Ravi: So…Pekko…what ummm…what is his deal?
Dissident: Hmmm…what? Oh, right yeah…I don’t know man.
Ravi: You said he’s powerful and he’s not dead…why is he here? Is he a planeswalker? He said he’d been here since before the new age…how is that possible?
Dissident: Pffffffft….maybe like time works differently here or something? Passes slower or whatever?
Ravi: Come on…you must know something.
Dissident: I just like didn’t vibe with the guy…didn’t like…get his whole thing…so I just kinda went and hung out with the Berserkers and you know, started my own thing.
Ravi: How long have you been here?
Dissident: I don’t really know…how long has it been since like the rising?
Ravi: The rising?
Dissident: Yeah…when crazy Uma brought the Saurians to Civari Asa.
Ravi: What?!
Dissident: Yeah bro… That’s how I died…you see here…[points to his stomach] the scaly asshole like gutted me… and like ate my guts totally in front of me…I was like…what? Really? Why you got to do me like that dude?
Ravi: Uma…do you mean Uma, the god? And where was Civari Asa? Was that in Vahna? Are you from the last age too?
Dissident: Where is Civari Asa? [laugh] It’s like where you are from right? It’s like…the planet …the world…
Ravi: We call it Erset La Tari…
Dissident: [Laughs] Wow…that’s like a super unchill name for it man… something real bad must have happened … like why would you call your home ‘the land of no return?’ that’s got like real negative juju, right? Civari Asa is like much better…what is it in like vox?…..ummmm… Ultimate Hope or whatever…
Ravi: I…I…had no idea that’s what it meant…it’s just what we call it…what everyone calls it…how did you learn vox then?
Dissident: Pekko. He did some magical something or whatever….so we could all like communicate…
Ravi: Where about in Vahna where you from then? It’s all Darkland there now, but I’ve seen maps with some of the old settlements.
Dissident: Darkland? I was from one of the islands in the south merenkäynti ocean.
Ravi: The what ocean? You mean the Hub Ocean, that’s on the opposite side of the North Hub to where Vahna was?
Dissident: Where is that? The north?
Ravi: It’s…it’s the only ocean…the great big thing that separates the north hub shore and the south hub….great big world spanning tempest in the middle?... depth filled with giant eldritch nightmares…?
Dissident: Whaaaaat…I am like not picking up what you are putting down my man…can you draw?
Ravi: Yes…
Dissident: Okay… so like trace a map in the dust and show me like where the ocean is… any like big features…. and like…. show me where you think Vahna is…
Ravi: [Speaking as he traces a map in the dust] Okay….so down here all of this middle bit is the Hub Ocean…here along the coast…this is Emedu…
Dissident: gnarly…I recognise Emedu- that place is still going?…nice…good for those guys…
Ravi: Umm yes… so up here, stretching right across east to west this is the Terrqan mountain range……north of that we have Vash…. to the west Dranek and Lern in the middle and Shimi to the east…just here on the border of Vash, Dranek and Shimi…this where I live in a city called Celis…
Dissident: Awesome! Right! Yeah, that must be like Kelish…The Keteli Capitol…
Ravi: What?! Really?! I…that’s…amazing…ummm…okay so if you go straight north right up to here…this where the Darklands start creeping in...we think Vahna started about here.
Dissident: Okay cool bro….so…. like where is the rest of it?
Ravi: [standing up and dusting hands] The rest of what?
Dissident: Like Civari Asa… or like Erset La Tari….or whatever
Ravi: well…other than the south hub…that’s it…obviously the darklands stretch on for thousands of Li along the outer edge of the world but that is the edge of the world.
Dissident: So that’s like it? That’s the entire world?
Ravi: well…yes…
Dissident: But you could like take a carriage from the coast to Kelish in like less than two months…
Ravi: About three tenday…yes…
Dissident: and…this is like totally to scale?
Ravi: Broadly…
Dissident: That is some like…mind blowing information my dude…like I am totally like WOAH! How can that be all that is left?!
---
Adrastea and Pekko Encounter a Horde of the Lost and are attacked by Berserkers. Adrastea holds them back and just as she is about to be overwhelmed they suddenly stop.
Adrastea: What’s the movement up ahead? Is that the waters?
Pekko: Nah…just another horde of the lost in the distance…
Adrastea: Another one? There must have been thousands…maybe tens of thousands at the one near Calineb…how many spirits are here, Pekko?
Pekko: No idea. I don’t know how many are here from before I got here. This place was always a kind of half-way house for souls that didn’t want to pass into otherworld and those who refused to be shepherded by Angau…
Adrastea: Angau?
