the gods of the Cradle. You know, Falir hungers for firsts. First experiences sustain them. Beginnings. Perhaps using this item could bring you a first, a beginning that you seek.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I feel as though these are gifts for the end.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“They are beautiful. Yours is beautiful. Mine is a bit tight fitting around the wrist.”

Em:
As you say that it loosens.

Christian (as Plenus):
“Oh, well that's disconcerting.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“That's pretty neat.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Oh, well that's, sure, neat, yes.”

Em:
Plenus, as you look at your bracelet, the fabric feels like it could come from Tenebe's skirts, a small piece of herself given to you. And you know… that her hunger, the thing that brings her sustenance… is the peace of a quiet night. Perhaps she is offering you some of that peace, if you wished it.

Christian (as Plenus):
“Can I tell you something, brother?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Always.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I didn't know I had a brother until I knew I had a brother. But when I was younger, I would daydream often about what it would be like to have another, to share with another. And I always thought that… If I had a sibling and my parent bought us gifts, it would be sensible to trade them, so that we might enjoy each other's gifts. What if we were to trade ours here?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“How about this, brother? How about you hold on to both of them? And when the moment is right, you can give me the one you think best fits me, and you can use the one that best fits you.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Yes. Yes, I like that.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“It is… if I'm being honest partially because I think you would take better care of me than I would take care of myself.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I will certainly try.”

Jannes:
Um, I think that Inanis would definitely be very much on guard for any sort of flying friends who might be looming near.

Em:
Okay. So you ride hard. The town fades from view and you ride on the, and you ride on the roads until you realize there is no longer a road to take you where you need to go. You keep heading east and you make a break for it across the wastes, towards the ruins of Barrencliff.

Neither of you have been this far south before, or this far out from some form of civilization that was still in the Valley. As you ride, you realize your horses do not require food nor water, and after eight hours of travel, they do not seem to falter or tire. 

You however, will likely need to rest for yourselves unless you choose to keep moving. It's been over 24 hours since you've had your last sleep in the cart with the holy folk of Soevan. So you get to make a choice. If you push on, I'm going to have you make a move here. This sounds like Tempting Fate because you need rest. And if you choose not to, that could have consequences, unless you've got a better move to justify this with.

Jannes: 
No, I think Tempt Fate fits well.

Em:
Okay.

Christian (as Plenus):
“I have an idea. I have an idea, brother.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Yes?”

Christian (as Plenus):
“That tincture that was given to us, that allowed us to travel to the dream world. Do you still have yours?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I do.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Well… What if we went back and we took their power?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“You're talking about… killing them.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“That's the only way we can get that power, right?”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I… I'm afraid I cannot.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I just think you might do a better job than them, when this is done.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I have already, unfortunately, made a deal with them.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Ah. Never mind.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“If we succeed in ending everything, there is a small but still a possibility that world of dreams will continue to exist, and I have been given assurances that certain people will be given safe haven there. As much as I am seeking the end of all things, I am not one to not have contingencies.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“I was just thinking about what you said earlier about… being a god. I wonder if we could… install you as a god. You might be done with this world, but perhaps... Perhaps your purpose after this is greater. We're unhappy with them. Maybe you can do a better job.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“You asked me before how much blood I have on my hands. I am not one to take their place, for I would be no better than them. I have become them, in order to stand a chance. I would not be someone to trust. You yourself said, I have sacrificed my empathy. I would make a bad God.”

Em:
I'm gonna need some Tempt Fate rolls from both of you.

Jannes:
Alright, alright, so first question. Skilled allies lending you a hand. Uh, yeah. My super sweet brother.

Em:
So when you tempt fate with your actions, say what perilous feat you're trying to accomplish in roll 2d6. You are attempting to push on when your body should rest. Add one for each true statement. A skilled ally is lending you a hand. Yes, for both of you.

Jannes:
Yeah, or the horses. You can also say the horses. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Christian:
That and the steeds and the steeds, yes.

Em:
I would agree with that. You have no other options?

Jannes:
No, we don't really.

Christian:
No, yeah, unless... Can you fly? I can't fly. Did you kill a god and get the ability to fly yet?

