/q/ - Quest

>>767251

Amy frowns at a job not-well-done. But, she's also not very good at cleaning. usually, she's the one making the mess. And, she feels like she'll do more harm than good here if she continues.

She nods. "Let's get away from this gross stuff. Lead the way," she declares to Burned-Over.

>>767248
"I… I have to admit, I still don't have the best grasp how Tartarus works. But these Anchors are attached to Asphodel, right? If Asphodel dies, it would take these anchors with him, right? Or at least put them all into a lot of danger."

>>767251
Shorthorns gags at the sight of the 'plasteek' they pick up all around the Anchor, disturbed at the sheer volume of the refuse scattered around. "What's this stuff even good for…? Couldn't you just make this stuff out of wood or stone, or even metal? It'd last longer, for sure…"

After cleaning up their share of the Anchor, Shorthorns shrugs off some of the dirt and grime and nods to Burned. "Thank you, Sir Burned. I hope this might have helped get some people interested in your sermons, or at the very least made the anchor a little more livable."

>>767253
"Mmm… maybe. Showing what we're about is usually more effective than just lecturing them about it… not that there's ever enough staff on hand to actually get what we're about done."

>Both

You return to the workshop, where Burned provides you with some buckets, clean towels, a little soap, and a hosepipe and spigot. You refresh yourselves and get away the muck and sweat. Then, once you're all ready, Burned-Over returns to collect you, leading you back to the House of Representation proper. Along the way, you're rejoined by your Paper Trail. When Busta asks it for an update, the Paper Trail signals for silence – this must not be a secure enough area for its liking…

Once you reach the House of Representation, Burned leads you up a set of stairs off to the side. You enter a guarded area, though no guard stops you, since you're being led by Burned. They're a bit rude to him, though, and he looks like he's used to the mistreatment.

The stairs take you up through a veritable labyrinth in the rafters of the House of Representation, where the passageways wind this way and that to a number of haphazard towers and pillars jutting off the sides, as if the building planner was deep on a wild bender when he sketched out the plans. But Burned patiently leads you up and up, to the highest room of the tallest tower.

There, beyond the door, you see a rather humble chapel. The normalcy of its construction makes it stand out as perhaps the most abnormal place you've seen in the House. There is an elaborate diagram etched into the floor, resembling the coils of a snake. The diagram constitutes a path from the door to the center of the room, where there's a construction halfway between an altar, and a throne.

Burned-Over directs you to remain near the door, at the edge of the room. He withdraws from a nearby reliquary a much more ornate scroll than the one he had earlier.

"Right… prepare yourselves," Burned says, taking the scroll with reverence. "When I reach the center… you'll be in the presence of a god."

"We've some experience with that ourselves," Blessings says.

"Oho?" Burned says. "Interesting… well, tell me later."

>>767254
Shorthorns nods her head in gratitude to Burned-Over, "We'll be respectful, don't worry. Is there any particular customs we should know in advance? We would hate to offend anyone due to ignorance."

>>767253

"They'd be in as much danger as any other anchor. I have to admit, I never realized they have it so good on Asphodel. But, that's probably why they're scared of being shed off. They don't want to lose their cushy spot in Tartarus."

>>767254

As they climb up the seemingly endless stairs, Amy's groans grow louder and louder. "What was even the point of cleaning ourselves!? I feel sticky and gross again already! Why couldn't they make the building FLAT!?"

>>767255
>>767254

Once Burned-Over retrives the scroll, Amy breathes a dramatic sigh of relief. "FINALLY!"

"Does Asphodel count as a god?" she asks after a moment of thought. "Huh… I never really thought about how Asphodel ended up down here…"

>>767256
"Heheheh," Gadriel chuckles. "Now who's not having a good time?"

>>767255
"Well, if you can muster up any fire or anything hot to offer Asphodel, they say he always appreciates that," Burned says.