Pekko: Crap…what do you call her? Ummm…the Nightmother?
Adrastea: Yeah…or The Mother of Blackbirds…
Pekko: [chuckle] She’d like that one I bet!
Adrastea: There are so many!
Pekko: Well…she’s not here anymore, is she?…no one tidying it up…
Adrastea: Where did she go? Oooo…Looks like they are moving towards us.
Pekko: Hmmm…they look like they are moving quite fast…that’s unusual…kind of like…how Berserkers move…
Adrastea: Pekko….
Pekko: Don’t look at me… what am I supposed to do?
Adrastea: Should we run?
Pekko: How long do you think you can sprint for?….carrying a huge sack of water…
Adrastea: Not as long as a spirit I can guess…
Pekko: Nowhere to hide this time…wait….nope….nowhere…what are you gonna do?
Adrastea: Ummm….uh….Hope they get bored as easily as you do…[begins muttering shielding incantation and mystical sound builds] Kilpi Suojo…Kilpi Suoja…Kilpi Suoja…Kilpi…
Pekko: A shield?! Come on! You can do better than that! Here they come!
Adrastea: [terrifying mystical voice- screaming] TULEN SEINA TUIPALLO! [Huge wall of fire erupts in front of her burning intensely….screaming and growling of berserkers]
Pekko: That’s more like it! I mean…still technically a shield but a giant wall of fire! Now that is entertainment!
Adrastea: Peeeeekko…..I….can’t hold…it for….long….what do we do?
[Pekko mutters to himself and cannot be heard by Adrastea over the raging flames]
Pekko: I guess, I could…it wouldn’t take too much…hmmmm…fine. [Clicks his fingers multiple times followed by sound of water pouring] ….Oh crap…bloody waters…can’t you just stay in!?
Adrastea: Peeeeeeeekkkko…I…..caaaaan’t….hoooooolllld….iiiiiiitttt [Adrastea gasps as the spell ends and she braces for impact]
[Silence]
Adrastea: Pekko?
Pekko: Yep?
Adrastea: Why…are they…just…standing there? And why are you soaking wet?
Pekko: Fire is hot you know! I’m a sweaty guy, I guess! They must have gotten bored…don’t look a gift horse in the mouth…lets go…
Adrastea: They are…frozen?
Pekko: Well done…you froze them…with fire…I guess…let’s go before they unfreeze…
Adrastea: Right…okay…but it is weird right?
Pekko: Everything here is weird…haven’t you noticed?
[Adrastea and Pekko Walking again]
Pekko: You must be tired, right?
Adrastea: Those casts took a lot out of me…but…I can go a little while longer yet, I think.
Pekko: No use burning yourself out. The puddle isn’t going anywhere, your fella isn’t in any rush…why don’t we stop for a bit and you can get some kip.
Adrastea: Oh…right…won’t you get bored? Just sitting here by yourself.
Pekko: Nah! I think you are right…I was just being childish…need to toughen up don’t I…grab yourself a bit of water and bite and get your dwam on.
Adrastea: Oh…alright then…I reckon a bit of rest won’t hurt…
[montage of eating and drinking]
Adrastea: See you in a wee while Pekko…
Pekko: Sweet dreams!
[sound of wind sweeping]
Pekko: [whispered] Hello….Hello…[whistle] Yoo hoo! Right, looks like she’s under…time to have some fun then.
[rushing sound]
Adrastea: Bhikku Ram…please…you have to take him, he has nowhere else to go.
Ram: I understand Adrastea, I do..but our order is not set up to succour the needy…we are here to study the many mysteries and wonders of our-
Adrastea: But it’s safe here…where else could he go? Where is a baern (pronounced burn) like him going to survive? The Nympaeum is…
Ram: Not a place for children…
Adrastea: What if I sponsored him for training?
Ram: Adrastea…I understand your intentions…I do…but how could you possibly afford…
Adrastea: You guys are desperate for information, right? About that artifact…the enneiagon (en-ee-uh-gone), right?
Ram: Really now Addy…am I supposed to believe you have that?
Adrastea: No…no but I can work for you…pro bono…I can get it…I have contacts…I will go to the darklands…I’ll cross the entire hub and I’ll bring you whatever you need. Just take the kid…
Ram: Hmmmm…he is a little young for an initiate but…I will see what I can do…
Pekko: Eugh…there has got to be something better in here…ah! This one could be good…
[Rushing sound]
[Sound of Adrastea running and jumping and sliding as traps trigger around her]
Pekko: This is a bit more exciting!
Adrastea: [shouting behind her] Keep up! The traps will reset if you wait!
Vayu: Coming! Coming! [arrives breathless] damn you’re fast! I can hardly breathe, the air is so thin!