Jannes:
I can... I actually did, and then I did sacrifice that power. So I had wings for a brief period, but not anymore, unfortunately.

Christian:
Well that's a first.

Jannes:
Yeah, that would have been quite useful, actually, now that I'm thinking about it.

Em:
And the last question here, you're far from any God that wishes you harm? No.

Jannes:
“Definitely miles, miles and miles from any God they could possibly wish us harm.”

Christian:
I sense nothing, nothing at all.

Em:
You sense nothing… Alright, so you can add a plus two to this.

Christian:
7 plus 2: nine.

Jannes:
I have 5 plus 2: 7.

Em:
Okay, those are both hits. Lucky you. You ride on weary and beleaguered. You see the mountains approach in the distance jutting so high against the horizon of what stretches to the south that gives way to the desolation of the rest of the Valley below this part.

You gain another half-day worth of travel and finally see, probably about a day's ride away with the speed these horses are going, nestled up on a small slope, the ruins of a large obsidian black structure built right into the mountainside. Half of it has clearly fallen away, but it's too far out to make any clear.. indication of what else has happened, but now it is finally in your sights. 

The land around you is desolate. Nothing dares to grow here, not after what happened 500 years ago. You remember hearing about the beautiful, rich landscape that surrounded Barrencliff before the Devoid Massacre. This is a stark and bleak comparison. Rivulets of red ground snake through the hard packed earth, streaking like tears, streams of blood that the world is no longer allowed to forget about.

As you continue to ride on, time begins to swim out of sheer fatigue. You realize you are losing some of your faculties at this point as the horizon line at times begins to wobble and the rhythmic sound of horse hooves on hard packed dirt echo over and over. You doze in and out, losing time for a bit. And finally...

You see Nyxal fly down in front of you. It seems you have caught up with her. She darts side to side as if to scope a path in front of you and you begin to crest through a small series of foothills as the ride drags on and on and on.

Jannes:
I would motion with my hand for her to come down to me.

Em:
Okay.

Christian:
I’m gonna bring the horse to a stop and I'm gonna slide off the horse and as he's focusing on Nyxal I'm going to find some of that dirt some of those red rivulets and I'm gonna put my hand and I'm going to use all the energy I have left because I want to reach out and try and find the magic underneath. I want to try and bring it to the surface if I can.”

Em:
Okay, so what move would you like to use to do this?

Christian:
It's either Wielding a Power or Unleashing Divinity.

Em:
And what is your divine trigger? Because your divinity is not awakened unless your divine trigger has been activated.

Christian:
Following through on my faith.

Em:
Okay, so barreling towards Barrencliff with your brother, speaking of killing gods and becoming one.

Christian:
I am a believer

Em (01:41:17.867)
The plan in the forefront of your heart to end all things. Yeah... I would say your divinity is available to you. You feel this prickle kind of on the back of your neck. This is a new feeling for you.

Christian:
I would challenge, I would add this though, GM, I would say that my newfound faith is in my brother and not any of the Gods because I wasn't quite on board at the beginning of this session but my brother has convinced me and so I am following through on my faith, the faith I have in my brother and his convictions.

Em:
Okay, so if this seeks to be the awakening of your divinity in this moment and you wish to unleash it, we're going to describe how your godhood surges forth as you exert your will upon reality. Now divinity is different than power - powers you take from gods and are tied to what they do. This is your divinity, yours alone.

You accomplish a single brilliant feat with one side effect of your choosing. It is brief. It is obvious, or it is unstable. Which would you choose?

Christian:
Well, I think the question is what is my godhood? What do I consider myself to be excelling at in this moment? And I think what I'm trying to be very good at is getting my brother to see the best of himself. I'm trying to get him to see all of the potential for life after whatever comes. That there's more to it. And with that at the forefront of my mind, I'm going to, as I'm touching the earth, I want the earth, I want this Barrencliff, this massacre desecrated place to feel its own potential, to tap into the River that it's been cut off from. And I want it… I want it to breathe again. And so as I connect with this earth, my godhood is bringing the best out of everything that I can. And I wanna reach deep for the magic in this barren cliff because I know it's not barren. It's just, it's just hiding.