>Both

Burned doffs his hat, and puts on the hood of his robe. The hood falls over his eyes, and resembles the head of a great serpent, as if it were devouring him headfirst. He unfurls the first bit of the scroll, and though his eyes are covered, he reads from it. At least, it sounds that way– you do not recognize the hissing, aspirating tongue in which Burned speaks. As he recites the words of the scroll, he walks along the coiling path, following its spiral on his way to the throne-altar. Your allies remain silent with apprehension…

The further that Burned walks, the more that a peculiar vibration fills the air. It is a similar phenomenon to the Distortion, yet gentler. If the Distortion could be likened to the churning of the sea in a storm, this phenomenon is like the easy push and pull of a calm tide. Perhaps in Tartarus, the powerful will of one who could be called Lord cannot help but make these waves…

In time, Burned-Over reaches the center of the room. The air swims with the gentle waves, and you half-imagine, half-see the coiling of a great snake in the air. Burned kneels before the altar-throne, then turns, and sits upon it, laying his arms on the rests with the grave stature of a king, or a god, sat in judgment over the subjects.

With the scroll unfurled upon the altar before him, Burned-Over intones a final, mighty word. The words on the scroll flash an auroral green… then Burned's head slumps forward, as if he'd just dropped off into a sudden and deep sleep…

…but not for very long. For his head rises again, and looks over the lot of you. Before you can acknowledge the appraising stare, or bow, or anything of that sort–

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-qDXiULdgw

"Yo," Burned-Over says. Or at least, his body says that. His voice is different now. Rather deeper, and more confident. He reclines, scratching his chin. His mutated arm, the one turned into a snake, gets a lot more animated, turning about this way and that, sniffing the air.

Your allies eye one another, unsure if they heard it right.

"Ahem," Burned-Over(?) says, a bit louder. "Hello? Can you hear me? This guy on?"

"Y-yes, Asphodel, y-your… your grace," Gadriel stammers.

"Ah, Asphodel was my father's name," Burned-Over says. "Call me… well, Asphodel is also my name so call me that. What's up?"

>>767257

Amy is not usually one to distrust others, but this situation is too out of the ordinary, even for her. Asphodel has always been built up as this unstoppable, unfeeling, monstrous horror. This is not the… thing she's always thought it was.

Is this really Asphodel we're talking to? Amy asks the voices in her head.

>Vestigial Sunlight
>[1d10+2]

Roll #1 9 + 2 = 11

>>767256
"Well… everyone on this anchor is Undefiled, or at least most of them are. As long as the Anchors themselves survived, I guess they'd do alright, right?"

>>767257
Shorthorns grins confidently, "I can do fire."

Shorthorns prepares herself to be cordial and polite, the picture of divine courtesy in the hopes of not upsetting the great and powerful Asphodel… but then, as Asphodel's voice comes on, a most disarming, animated voice coming out of their gracious host Burned Over, Shorthorns can't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Y-yo…? Uh… I guess the ceiling?" She says innocently to 'whats up', not being overly familiar with the lingo Asphodel is using. "Thanks for meeting with us, your grace. I am Shorthorned Dragon, my friends and I are… well, we're new to this place. *You*, I guess you could say."

>>767258
The voices in your head sign off on Asphodel's legitimacy. You get the sense that they were just as unconvinced as you are, back when… it was… when it was their… turn… to…

Already, you have forgotten. Once again, forgotten. Left only with the assurance that this experience is genuine.

>>767259
"You know," Asphodel says. "Somebody keeps writing 'gullible' up there, but they always write it in a different place. Can you see it?"

Busta and Gadriel immediately look up. Blessings and Flow do not join them in their search.

>>767258
>>767259
The others give their names to Asphodel, apprehensive as they are.

"I'd have put together more of a welcoming, but people come by to chat so rarely that I wasn't really prepared. But if you're here to kill me, you missed your exit. It's down there. I'd rather you not hurt this guy, he has enough bad days as it is. But anyway, what can I do for you?"

Your allies decide to let you take the lead, unsure how much information about the War of Limbo you want to let out.

>>767260

"I don't know how to read," Amy responds genuinely to Asphodel's 'gullible' joke.