Adrastea: Well…I wasn’t fast enough…[shows a wound on her arm which has damaged her robe]
Vayu: Ooooo….that looks bad…is that gonna…
Adrastea: It isn’t too deep…might slow me down a bit on the way back, though…we are gonna have to be extra careful…[sigh] This is my favourite robe too…[sigh] Oh well…the archive should be just through here…
Vayu: Do you really think it’s going to be in here?
Adrastea: The artifact? No. but it was definitely here once…and the Keteli were obsessive about record keeping…
Vayu: And security apparently.
Adrastea: Yeah [chuckles] come on…we’ve got a whole library to search…let’s not dilly dally.
[rush]
[sounds of books being taken off shelves and dropped- pages being flicked through, scrolls being opened]
Adrastea: Hmmmm…
Vayu: Found something?
Adrastea: Could be…it looks like a transportation request…most of it is written in old Vox but some words are in Ketelen. So is the reply…
Vayu: Let me have a look…
Adrastea: See here…it includes a description of the object…and the container…it sounds about the right size, right? And it’d be unusual to describe the number of sides…you know if it wasn’t...
Vayu: Hmmm…[flicks over page]
Adrastea: That’s the bit I couldn’t translate- the purpose of the request and the Keteli response…what does ‘Ukufa’ mean or these word here ‘Turedeth’ and ‘Villi maa’… they sound really angry about the request.
Pekko: [whispered to self] Ukufa?...They really did it…and it worked…incredible…
Vayu: But you can read where the request came from, right?
Adrastea: Sure. It came from the Triumvirate…it’s got their seal on it…so it must have come from Sada Emedu…and it must have been important…
Vayu: Hmmmm…
Adrastea: So? What does it say?
Vayu: Could you…ummm…could you grab my sack for me please…it’s ummm….it’s got some reference material in there…
Adrastea: Uh…yeah…okay let me just…[turns away and takes a step]
[sound of book dropping, Vayu rushes forward and stabs Adrastea in the back]
Adrastea: Eugh! [falls to ground]
Pekko: Fuck! Sudden but inevitable betrayal…this nix has lived!
[Vayu turns and picks up the book]
Vayu: I’m sorry Addy…I was really hoping I’d find this first….I’m…..I’m so sorry…
Adrastea: [gasping] Vayu….Vayu….why?....I…don’t….
Vayu: I know…I know you don’t…I can’t let you find the Enniagon…it’s too important to their plans…I’m really sorry Addy…I liked you…
[begins walking away before stopping]
Vayu: Fuck…I can’t just leave you like this…[starts walking back] I guess I can make it qui-
Adrastea: [deep terrifying voice] METEORI!
[sound of fireball flashing into existence striking Vayu and throwing him across the room in flames. He screams as he burns to death]
Adrastea: I’m…sorry…too…
Pekko: [excited] You are quite the killer aren’t you my dear! I had no idea you had it in you! You seemed so…meek…
Adrastea: What?...Who…are…where…
Pekko: Sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted…let’s reset…I’m dying to know how you got out! [clicks his fingers]
[sound of fireball flashing into existence striking Vayu and throwing him across the room in flames. He screams as he burns to death]
Adrastea: I’m…sorry…too…
[sound of Adrastea dragging herself across the ground groaning until she gets the body]
Adrastea: Oh…the…book…stupid fire cast….eugh! okay….okay Adrastea…you are [touches her wound and winces] yep…you are bleeding a lot….okay…okay…yeah…vision going blurry….no one here to save you…crap…I don’t want to die here… nothing for it I guess… iachau… iachaol… hiachaol [mystical spell sound…followed by twisting and cracking sounds and Adrastea screaming] AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! [fades out]
[sound of wind sweeping across the barren wastes of the infinite depths]
Adrastea: AHHHHHHHHHHH!
Pekko: Ah!
Adrastea: Oh…. Oh…ummm
Pekko: pffffft…Bad dream?!
Adrastea: Yeah…ummm…sorry…yeah…ummm…
Pekko: You ummm…you wanna talk about it?
Adrastea: Uh…no…I think we should…umm…just get going…
Pekko: You sure?…might help to talk about it…
Adrastea: I said no!
Pekko: Alright…alright…I was only trying to-
[Adrastea gets up and winces and stumbles]
Adrastea: Mphm! Euh!
Pekko: Careful…careful!
Adrastea: It’s nothing…it’s a phantom pain…lets go…
Pekko: You’ve only been down a short time…you should rest…
Adrastea: I’m not tired…[picks up sack of water and walks away]
Pekko: Suit yourself, I guess.