The Silver Sphinx

 

“Every city that falls is merely the shadow of one that has long since broken.”

Tolumvire

 

 

First Hive Day of Decadre, 126 HR

For the second time in a few days, Factol Terrance visited the Great Foundry. This time, however, he did not cross the entrance hall towards the forges, but towards the Green Hall. He wanted to meet there with his colleagues Erin, Sarin, Ambar and Rhys, as well as with the Chosen, as there was some news to share. The large hall, directly adjacent to the entrance hall, was one of the most prestigious locations on the Foundry grounds and was often used by the Godsmen for meetings with representatives of other factions. It was deliberately designed as a counterpoint to the heat and noise of the forges. The room was spacious with a very high ceiling, supported by a filigree framework of dark green lacquered steel struts that spanned the hall in elegant arches. Nothing in the precise construction was purely decorative, and yet the builders had adorned all the struts and beams with ornaments. The floor was covered with green patterned tiles, whose geometric shapes formed a larger motif that gave the room structure. The light of a relatively bright Sigilian noon fell through high windows and glass panes in the upper part of the hall. It refracted in the green metal and appeared a little golden and softer than outside through the slightly tinted panes. If one looked closely, some of the windows revealed depictions of various planar locations.

Twiners grew between the steel beams, climbing up specially made metal grids. The hardy plants had dark green, waxy leaves with scattered silvery veins. Some bore white flowers that exuded a fresh scent. Terrance knew that Ambar had chosen these plants to bring a little nature and life into the impressive but rather cool construction of the Green Hall. The Athar's factol passed the long side of the room, which featured numerous wall niches. On display in them were scale models made of metal, stone and glass: buildings, machines, vehicles and other projects of the Godsmen, some realized, others discarded, and still others in the planning stages. Small brass plaques explained something about each of the pieces on display. There was also an area with wooden and metal seating, surrounded by large planters in which grew small trees with narrow trunks and dense foliage. In a polished stone basin, the water surface reflected the room, but the fountain was not just for decoration. Its enchanted water regulated humidity and temperature, creating a pleasant climate for visitors and plants alike. The place invited quiet conversations or moments of retreat, and Terrance had sat here with Ambar on more than one occasion.

 

 

But today it was not his destination, so he turned away and walked over to the platforms of dark wood, metal and shiny green stone that were located in several places in the hall. They were accessible by winding staircases and connected to each other by narrow bridges. The room was large enough for meetings of entire delegations, but the podiums divided it in such a way that smaller groups could also be formed. The largest of these platforms was polygonal and located in the center of the hall, while the smaller ones were arranged in a ring around it at a certain distance. Open-work steel railings cast fine shadows on the floor, which overlapped with the tile pattern. Sarin and Rhys sat on the central podium with their Chosen, Kiyoshi and Morânia, at a round table made of light-colored wood. Ambar and Lereia were also already present, and Terrance had to smile a little. After all, as the host, his longtime friend was punctual, probably to Sarin's satisfaction, even though the paladin certainly had other problems to deal with at the moment.

Terrance walked up the steps to the platform and exchanged greetings with his colleagues and the Chosen present. He couldn't help but take a closer look at Sarin for a moment. The factol of the Harmonium seemed much the same as always, perhaps a touch more pensive, but it was hardly noticeable. So Terrance discreetly and diplomatically confined himself to an ordinary, noncommittal greeting and then took a seat next to Ambar. He placed the book he had brought with him on the table. They would need it later. Shortly thereafter, Erin and Naghûl arrived, followed almost simultaneously by Jana and Sgillin. In fact, everyone had been on time, probably for the first time in the history of their small alliance.

“I warmly welcome you to the Great Foundry,” Ambar began the conversation as the host. “We are meeting today for more than one reason. Firstly, there is the question of the lost piece of my soul and where it has gone. Secondly, my esteemed colleague, Factol Sarin, has something to tell us about a crime that the Harmonium recently uncovered and that may be related to this matter. And there is also news about Kiyoshi and his gift that may give us another crucial clue regarding the Prophecy.”

After the greeting, there was a brief silence, and almost involuntarily, all eyes turned to Sarin.