"Anyway, hi. My name's Amy. Amy Thest. I'm honestly super surprised right now. Burn Dover called you a god, and I kinda hate gods. Well, must of them anyway. So, I kinda expected you to suck. But, you don't suck at all. You're kinda cool."

>>767261
>>767260
As Amy comments she still doesn't know how to read, Shorthorns' face beams up. "OH! I can, I can!" She says excitedly, looking up towards the ceiling. "Hmmm…. let's see, gullible…. gullible…" she says, looking for the words. She sighs in disappointment when she doesn't seem to find it, turning her attention back to Asphodel.

"A-anyways, it's nice to meet you. We wanted to meet you to… well… just kind of get what you're all about, I guess. So, I guess that's a good place to start is, why do you let all those gladiators try to kill you? Aren't you scared one of them might, you know… do it?"

>>767263
"Look closer…" Observer whispers, and points up. You see the word 'gullible' floating there… conjured by Observer's magic.

>>767261
>>767263
"Well, funny story about all that," Asphodel says. "I wasn't really intending on getting involved in all this. I wasn't really following events too closely. But somewhere along the line I must have ended up grabbing an Anchor that had some guys on it who were really into politics, 'cause one day, all I hear is about how I'm gunning for the Throne of Limbo now. Like dude, I'm literally just hanging out here, I wasn't planning on running for office or anything. But before I knew it, all the other wannabe Lords were taking shots at me! Sheesh!"

He looks to Shorthorned. "It's not like I can really stop it until all this business about Lordship gets resolved, so like, the way I see it, why would I get mad at being itchy? A scratch is only satisfying if you're scratching an itch. Better to accept the itch so you can enjoy the scratch."

Blessings tilts her head. "So you have no intention of becoming the Lord of Limbo?"

"Nope," Asphodel says. "Too complicated for me. I just like collecting Anchors, man."

"Land-grabbing is typically seen as an act of war," Flow observes. "Small wonder that both the participants and the observers of the battle identified you as a threat."

"What can I say, it's tough being tough," Asphodel says.

"What if we help each other?" Gadriel says. "I mean… we aren't really here to see the war completely through, but if the war's won, one way or the other, you'd probably get less people coming by to make you itchy."

"Ohooo…" Asphodel says. "Tell me more."

>>767266

Amy nods at Gadriel with great vigor. "That's just what I was thinking!"

She looks toward Asphodel. "We've got some really strong guys on our side. But, they're not like as strong as YOU. But, we're clever, and we know how to get things done. If you're tired of all of these people targetting you, then by the time we're done, no one will target you again."

"So, how about it? Wanna help each other end this war?"

>Mantra of Equality
>[1d10+5] DC-4

Roll #1 2 + 5 = 7

>>767266
"Huh…" Shorthorns says to herself, thrown off guard by Asphodel's paradoxically laid back nature. "So you're really not looking to become a Lord at ALL, you just draw competition to yourself by nature of being… well, really really strong. That's REALLY weird but, I kinda get it. That must be tough."

She looks around at the others, clearing her throat, "So, supposedly, if some of these other guys wanting to be 'Lords' had Anchors, you might be interested in collecting those, too?"

>>767269
>>767270
"Well… first of all, miss," Asphodel says, glancing at Amy. "No disrespect, but I'd ask you not to use any powers here. All you're gonna do is affect the Vicar and like I said, the guy has enough bad days."

Asphodel uses Burned-Over's snake arm to point at the demon himself.

"Now… that aside, it's not like I necessarily had anything else on my calendar. Who are you planning on taking shots at? There's the guy from GLUTTONY, the guy from WRATH, the guy from LUST…"

"Grogar," Flow answers, keeping it light on the details. "The patron of WRATH."

Blessings scratches her chin. "LUST…? You know, I don't think I've heard of this one. Who is that?"

"That would be Tirek," Asphodel says. "So I've heard from the guys living on me."

"Tirek?" Gadriel repeats. "Not TIRAC?"

"Nope, Tirek," Asphodel says. "See I was wondering about that. Might be a common name? I guess he's getting a lot of people confused."