Em:
And you're welcome to correct me, but that feels mighty unstable.

Christian:
Oh yeah. Oh, oh yeah.

Em:
Inanis, you extend your hand down and Nyxal does as she's told and rejoins you. She is quite high up. She is taking her time flying down. She's not going to make it easy for you.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I have a deal for you.”

Em:
You say this to Nyxal?

Jannes:
Yes.

Em:
She flies a bit faster and she lands on your arm, cocking her head to the side as you… do you slow as well or do you keep riding?

Jannes:
Um, I would slow if I see my brother stop. 

Em:
Okay, you sit on horseback.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I will release you from this service that you are bound to, in exchange for one thing.”

Em:
She nods as if she's listening.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Your sisters hunt us.”

Em:
You see her smile. If a bird could smile.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I need you to make sure they do not find us. If you can do that, I will release you from this. I will set you free. If they find us and we survive, I will make sure that you spend the rest of existence bound, not to me, but to a mere mortal. Nothing but a pet.”

Em:
Inanis, you watch as her head looks between you and looks between Plenus. And in this moment, a few things happen.

The first thing that crosses your mind Inanis, as you attempt to make this deal with her, is that you cannot release her.

Jannes:
Um, I actually beg to differ.

Em:
Mm, do you?

Jannes:
This is, this is not, um, in character. This is..

Em:
Aboveboard. Okay.

Jannes (01:48:00.675)
I do plan to release her if she fulfills her bargain. I never said what form that would take. I know her downfall. I've done this before. I will set her free, but not living.

Em:
And while you were the one who killed her, you are not the one who cursed her. That was your brother.

Jannes:
That is true.

Em:
And she knows this. She is intimately familiar with how curses work. So she looks at you, and if a bird could shrug. Shoulder raise up and down. 

As you feel the ground begin to rumble beneath your feet, Plenusm, your hands stuck into this dirt as you stick your hands into this red part you feel it give more than it should for how hard packed this is as you Unleash your Divinity to attempt to pull the magic up through the ground.

It is as if you're touching a live wire. You feel an electricity course through your body, almost blowing you backward. A crack sounds, and you see the ground itself part. Not fully, but enough along these rivulets that you have made an impact. You see the crack begin to snake its way all the way up these red rivulets towards Barrencliff.

And Inanis, the rumbling doesn't stop. And as you look to the foothills, where the rumbling begins to echo from. You hear it. A whoosh.

And where is Nyxal? Is she on your shoulder? Is she on your arm?

Jannes:
Um, she's on my, my arm.

Em:
Okay. You stopped.

Jannes:
Oh yeah, they did specifically tell us not to stop.

Em:
And you hear a sickening impact as you hear as you see inches from your head a needle like harpoon about two feet in length pierce directly through Nyxal. The shriek in pain next to your ear is almost deafening as she lurches forward and then back and you hear the grind of metal probably about a hundred feet behind you as she is yanked off your shoulder and backward. You hear a cavalcade of horses with the clank of armor. You hear hinges of metal creak and groan and you hear the caw of what sounds like ravens simultaneously emerging from just up the foothills.

Jannes:
This is in the direction that we're heading?

Em:
This is coming from behind you.

Jannes:
All right.

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Brother! On your horse. Let's go!:

Christian:
What's the result in the magic? Do I feel the magic? Does this place still have magic alive?

Em:
Yes, absolutely you do. You crack the earth in half, my dude.

Do you ride?

Jannes (as Inanis):
“We must go. Quickly.”

Christian:
Okay, yes, I jump on the horse beside him.

Jannes:
When we go, we ride, we ride hard.

Em:
Okay, you ride forward. Do either of you look behind you?

Jannes:
Yeah, I would, I would take a peek behind me, I'm sure.

Em:
Okay. Your head cranes around and riding behind you, you see about ten figures barreling on horseback with metal chariots attached. They're outfitted in various compilations of armor, all bearing the same feathers as their Mistress, a red tinge to their eyes and streaked across the metal plate.