The paladin nodded briefly. The expression in his dark eyes did not seem upset, but somewhat harder than usual. “Before we begin: I know what everyone here is wondering. And I understand that. I informed you in a letter a few days ago that, after the recent ... events, I asked Lady Juliana herself to take a look at my soul. As archbishop of the Archonites and celestial mystic, she is very experienced and competent in such matters. And as I already wrote, the result was that I bear no mark of demonic possession and therefore Red Shroud cannot see through my eyes or even influence my actions. Lady Juliana assured me of this. I don't know ...” He hesitated briefly, but then continued. “I don't know what effect this kiss might have, apart from that. But if anything of importance changes, I will inform you. I won't pretend that it doesn't bother me to share such private matters with anyone other than my wife. But I realize that it is necessary in light of the Prophecy and our resulting alliance. That is all for now. And I'll say it straight out: I don't wish to discuss this subject any further.”

He didn't say it in the brusque tone he usually used to give orders and commands, but with a calm yet emphatic seriousness that made it clear that, for him, the matter was closed. Terrance hadn't failed to notice that he had placed a certain emphasis on the words of importance. Something must have happened, the high priest was sure of that. But perhaps it had just been one of those dreams that were not uncommon after a succubus kiss, and which he had already warned Sarin about. It was only understandable that the paladin did not want to discuss something like that in front of everyone.

Rhys nodded. “Everyone here is sympathetic about that, dear Sarin. Therefore, I suggest we turn to the first point on our list. Ambar, in this case, it concerns your soul.”

“Correct, dear colleague.” The bard seemed more relaxed than the first few times this topic had come up. But a certain seriousness still crept into his voice. “And I, too, would not necessarily share this information if I were not in the same situation as Sarin and the Prophecy did not seem to demand it.”

The half-elf looked at the paladin, and Sarin actually smiled briefly. It was undoubtedly an exchange of glances between two men who were in a certain predicament, but at least found comfort in the certainty that they were not alone in it.

“You all know how this situation came about,” Ambar explained. “And also that the severed piece of my soul had disappeared from the casket where I had kept it.”

“I remember it vividly,” Sarin replied. “Keeping a soul in a casket is definitely one of the more abstruse events surrounding this Prophecy. And that's saying something.”

Terrance glanced at Lereia and realized that the young woman still seemed to feel guilty about this topic. He couldn't blame her. Ambar, who noticed it, took her hand and squeezed it briefly, as if to assure her that she was not to blame. She actually smiled a little in response.

“My good friend Terrance has been trying to help me find the lost piece of my soul,” Ambar continued. “And with success. He managed to obtain a rare artifact, a so-called soul compass, which can be used to track down souls.”

Erin gave Terrance an appreciative look. “Really, my dear colleague, I am always impressed by what you can conjure up.”

“Oh, you are definitely my match in that respect, Lady Erin,” Terrance replied with a smile. “And I would like to emphasize that it was Naghûl who first gave me the idea of the soul compass.”

“That's true, I remember.” Erin turned to her factotum. “My compliments, Naghûl! Very well done.”

The tiefling seemed extremely pleased, both because he had been able to help and because of the praise from his factol. “Thank you, Factol Terrance.” He bowed his head in his direction. “I am very glad that I was able to contribute something to solving this mystery. Even if it was only a small impetus, and acquiring the compass was certainly much more complicated and dangerous.”

“It was a thoroughly interesting adventure,” Terrance admitted. When he caught Erin's eager gaze, he had to smile a little. “And I promise I will be happy to tell you more about it when the opportunity arises. For now, however, I will content myself with saying that I found the compass and brought it to Sigil.”

“Modest as always, my dear colleague.” Erin smiled. “But I take you at your word and will come back to it. Prepare yourself mentally for an invitation to the Festhall.”

“With pleasure, Lady Erin,” Terrance replied warmly. Then he turned his gaze back to Ambar. “Would you like to continue?”

Ambar nodded. “I’ll keep it brief. Naghûl and Kiyoshi were there and told their factols about it afterwards. Naghûl also told his wife Morânia, who then informed Rhys.”