Busta thinks for a moment. "…that makes seven of the nine Layers represented in this fight. Is there anyone from HERESY fighting in the war?"

"Well, funny story about the first one," Asphodel says. "See, from what I hear, the Vestal showed up right around the time the previous Lord of Limbo got sealed away. When she tried to put the kibosh on the fighting, the guy from HERESY was feeling pretty contrarian – like usual. He tried to give her a piece of his mind… and when the other guys saw what she did to him, they all decided to play along until they could figure out a way to run her out of town."

Observer nods. "Then, FRAUD?"

>Amy, roll knowledge

>>767271

Amy smiles innocently. "Sorry about the power. Sometimes I just like to put some… UMPH behind my words. I'm sure you get it, you're a demon too… I think?"

"And, since we're being honest and open with each other, I guess I should talk about Fraud. That's where the Sons of Perdition are from, right?"

[1d10] to remember if Amy is right

Roll #1 10 = 10

>>767271
Shorthorns pauses to think, "Well we know for a fact that Grogar's people are fighting Tirek… or was it TIRAC? ONE of those armies are fighting Grogar's right now. SO, I figure it's best to let them be, they'll weaken each other over time…" she says, intent on making sure Asphodel occupies one of the other Lords who *aren't* occupied yet. "Do you hold any particular grudge against any of the other Lords or are you just really not that interested in any of them?"

>>767272
"Uh… close," Asphodel says. "They're from TREACHERY."

Observer just came dangerously close to revealing the fact that he and your allies are not from Tartarus.

You see, in order to travel from one Layer to another, one must venture to a particularly deep void of the Abyss. FRAUD and TREACHERY are exceptional in that there is almost no Abyss to speak of anywhere; their existence is comprised almost entirely of Anchors – ten Anchors, in the case of FRAUD, and one, in the case of TREACHERY. It is said that some tiny amount of Abyss remains in those Layers, if for no other reason than to torment the inhabitants with a fleeting hope… but it would take a truly exceptional Umbral to escape from either of these.

The Sons of Perdition are one of these exceptional cases. They're like dust, or bad breath– inescapable in this world or another. Escaping from TREACHERY is not outside the realm of possibility for them.

But as for who could escape from FRAUD, and also take interest in being Lord of Limbo…

"Well, I haven't heard of any combatant being from FRAUD," Asphodel says. "Not that I've really been keeping up with the news beyond what's been coming my way. Oh, but come to think of it, I think that's how they got rid of the previous Lord. Nobody could kill 'em, so they all teamed up and conspired to have 'em sealed away, down in FRAUD. Which, frankly, not very sportsman-like if you ask me. But so is being unkillable, so…" Asphodel shrugs.

>>767272
>>767274
Asphodel shakes Burned's head. "You got me, lady. I might eat meat but I don't have beef with anybody. Now, they might have beef with me since I smoked their guys… that joke was going somewhere but I lost it."

Gadriel chuckles. Perhaps the flippancy reminds him of someone…

>>767276

Amy also laughs at Asphodel's word play or lack there-of.

"Treachery, Fraud, I don't get the difference," Amy shrugs. "But, I am kind of thinking I have a theory about who is from Fraud…"

"First, though, I want to be honest with you. I guess you could say that I hate Treachery and Fraud. And, you're definitely a guy I could be friends with. So, I'm going to tell you the truth."

"We came here to trick you into attacking the Sons of Prostitution. I don't know how much you know about them, but they are… scary. They can make things happen. No one really knows how they pull off the things they do. But, I figured that if anyone could kill you, it would be them. But, at the same time, I figured if anyone could kill them, it could be you."

"I was kinda just hoping you'd kill each other," Amy shrugs. "But, that was all before I found out you were more than just some unfeeling monster. And, DEFINITELY before I realized you were such a good guy. So, the plan's definitely changing now."

"But… if anyone wants any chance of this war ending, the Sons of Bitches need to die."

>>767276
As Asphodel notes he has no real beef with any of them, Shorthorns nods, "I don't like using the word 'beef' but I understand what you mean."

