Day 66 (S45)

Before dawn, they all began heading toward their tree on the outskirts of Castle Frey. Royal guards lined the path there, and The Bound arrived before the Three Fangs.
They waited longer than they expected, but finally saw the royal carriage coming up over the hill. From the carriage, they could hear the Three Fangs bickering amongst themselves.
"Sullivan, you're not being pragmatic about this," Drake said.
"But there's only so many dragons to hunt!"
"There are other things to concern ourselves with," Drake said again.
Godfrey quickly opened the door and jumped out of the carriage, apparently trying to avoid the argument between Sullivan Frey and Drake.
Rina summoned Volvagia and sent her directly into the carriage. Sullivan quicky drew his sword and leapt from the carriage after the small fey dragon, cutting her in two.
"They're following us... Stalking us..." Sullivan said as he stood by the carriage with his sword still pointed outward.
Rina then summoned Volvagia again - who just sat on her shoulder this time - and Rina smirked in Sullivan's direction.
Sullivan looked at the little dragon, then looked at Rina, then looked back at Drake, whose point was now quite proven.
"Ah... it seems I have... embarrassed myself enough for one day," the King said as he slowly sheathed his sword. "Let us continue through the tree, miss Moondance?"

"Yes, sir!" Alice said as she started climbing the tree.
"Do we not just go through the trunk?" asked Sullivan.
"We could, but this is how I do it," Alice responded.
She got to her branch and opened up the tree to the one in Therius' underwater library.
"You mean for me to... climb a tree?" the King said, "Fine, but not with my guards watching. Everyone turn around."
All of the guards surrounding them turned around in unison. Sullivan attempted to climb, but his clothes were not suited for it.
"You know what? Screw it." Sullivan then turned into a bat, and flew into the tree.
"Why is your bat form so much larger than theirs?" Rina asked Godfrey, "When I saw you the night we went into Mt. Ivatim, your bat form was huge."
"We can choose our size as bats, I choose to be big!" Godfrey answered.
"I'd always choose to be big," Blanke said.
"This is my kind of guy!" Godfrey said, putting his arm around Blanke.
"You liking vampires more yet, Blanke?" Rina asked.
He shrugged, and he and Godfrey entered the tree.
"Looks like it's just you and I," Rina said to Drake.
"No Neely today?"
"No... poor Neely really just needs a day off. She's been through enough."
So, Rina and Drake - along with a couple of guards and clerics - entered the portal last.

They arrived in the vast underwater library of Therius. Above them they could see a kraken swimming on the other side of the glass.
Below them a few levels, Therius was floating upside down, reading many tomes at once with his many arms and heads. He floated down toward the group who just arrived through a very natural bookcase.
"Hello... hello... hello... It is good... good... good to see you... you all... all... all..."
Godfrey and Sullivan walk up to Therius, the clerics and soldiers behind them. Rina stayed in the back, Drake stayed back with her - seeming to find comfort with her presence - both of them staying silent. Blanke and Alice walked up behind the Frey brothers, and Therius recognized them all.
"Therius," Sullivan began, "we come to you with many questions of the odd goings on of late. Everyone in my kingdom was hit within their minds a week ago at the same time. We seek your guidance."
"I didn't feel it," said Blanke.
Therius looked directly at Alice, "Thank you... you... you... Pradhana. Now I can... I can... finally just be... free."
As Therius spoke, he floated down into a large chair that moved itself forward to meet him as he sat. He sighed in relief, then grabbed a large tome from a nearby wall.
"It has been... so long... since I could speak freely," Therius said. "Allow me to tell you the story... of the gods."

Therius opened the tome, magic images projected from the pages.
"Pradhana, the world ender, has brought on the end of days. It is now time you all know about this world."
"Because it won't last much longer?" Blanke asked.
Therius looked up at him, "Yes... young one."
The first image was of Kay'Lend, "Life and death is a cycle. One that has always existed. From here, the souls of those who die move into Niktalia. From there, the Shepherds perform the Reaping."
Therius turned the page, the image changed to an upside-down version of Kay'Lend - the deepest rivers were even deeper, the tallest mountains were even taller. Everything appeared sharp and dark, the world appeared to be a mix of every type of afterlife anyone has imagined. The Feywild, Heaven, Hell - all afterlife worlds seemed mixed together in its own continent. Rina pulled out her crystal sphere from Mother Epoigra and noticed that the world in the book was quite different from the little map she held in her hand.
"Then, the souls who are reaped are sorted into their respective afterlives. They are reborn there, and all memories of their past lives are with them. Those who are good in this life become angelic creatures, those who are evil here become devilish creatures. You become the embodiment of who you were in life, your inner-most impulses. Your sins are goods are weighed."
Therius turned the page again, the image showed a new soul appearing in the world of Kay'Lend.
"Blanke... you are one without such a past," Therius said to him, "for the first time in centuries, a new soul was created to come here - yours. You received no pain of old memories because you do not have any old memories."
The next page showed children playing in Kay'Lend, "Then comes the sowing," Therius said, "those who have died in the afterlife are chosen to be reborn here again, no longer keeping the memories from their past lives - but given an opportunity to be better."
The page turned again, depicting a gigantic being hovering over Kay'Lend. The land looked old and wild, before it was split up into smaller countries, and before it was conquered.
"When God left us - the creator - the system broke," Therius continued, "In the absence of the true god, lesser gods were made - we never should have existed."
The next page showed the beings in the 4 Murals. "The power of worship makes the one worshiped more powerful, and - in some cases - unable to die. This has made us slaves to the people, trapped in our domains, unable to leave or speak our truths."
The page turned again and depicted a baby - a good person - being born on the other side, but being in the hellscape type area. An army of Therianthropes rushed in to kill the child as soon as it arrived.
Rina began to cry softly and looked away.
"Over time," Therius continued, "some beings learned how to gain great power. Some used the worship of people to syphon power to them. Others created a blood curse that could be passed on through lineages or bites," he gestured to the Therianthropes.
"The ever-growing armies made from worship and the Blood curse have made it a constant battlefield. The souls who move to the afterlife no longer have the ability to live there."
Rina interrupted him, "Some can, though. I know of at least two who have made it."
Therius looked at her, as if looking through her soul, "Devils have found a way to recruit minions for themselves, that's true."
The page turned again, now depicting two giant beings in the afterlife. One side showed a large, red devil, with scores of Therianthrope Souls at his feet. The other was a tall, glowing being with long horns - thousands of people dressed in white and gold at his feet.
Rina was taken aback at the sight of the red Giant Devil, this was the devil she saw in her blending vision.
The other being had, in the center of his horns, a 9 Pointed Star. This was Luminus - Lord of Hell.

End session.