Flying above them, you see five in winged contraptions with large looming figure standing on top of one of the closer foothills wrapped in shadow. You hear screams echoing between them, calls to action, a cry into what they hope will be a glorious battle to enact the vengeance they crave. The Screeching Steel have been set upon you, and apparently they were allowed to take Nyxal, and that was enough to whet their appetite.

Jannes:
The screeching steel are not gods just to confirm they're right? They work for a god?

Em:
They work for the Matron of Vengeance, who you assume is the one standing at the top of the hill.

Jannes:
But she's not actively coming after us. She sent her minions.

Em:
For now. I'm going to give you a couple seconds here because they are barreling down behind you and you are screaming on horseback, both in the direction towards Barrencliff, but you've got 10 on horseback and five in the air.

The ones on the road behind you look to have crossbow bolts with swords, they carry large chains on their hips. Um, and from what you remember saying… that “don't let them take you alive”. Uh, the ones in the air have harpoon guns, uh, and thick pieces of metal attached to their hands and feet. And they look to be like clawed talons.

Jannes:
Um, Inanis would stand up on his,

Em:
On your horse?

Jannes:
On his saddle, and he would look to his left where he's just sort of come to expect to see his brother.  For so long he has thought that he must be the one to end all things. And he looks to his brother and he realizes it's only one of the two of them that needs to end all things. And he does not want to see his brother die.

And he stands on the saddle and I'm going to unleash my divinity.

Christian:
Oh, what are you about to do? What are you about to do?

Em:
Okay. And your divine trigger is doing something for yourself.

Jannes:
Yeah, I'm choosing to save my brother for myself. Not for... Not pursuing my faith of ending all things.

Em:
Okay.

Jannes:
And you see him stand on the… on the horse and there's a moment where he's still mortal. He's still having to maintain balance. He's still having to sort of like, he's bobbing slightly back and forth as the horse gallops. And then there's a moment where he just stops following the rules of what is natural. And he just stands and he turns to face this onslaught, and he sees the cracks in the earth that Plenus left behind and he claps and he tears huge cracks across the barren waste making it these huge almost crevices in the way of this mounted onslaught so that the horses would topple into them.

Em:
Okay. Eschewing your own safety. I'm assuming your slow your horse so that you let Plenus go before you.

Jannes:
Yeah, I would fall back so that he could go.

Em:
Okay. So when you unleash your divinity, there is no roll.  You describe how Godhood surges forth from you and this brilliant feat with one side effect of your choosing. It is brief. It is obvious. It is unstable.

Which do you choose?

Jannes:
I think, just to flavour it even more, the crevices as they open, they open as though they are gouges left behind from a cat's claws as it digs its foot through the sand. And I think the side effect is that it's obvious - that I, in that moment, stand out to the Matron of Vengeance as the one who killed Nyxal. 

Em:
That was exactly what I was gonna say.

Jannes:
As a beacon.

Christian:
Oh my god. 

Em:
Okay, so I have to honoir the Unleashing of Divinity.

The ground continues to rumble and you hear this earth splitting crack as the rivulets that Plenus opened snake backward, looping around you and are drawn across the earth in the pattern you described.

The ten horses with their ricketing chariots have no time to act and these deep crevices either engulf the chariots or they at least disable them in one go. I think I have to honour the divinity there. There are still five flying towards you and the Matron, seeing what you have done and seeing the target that you put on yourself - you hear a cry of the ravens.

And you see, take flight, a white raven, similar to what you saw in the woods near the Lake of Portent. You see the matron crest up, up, up. And she begins to dive towards you.

Plenus, what would you like to do?

Christian:
Oh, I'm reeling, really. Christian is reeling, I don't... 

Em: 
You have five winged members of the Screeching Steel bearing down on you now. And one very, very vengeful and elated God that she gets to join in the fight today.

Christian:
So deductive reasoning here. Clerics possess the gun that I have in my possession, right?

Em:
Absolutely. In this world, guns are only cleric weapons. Guns are holy weapons.

Christian:
Man… How far can I push the power of adaptation?

Em:
Pitch it to me. You can do anything if you roll for it.

Christian:
This Matron of Vengeance is careening towards my brother.

Em:
She is, yes.

Christian:
How far away is she?