Shorthorns thinks of the best way to ask of this, and, given the laid-back nature of Asphodel, she figures being blunt doesn't appear TOO hazardous. "Then, what would it take to convince you to move onto one of the other Lords' domains? Like, the Sons in TREACHERY? They must have at least one Anchor you can add to your collection?"

>>767279
>>767278
Asphodel raises up both of Burned-Over's hands in a mock gesture of surrender. "Sheesh, remind me not to get on your bad side! Okay, okay, I appreciate the honesty."

You can feel him pondering how to bring up loyalty, generosity, and other virtues… but he thinks better of it.

"I can probably take a bite out of the Sons of Perdition, sure. But I'd want to toss off some of these Anchors for the time being. They might be a little trashy, but I don't wanna drag them into a fight with the Sons, poor guys. Now, it seems you have an idea of how the Sons of Perdition operate, so you know they don't really fight head-on. To get at them, I'll have to confront their host in the process. So which of the other Lords would you say has a big enough infestation of the Sons?"

>>767280

"Grogar," Amy answers the question with absolute certainty. "Don't ask me how I know because I don't even know how I know. But, knowing things is kinda one of my things. Like I said, we can help each other here."

Amy smiles. "You're a pretty cool guy for keeping the anchors out of the fighting. I was hoping we could spare these anchors. But, would we still be able to ride you without the anchors?"

>>767280
>>767282
As Asphodel mentions his concern for the Anchors - and the people living on them - about dragging them into a fight with the other Lords, Shorthorns' smile beams. "I can't express how glad I am to hear you say that! I thought just the same as we were going over all this earlier, to know you're thinking of them, even though they're so small compared to you… you really are a nice person, Lord Asphodel." She bows her head, "Thank you for helping us, and being so understanding!"

She turns to nod along with Amy, "Yes, I agree. Even after we dispense with the Anchors, I would be happy to ride along with you to provide any help we can against Grogar or the Sons. You deserve at least that much."

>Both
"Yeah, well," Asphodel says. "I'll have to drop you guys off when I shed the Anchors. You can keep riding on them, but like, my spine would have too many pinch points for you to ride direct. Big-time safety violation. But I'll have the Vicariate handle all the evacuation stuff, so don't worry about that. Once this Anchor's been shed off, I'll make full speed toward Grogar, so you guys can follow behind me then. I'll try to keep the focus on me, but it'll probably get pretty crazy pretty quick, so you'll need to watch out for your own skins."

He scratches Burned-Over's chin with the snake-arm. "Think that about covers all I know. Anything else?"

>>767356

"I'm just kinda curious… What ARE you?" Amy asks the god(?).

>>767357
"Diadophis punctatus modestus," Asphodel answers.

Blessings makes a vague religious gesture.

>>767356
Shorthorn tries to think. "Nnnnnooo, I think that covers all of it. Honestly, you being so open and Amy being so blunt - no offense Amy - really made this easy to explain, I don't think there's any other details to cover. I really thought this would be a more difficult conversation, again, I'm really thankful you're so understanding Lord Asphodel. Thank you again."

>>767357
Shorthorns blinks, "Well, I guess if we're being open… yeah I was kind of curious about that too."

>>767358

Amy opens her mouth as if she's about to say something, then she closes her mouth again. She turns to Blessings. "Did you get that?"

>>767360
"Well it was definitely from the language of the gods," Blessings says. "Though, I'm a little too rusty to decipher the *exact* meaning."

>Both
"Alright, if that's that, I'mma let this guy go," Asphodel says. "And tell him to start eating healthier once he's awake again."

The others nod, each offering Asphodel some thanks for his surprisingly benevolent disposition and conversation.

The stirring in the air dissipates, waning. Burned-Over's head slumps over once more, then he rises from the altar-throne. Taking up the scroll again, he rolls it up, bit by bit, as he walks back along the coiling snake-path etched into the floor. When at last he has traversed back all the way to the entrance, he staggers a little, but catches himself. With a little shiver, he raises his head, blinking as if awoken suddenly from a nap. Half-asleep, he puts away the scroll, and then stretches. "Oof. Hmm, well, I hope that meeting was informative?"

