18 - 12/11/25 : Inter Mutanda Constantia

 

"Such artifacts are almost like living creatures, and they react to... their own kind, shall we say. The Sword of Valor once belonged to a mere mortal who became a goddess. It seems to see something kindred in you."  

Areelu Vorlesh, Betrayer of Humanity

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  The party tersely conversed with Areelu Vorlesh, who poked and prodded the party to think critically about their transformation, mythic power, and the Worldwound itself. Areelu offered the party a single question, which she did not promise to answer truthfully or at all. After some brief deliberation with her companions, Satomi chose to ask "who was Areelu Vorlesh, before the Worldwound?"  

“Who was, who is Areelu Vorlesh? Was she lost when the Worldwound was opened, or was she merely letting her true self shine forth? I will tell you who I was. I was a witch, practicing magic in a land where uttering a single arcane incantation was the most heinous of sins. I was a scientist, who questioned the boundaries and laws of the planes and sought to make them her own. I was a loving wife, and a devoted mother. And now… I am a challenger. I am an adversary of the cosmic destiny that has been forced upon our lives, and I will not be satisfied until it has been shattered.”

  Elseth chose to defy the 'one question' stipulation and asked Areelu if she even wanted the Worldwound to remain open. Areelu remained evasive and answered with a question; why would someone who created a wholly unique rift between worlds, never before achieved or even thought of as possible among other arcanists, want such a thing to be closed? What could she gain, or possibly lose?   Before her departure, Areelu posed a final question to the party; "What is the most powerful phrase that a mortal can utter?". Hilda pushed her luck by suggesting the spell Power Word: Kill, to which Areelu replied by flashing an insidious grin and uttering a horrific arcane incantation; the very spell that Hilda had proposed. For a moment, Hilda felt the life almost leave her, but was saved by the presence of a powerful ward that Halaster had placed around her before she came to Mendev; a ward that was shattered by Areelu's power word.   With this spell set as a precedent, Areelu gave the answer to her question, the strongest phrase that she believed a mortal could utter even in comparison to such a terrifying spell:  

"I promise."

  The party reflected on Areelu's words. Regill was concerned with their power and doubted that it was of divine origin, given that it had manifested in the Knight-Commanders specifically after two artifacts had been irrevocably destroyed or changed, in the cases of the Kenabres Wardstone and the Sword of Valor. Additionally, he pointed out that the mythic power that infused their companions and bolstered their capabilities had empowered him as well ever since the Hellknights joined the Fifth crusade, even though he was not present at the instigating incident that brought it about in the first place.   Regill advised the commanders to wield their newfound power with caution; to not dismiss such a potent tool, but to think critically about its potential source, its evident link to Areelu, and thus to the Worldwound itself.   The Knight-Commanders then rejoined the battle to help clean up the remaining cultists and demons that hadn't been outright destroyed by the Sword of Valor. After the battle concluded, the Knight-Commanders and their companions finally got some rest before joining the efforts to flush Drezen of its demonic influence and to begin the rebuilding process. Before long, a whole week had passed.   During the interim, Satomi repeatedly cast the spell sending at the missing Woljif, admonishing him for absconding with the cold iron rapier that she had been given during her time in Kenabres and demanding that he return it. Woljif only replied with a sarcastic image of a heart from wherever he was, much to Satomi's great annoyance.   At the dawn of a new day, far removed from conflict, the party met with Anevia and asked about Irabeth's condition. Anevia admitted that Irabeth was still quite traumatized and far from her ordinary self. However, she decided to get to business, telling the Knight-Commanders that a guest was awaiting them at Citadel Drezen in the center of town.   The party was surprised to be met by Queen Galfrey at the citadel, who introduced them to their new council advisors who would be helping them with running the crusade's various affairs now that it had a base to operate from:  

• Captain Harmattan, an earth genasi veteran of the Nerosyan front that was brought on to lead the Staff Council, which oversaw the affairs of the army's officers and chain of command.
• Captain Odan, a half-elf veteran of the Fourth Crusade forced to retire to desk work after being grievously injured in battle, was called upon to lead the Military council that would oversee troop reforms, strategy decisions, and other policies overseeing the crusade's overall military forces.
• Dorgelinda Stranglehold, a matronly dwarven quartermaster with decades of experience, was tasked with leading the Logistics council, which would handle major affairs concerning the crusade's supply lines, material resources, and other related issues.
• Lady Konomi, a kitsune diplomat from Xha'en (much like Satomi herself) who had long served as one of Queen Galfrey's chief ambassadors, was a natural fit to lead the Diplomacy council, which would deal with the concerns of the many foreign nations and organizations that provided aid to the crusades.