Em:
I'd say probably about…150 feet. You've got time to do one thing before she absolutely rockets herself into him.

Christian:
This is what I'll do. I know the lore of The Matron of Vengeance. I'm galloping a pace as quickly as I can and I hear the earth cracking and the screeching metal as those horsemen are plunged over the cliff into the abyss and I don't see them. But then I take note of the Mistress of Vengeance and I know who she is and I know why she is the way she is. And as she's careening at a breakneck speed towards my brother, what I'd like to do, because as I mentioned, my divinity lies in finding the best in others.

And so I would like her to crash into a wall that is really herself before she was the Matron of Vengeance. I'd like her to smash right into a mirror image of who she was, the Matron of Ravens, beforehand. Before she hits my brother, she's gonna smash into this image of who she was. I need her to see all that she's lost because she gave into the darkness.

Em: 
Oh… Interesting. Are you Unleashing your Divinity here? Because I am… it was just awakened. It would need a probably a bigger trigger to do that. Now if you wish to wield the power of adaptation to turn yourself into that, you would have to get between her and Inanis to do this. But I would let you do that. Wield the Power to turn yourself into her so she crashed into you instead.

Christian:
That's what happens. I'm on top of the horse. I turn and see what's happening. And in the blink of an eye, I am 20 feet tall and I am who she was, shining, radiating all of the energy of this entity she was before she was swallowed by this darkness.

And I think because of the magic that I've reached out to, bellowing in this space, in this Barrencliff, in this desert area, bellowing throughout all of it, she hears, 

Christian (as Plenus):
“Remember who you were. We can make it so again.”

Em:
That's a hefty promise to call to her. Okay, so when you wield the power to do something only a god can and sure as shoot, this is definitely something only a god can. Roll 2d6, with one for each two statement. You've done this act before perfectly. No, are you desperate for this to work?

Christian:
Yes, yes, very desperate.

Em:
Okay, you're gonna mark one strain, but you can get this for sure. You're close to a shrine lair or domain of the god you took this power from. You took this from Nyxal, and she's died probably about a hundred feet behind you.

Yeah, so you can get a plus two to this, but you mark one straight to do so.

Christian:
Okay, for dramatic effect, I'm going to roll one at a time. That’s a three.

Oh, that's a three. So that's six?

Em:
Plus two?

Christian:
Eight?

Em:
On a hit, you do it. 

[Christian cheers]

Inanis, you stand after unleashing your divinity reeling from the chaos that wheeled out before you. These horses and carts and people careening off towards… who knows where as the earth opened up

You see the Matron, dashing towards you mid-flight her wings extended out fully - talons forward. You… she is close enough that you can see the crack in her mask red energy spilling out from beneath it. The ivory and the obsidian. And in a flash, using his powers stolen from the god just killed in front of him as a sacrifice, Plenus, you grow. Taller. 

You take on the form of The Matron of Ravens. Her mask uncracked, not having been betrayed by someone who was supposed to protect her. Not having been shunted somewhere, not having been shunted into the dark. You radiate. You feel this divinity and the Matron can barely stop herself. She hits into you and…

Christian:
I hug her.

Em:
You what?

Christian:
I hug her as deeply as I can.

Em:
You wrap your arms around her as she pushes the both of you into the ground. And what do we know about vengeance when it's comforted? It tends to dissipate.

You feel your arms move back and forth as she struggles, as you hold onto her. And you feel your arms begin to move tighter and tighter and tighter. As though she thrashes, though she fights it, though she does not relent…

Christian:
I'm humming. She hears my mother's hum.

Em:
She slowly fades away, and your form drops once more.

Seeing their goddess, seeing their patron disappear. The five in air immediately swoop up, loop around and back, trying to get a lay of the land before they move to potentially hit you once more. This is your chance to run for it, if you take it.

Jannes:
Uh, yeah, we run. 

Christian:
And I'm up, and I’m on the horse and I'm right behind my brother.

Em:
The two of you ride and you travel on until you make it to what you assume is the edge of the city limits of Barrencliff. You are exhausted. There is nothing left of the houses and structures that stood here apart from the temple. But you can see vague foundations or divisions where dwellings likely stood. You see a fallen tower that probably destroyed many of the buildings around it, crushing the equivalent of a city square with extreme force. 