>>767361
>>767360
Shorthorns turns to both of them, "It means 'Ring-necked Snake', is what he called himself. Seems pretty appropriate but doesn't say a lot about what he is or where he comes from. But as long as he's nice, I don't think it matters too much."

>>767361
As Burned-Over regains his consciousness, Shorthorns smiles and bows in gratitude, "It certainly was! I can see why you all worship him, he's a good, kind deity. One deserving of praise, it was really great to meet him!" She offers the gross snake-like priest a hug, "Thank you again for giving us the chance to do so, we're very grateful!"

She disengages the hug, "Oh, and he says you should start eating better. Do you get enough vegetables?"

>>767362
>>767361

Amy grumbles in disappointment at the answer. But, she's not exactly surprised to not have satisfactory understanding of a major thing happening in Tartarus.

>>767361
>>767362

"Well, as long as we're doing hugs, let's make it a group one!" Amy says with a grin as she joins the hug.

"Anyway," Amy says as she lets them both go. "Asphodel says he's going to shed his anchors now. He said you guys are gonna help with the evacuation," Amy drops this news on Burned-Over in a matter-of-fact tone.

>>767362
>>767363
"Gah!" Burned-Over gasps as you hug him. You feel several vertebrae pop, probably due to his poor posture. "Heh, I guess the lettuce wrap at the sushi bar isn't enough to balance out the sake… Well, orders are orders, so I suppose I'll get right on that… tomorrow."

"No procrastinating," Blessings says. "Think of how big the hat you'll get will be if you improve."

Burned-Over scratches his chin, feeling a little motivated now. He turns to Amy. "Is that so? Hmm, I'd better convene with the other Vicars then. The others should be getting the message shortly here. C'mon, I'll see you out."

With the invocation of Asphodel concluded, Burned-Over escorts you back to the ground floor of the House of Representation. You hear another series of blasts coming from the colosseum, and the amused cheers from the audience. It seems the latest batch of assassins have just been obliterated…

"Thanks for the hard work today," Burned-Over says. "I get that you'll be heading out here soon, but if we ever run into eachother again, I'll get you all a round… off the vegetarian menu, that is."

Gadriel shrugs. "Considering most of us are herbivores, we'd ask for that anyway."

Burned-Over chuckles, bids you farewell, then heads off to meet with the other Vicars.

When he's gone, the Paper Trail waves to get your attention.

>>767364
Shorthorns nods to Burned-Over, "Let us know if you need us to meet with them too, if there's anything they want us to explain. Lord Asphodel may be their deity but I'd understand if they wanted to question us over having to leave their home." Having grown up in a buffalo clan, Shorthorns suddenly feels immensely empathetic for them over asking an entire culture to up and leave their homes.

She turns towards the Paper Trail as it tries to get their attention, walking over to it. "What's up?"

>>767364

Amy pouts slightly at the vegetarian menu, but she smiles at the offer. "That's really nice of you," she says with a nod.

>>767365

Amy follows Flaming silently.

>Both
A message appears upon the surface of the Paper Trail.

Many battles approach.
Gather, and wait.
Wait, and gather.

The Paper Trail turns, walking down the road, gesturing for you to follow. Your allies exchange looks, and the good cheer that followed your meeting with Asphodel gradually gives way to silent apprehension…

>>767366
>>767367
Shorthorns looks at the message, reading it outloud for Amy's benefit.

"Many battles approach. Gather, and wait. Wait, and gather…" she says, looking at the Paper Trail as she follows behind. "Um… could you give a little more detail? Are we waiting or gathering…?"

>>767368
>>767367

"Obviously, we're doing both! It was pretty clear on that," Amy answers Flaming.

She follows the Paper Trail to see where he's leading them.

>>767370
>>767368
Busta nods. "If Asphodel's shedding off the Anchors soon, this may be the last chance we'll get for awhile to rest, before we face Grogar. We'd better take all we can get."

Flow and Blessings nod in agreement.