  Queen Galfrey also showed them to the audience chamber, where they would handle official petitions and judiciary matters, and also introduced Erodel as the citadel's new seneschal. In her capacity as queen, Galfrey called Staunton to the audience chamber, and officially absolved him of his crimes at the fall of Drezen. She declared his service to both the Condemned and the Crusades to be complete, rendering Staunton free to pursue a new life wherever he pleased, and expressed regret at the effects her previous decision had on the dwarf.   Before she had to leave and return to Nerosyan, Galfrey asked if the group had any other concerns. Satomi asked the Queen to officially recognize Seelah and Ulbrig, who had led the Condemned in the siege of Drezen, and to grant them authority to recognize soldiers of the Condemned who served with distinction and recommend them for similar measures of clemency. Galfrey agreed to this, trusting the judgment of the Knight-Commanders.   Hilda also had an official request, asking Galfrey to pat her on the head. Although a bit bothered by this strange request, Galfrey nonetheless agreed to Hilda's strange inquiry.   After Queen Galfrey departed with her escort, Erodel assisted the Knight-Commanders in hearing out their first two petitioners. The first was Ser Ashus Striegher of the Order of the Sunlight Sword, who announced that his order would be resigning from their service to the Crusade. Furthermore, they intended to lead an exodus of all willing faithful of Solanus from the land of Mendev, out of protest and unconditional opposition to the use of undead soldiers to retake Drezen. Despite the efforts of Satomi to dissuade them from this course of action, Striegher affirmed his stance to be final.   The second person to seek an audience was Paralticor Regill, who had prepared a report regarding his assessment of the Knight-Commanders that he intended to submit to Lictor Zerichar, the highest officer of the Order of the Godclaw. As they were the subjects of this report, he felt it only fair to summarize his report to the party. The report was uncharacteristically positive, as Regill greatly approved of the Fifth Crusades' displays of pragmatism, even in the light of their mysterious powers of unknown origin.  

"Command of the Fifth Crusade was entrusted to four individuals with no known record of experience in matters of leadership or battlefield strategy, blatantly disregarding all known standards of military organization or maintaining a proper chain of command. The fact that I am only barely frowning at this unspeakably alarming fact should serve as an indication of my satisfaction with the course the Fifth Crusade has taken under your direction."

  After completing their first audiences, the Knight-Commanders were escorted by Erodel to the second floor of the castle, which had largely been reserved for their own residence. Hilda quickly claimed the largest room available, given that it was connected to a rather large library and a vault to hold valuable items. Sylvia was encountered in this library, and proposed that she and Hilda share the room due to its size and the attached library, to which Hilda agreed.   Alanis discovered a series of hidden passages on the western side of the second floor, which led to a few secluded, secret rooms. She decided to set these hidden rooms aside for her necromancy experimentation and study, in order to avoid attracting the ire of some of the castle's residents (Elseth included).   After settling into their new accommodations, the new few days passed rather quickly for the party. On one quiet night after perusing her new library, Hilda was contacted by her 'grandpa' Halaster. The mad mage was uncharacteristically panicked, since he was now unable to protect Hilda after her protective ward was shattered by Areelu Vorlesh's power word kill.   Halaster insisted that Hilda practice caution and to value her life; with the introduction of her mythic power, coupled with her blood ties to Tasha the Witch Queen and her tutelage under Halaster, Hilda had the opportunity to become a font of arcane might the likes of which had never been seen. Halaster called her the last, best hope to recapture the glory of the lost city of Tsen, and hoped that she would shatter the boundaries of magic's limits, proving once and for all that there was nothing beyond the reach of sufficiently driven wizards. Hilda agreed to be more careful, and received a pat on the head via an extremely long distance mage hand from Halaster.   Satomi, while stargazing atop one of the castle's several turrets, was greeted by a strange figure wearing a resplendent outfit with owl motifs. This playful, youthful-looking man introduced himself as Dancing Moon, an agent of change and a defier of reality much like Satomi herself. Satomi, with her fey inclinations, quickly realized that she was speaking to an archfey; although one she had never heard of.   Dancing Moon explained that he had been drawn to the power infusing Satomi and her growth as a champion of disarray. He was enticed by Satomi's ability to see the state of her life and the world around her, and to refuse it; as a connoisseur of such powers, Dancing Moon stated his intent to observe and watch Satomi as she grew in power, hoping to guide her to new and exciting ideas on how to use it.   Alanis, while cleaning up her new laboratory and seeing to her remaining undead minions, was visited by her mentor Zacharius, as he had promised. Zacharius congratulated Alanis on beginning her ascension through the growth of her mythic power, and began to explain his plan for her to achieve necromantic apotheosis.   Zacharius' plan was to raise a great ziggurat which would serve as the nexus of Alanis' efforts. The ziggurat would contain a replica of the great pillar of skulls that was known to stand in the infernal realm of Avernus; this pillar, stocked with the skulls of powerful beings both holy and unholy, would be the forge with which Alanis could create more jade skulls that would let her replicate her feat at the siege of Drezen.   The lich asked his apprentice if she had been involved in any intimate or romantic entanglements with other 'fleshbags'; Alanis was a bit offended by this question, stating that it was none of Zacharius' business. Zacharius wearily explained that he had no perverse interest in Alanis' personal life; however, such things would interfere with her necrotic ascension and hold her back from purging the parts of her soul that would keep her tied to her mortality.   As Zacharius continued to lay out his plans and insist that Alanis purge herself of emotions and morals to further her work, it became clear that Zacharius had plans for Alanis that went far beyond merely closing the Worldwound. He spoke of a great nation of undead, one that would prove to the world at large the undeniable worth of the necromantic arts. He instructed Alanis to consider what she had to gain by following his instructions, and then disappeared once more.   On a particularly sunny day, Elseth spied a spark of light in the sky that seemed to grow brighter and brighter, heralding a messenger seeking the warrior who had been gifted the might of the angels…