There is nothing here. It is quieter than quiet. You can hear your heartbeat pound in your ears and your breath feels too loud. There is no wind, no breeze, nothing. Every step you take here seems like an insult to the silence of this place. As you dismount and leave your horses, they fade quickly as the assumption is you probably no longer need them.

The temple sits at the top of what looks to be about a hundred stairs, carved directly into the mountain itself. Much of the original front of the structure has been destroyed, it looks as if with siege equipment - hurled stones to crumble the intricate stonework until it could do nothing more than just collapse on itself.

What would you like to do? If anything, before you approach the temple.

Christian:
I'm gonna run right up to my brother and give him a hug, and I'm going to say, 

Christian (as Plenus):
“Don't you do that again!”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“I could say the same to you.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“Fair enough.”

Jannes (as Inanis):
“Hugging her, a god as she barreled down on me, and you lecture me. Come, let us go meet our fates.”

Christian (as Plenus):
“After you.”

Jannes:
And I would take his hand in mine and I would walk in holding his hand.

Em:
As you approach up the stairs, hand in hand, you see carvings in the stone in a language that neither of you have ever seen before, but you can read it. The letters and phonetics seem to all cascade into your brain at once, as if this is a knowledge that you should have always had. Information unlocked simply by being in a place that is intrinsically tied to you and your history with the cosmos. You see over the main entrance an archway that you can barely fit through with the rubble… a carving that says:

The void holds no fear for those who embrace the unknown.

As the words hit you, that feeling you are so familiar with begins to creep at the base of your neck, crawling up your spine. That weightless feeling, that feeling of floating, which is quickly replaced with nausea. That gutting, hollow feeling, as you feel your stomach almost drop out into your feet. That feeling you've been pushed off a cliff into free fall, but your feet are still planted. The feeling begins small. But outside this temple, to the empty God, it is noticeably present. 

Would you like to go inside?

Jannes:
Uh... yes i would

Christian:
Yes, I'll go inside.

Em:
You scramble over some rocks, clambering in. It's pitch black inside at this point. You likely have one lantern between the two of you. Who is holding it at this point?

Jannes:
I feel like I would be sort of leading in the going in, so I feel like I would be holding it.

Em:
Okay. As you light the lantern, Inanis, you see mosaics and ruined reliefs depicting the beginning of the universe, when it was just Archeveleon in its nothingness, before things started to exist around it, before it had to share its space with any other being other than itself.

Plenus, as you watch your brother move closer towards the reliefs to get a better look… You feel a sudden drop in your stomach. Immediate nausea. The need to retch. As there is a pain sensation against your lower back with a cool metal drawn against it. A voice accompanies it. Femme. Strong and sharp as whatever blade is poised to hurt you. 

Em (as the Femme in the shadows)
“Whoever the fuck you are, you need to leave. This is my job now.”

Em:
The realization hits you so hard that your knife falls out of your hand. You would recognize that voice anywhere, and it's been a long, long time since you've heard the voice of the woman you love. 

[‘Something & Nothing’: Main Theme begins, composed by Sean McRoberts]

Em:
Godkiller: Oblivion is performed by Em Carlson, Christian Navarro & Jannes Wessels.  Special thanks to our campaign artist, Mischi. You can find her at @Mischiart on Twitter, as well as to Sean McRoberts, for our composing ‘Something & Nothing’, our main theme for this episode. Music and effects by Epidemic Sound. For more stories, come follow us everywhere at @blackwaterdnd, and be sure to check out our Main Campaign on Monday nights at 8pm PST at twitch.tv/blackwaterdnd. To play your own campaign of Godkiller and dive into your own divinity, go support Godkiller by purchasing the ashcan on itch.io today. This show is made possible by our patrons, and sponsors who graciously support us playing pretend and having feelings about it. You too can come join us on Patreon, where you can check out behind the scenes info, our talkback show Chatwater, as well as exclusive series like this one! Head on over to patreon.com/blackwaterdnd for all the info. See you next time, heretics, and to all the gods out there, be safe!