>Both
The Paper Trail takes you down the road, and the paper comprising its head frequently folds and unfolds, with black scrawl appearing and disappearing all over. You've seen this before– when the Paper Trails commune over a distance. It must be coordinating with the other Paper Trails…

Some time later, after having followed the Paper Trail up and down many roads toward the edge of uptown, you arrive at an old hostel. The Paper Trail enters, revealing a vast commons. Apart from the publican, nobody's there. This was actually the place that Burned-Over wanted to stop for a snack, as you recall…

The Paper Trail takes a seat, and gestures for you to do the same.

>>767371
Shorthorns leers at the Paper Trail as they enter the hostel, suddenly very on her guard, and takes a seat alongside it. "Out with it. What's this all about? You're acting very strange, even for a Paper Trail."

>>767371

Amy takes a seat. "Hmmm. Do you think they have any food for us here?"

>>767376
>>767374
The Paper Trail says nothing in its defense, sitting patiently with hands folded. Soon, though, it gestures with a finger toward the door, and it opens. You see another Paper Trail at the entrance, and behind him, the hulking frame of Sir Gegenschein.

The Ecclesians enter the hostel, led by their Paper Trail. Then come the Spiders, the Light Brigade, the Witches of Gehenna, and finally, the rest of the Saviors.

Only… they offer you no greeting, instead slowly finding places to sit around the hostel, in silence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hom_c3ZhlCw

Your social circle seems to have shrunk, in the time since you gathered with them last. From every faction, a few people are missing. From the Ecclesians, from the Spiders, from the Light Brigade, from the Witches of Gehenna, and from the Saviors – faces long since familiar are now nowhere to be found, no matter how ardently you search.

>>767377
As Shorthorns realizes the sudden reason for the Paper Trail's odd behavior, her eyes become sunken and her heart skips several beats.

"No… no, no…" she winces, closing her eyes and trying to stop any tears from coming out. Evidently, Shei was not the only casualty incurred so far.

As everyone piles in, she looks out for who seems to be missing from each group. In particular, she searches desperately for any sign of Great Journey.

>>767377

Amy is especially surprised to see losses among the witches. She looks to see how is missing.

Amy sheds a tear. "Well… we knew this wouldn't be easy," she says softly, but loudly enough to everyone present to hear.

"Is there any good news to share?" she asks in a more hopeful tone. "On our end, we have Asphodel ready to attack Grogar. The most of the Sons of Perdition are in Grogar's anchor. So, that deals with a few problems at once."

"And, Asphodel is pretty much on our side. There wasn't any tricks or lying involved. He just likes our plan," Amy provides some good news in a hopes to get the ball rolling.

>>767378
You muster what focus you can, and take a tally of those still present. After some time… you think you have an idea of who has fallen.

The Ecclesian mercenary envoy to the Light Brigade – Zophie.
The hardened adventurer and brigand extraordinaire of the Light Brigade – Vitalya.
The jokester of the Spooks, the four-tailed samurai – Fox.
The earnest one of the Spooks, the hard-working friend to all – Lion.
The sharpest rebel marksman in the eastern empire… and father of Evil's Judgement – Septum Axis.
…Nobody seems to be missing from the Witches of Gehenna at first glance… but Supper of Crows is sobbing. Something has happened to her demonic guardians…

Finally…

The holy lady paladin of the Union Church, cut down on the emergency Vadahara expedition, reborn as an avenging angel, who forced Chorazin into angelic ascendancy, saving Vitral from demonic invasion at a terrible cost – Mirror Image.

And…

The erstwhile advocate of the weak, the eternal ray of sunshine, he whose only quality bigger than his heart was his storage space – Box.

Great Journey embraces you as you approach, patting your back without a word.

>>767381
"Oh…" Supper sobs. "Mes chers… Meursault… Rieux… Clamence…"

You've not heard these names before, but you know of her demonic guardians: L'Etranger, La Peste, and La Chute. Perhaps these were their true names…?

>>767381
>>767378
"But of course," Sir Gegenschein says. "We Ecclesians have come with you to share our many gospels… rest assured, none have died without the aid of our trademark talismans. Their bodies and souls are sealed in our care. Retain your hope, and rejoice, for resurrection is but a short wait away, my dear. That is, assuming we Ecclesians make it out alive, of course. Hoo-hoo-hoo."

Vizsla scoffs. "You know, you really should tell us which of you it is who can resurrect the dead. That way we know who to concentrate our defenses around. Wouldn't want them to kick the bucket before we can put Grogar on ice."

"Hmm… what an interesting suggestion." Gegenschein says, and says no more.

>>767382

Amy can't hold her own tears back at seeing Supper crying. Normally she wouldn't hesitate to hug someone who so clearly needs one. She doesn't know Supper well, but she knows her well enough to know that she should at least ask first.

Amy gets up and approaches Supper. She looks at Supper with a somber but kind expression. "I know you don't like hugs usually… but they help in times like these," she says as she sits down on her hind quarters and outstretches her front legs for a hug.

>Mantra of Equality
>[1d10+4] DC-4

Roll #1 2 + 4 = 6

>>767382
Shorthorns looks around, and though she can't say she was close to everyone that was lost an equal degree, she nonetheless feels heartbroken at the tragedy. Box's lost hits her especially hard, realizing he's gone when he's been with all of them for so long. She tears up thinking how she'll never see him again, and is likewise dismayed at seeing how Supper is suffering right now, only imagining what it is she's lost. However, as Journey puts his hoof around her withers, she turns to look at him with a shocked expression, her grief giving way to relief.

"Oh thank Shei you're alright!" She says, wrapping him in a tight embrace, letting out an large breath she was keeping in. "Thank you for staying safe, Journey…"

She is only slightly pulled away from her embracing Journey to listen to Gegenschein's announcement, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "W-we have good news on our end, at least. We had a good encounter with one of the Lords…" she thinks about the Storm King, "Technically two but one I trust far more than the other. Asphodel is a noble spirit, it went better than we'd hoped."

>>767386

Amy can't help but let out a small chuckle and smile at the way Flaming invokes Shei's name.

>>767385
Supper is beyond exhausted, and more or less falls atop you. You nearly fall over, but still manage to support her as she shudders in her sorrow.

>>767386
>>767385
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-MQ7-fs_nw

"Good," Doctor Galton says. "I fear that had Asphodel not been as placid, even fewer of us would be gathered here now."

Starting with Galton, the survivors of the factions begin relaying their travails so far. They have suffered many ambushes and outbreaks of Distortion cast by Grogar and TIRAC, which split the factions time and again, forcing immediate and severe changes of plan. They report the presence of an umbral named Tirek, the king of LUST, as a heretofore undisclosed participant in the War of Limbo. Apparently, there are also rogue armies from HERESY about, who had refused to surrender at first, despite the apparent obliteration of their king at the hands of the Vestal of Peace some time ago. Also, your allies have crossed paths with surprisingly powerful forces belonging to the Storm King. Something was deeply wrong with them, however, for they were driven to a self-destructive madness in the way they fought. There is some speculation that the Storm King's agents may have been corrupted by the Sons of Perdition – but that's not the way the Sons usually fight, so the truth remains to be seen.

Mudi clears her throat. "Lords TIRAC, Tirek and the Storm King will be moving against Grogar soon."

"And Grogar has recently crushed the remnants of HERESY," Hope adds. "Folding them under his banner."

"Is he aware of the Sons of Perdition in his ranks?" Gadriel asks.

"Seems that way," Buiwong says. "Looks like his strat's to try and wield them like a grudge move – mutually assured destruction."

"Insanity…" Rus Tea mutters. "Only the King of WRATH would think that's a good idea."

"Could be desperate," Tantra says. "He's on the ropes, backed into a corner, can't do anything against Asphodel…"

"That's everybody but FRAUD unaccounted for," Hurricanrana observes. "Has nobody really heard anything about the previous Lord?"

The others shake their heads.

>>767389

In response to questions about who the leader of Fraud is, Amy discreetly looks around the room to see if the Paper Trails are present.

>>767391
A Paper Trail for every faction is present.