“Seems like I’m the only one who doesn’t know anything yet,” Sgillin said with a slight grin.

Jana glanced at him. “You have been busy with the ... with other things.”

Terrance noticed how the sorceress avoided the word Razor Angels at the last moment, probably mainly not to upset Sarin. In the current situation, that was likely for the best. Even though the paladin could certainly guess who Sgillin had been with the last few days, there was no need to discuss it here and now. The half-elf gave Jana an innocent look, and Ambar hurried to continue his report.

“Well, to get to the point: Lereia was indeed able to locate the lost piece of my soul with the help of the soul compass. Apparently, it is inside the Great Generator of the Foundry, not far from here in the main forge. On this generator, Naghûl, with his gift as the Seeker, was able to read the word Envy, which was invisible to the rest of us. This ultimately led us to suspect that the Great Generator could be one of the God Stones mentioned in the text about the Deus Machina from the Abyss.”

Sgillin raised his eyebrows and then nodded, impressed. “Well, well. That's what I call really exciting news.”

“Indeed,” Sarin interjected. “And I can add another interesting aspect to this topic. Recently, there has been a series of rather unusual thefts in Sigil: members of various factions have had their shadows stolen.”

“Their shadows?” Erin leaned forward with interest. “That is indeed extraordinary, even for Sigil. Let me guess: your people have already solved the case?”

“They have, indeed.” Sarin's brief smile showed that he felt a certain pride in his officers. “My adjutant Amariel found some crucial clues that ultimately led to the discovery of the shadow thieves' secret hideout. To be fair, I must add that another group had also been investigating the matter and contributed to solving the case. Among them was a medusa named Rakalla, whom we already know.”

Sgillin nodded knowingly. “Yes, I know something about that. Well, as you know, I am in contact with some of the other Chosen from time to time, including Rakalla. She told me about the story.”

“Then you also know about the Illuminated and the souls?” Sarin asked.

The half-elf nodded once more, but the others exchanged puzzled glances.

“Well,” Sarin explained. “First of all, it turned out that the shadow thieves were old acquaintances: the sect of the Illuminated was behind the whole thing.”

“Those elitist berks.” Ambar grimaced. “I had hoped they would stand down for a while. Instead, they apparently knew about the sword Hope and were prowling around in the catacombs underneath Broken Reach. And to top it all off, they stole shadows here in Sigil on a grand scale? Unbelievable.”

Terrance was not surprised by his friend's clearly expressed displeasure. While the Godsmen believed that every sentient being possessed a divine spark, the Illuminated were convinced that only a select few had it, who would thus stand above the others. These two philosophies were, of course, irreconcilable and harbored considerable potential for conflict.

“I understand your anger,” Sarin explained. “I don't agree with this sect's worldview either, and it's a thorn in my side that they apparently know things about the Prophecy. The good news is that a group led by Prefect Fireheart was able to destroy the old temple in Undersigil, where the Illuminated had their headquarters. Unfortunately, only one of them was captured during the battle, but this should set them back considerably. In addition, several crystals were recovered in which the stolen shadows were trapped. And, apparently bound to them, soul fragments of the respective victims.“

”Soul fragments?“ Ambar's eyes widened in astonishment. ”You mean parts of their souls were severed, just like mine?”

“Yes, it seems so,” Sarin confirmed. “Rakalla appears to have a gift that is similar to Lereia's in certain respects. At least, she can perceive souls as well and was therefore able to determine that the recovered crystals also contained soul fragments. That's what decuria Amariel told me. And now it gets even more interesting: To resolve this matter, Prefect Fireheart has granted exceptional permission for a selective and temporary collaboration between the Harmonium and the Doomguard.“

”A collaboration with the Doomguard?“ Terrance couldn't help but comment on Sarin's report with a touch of irony. ”Well, my dear colleague, I am amazed by your unconventional methods.”

“The emphasis is on selective and temporary,” the paladin explained. Then he sighed. “But yes, you're welcome to tease me a little about it. I am well aware that it was a more than unconventional decision. However, Prefect Fireheart has my full support in this matter. The Prophecy is obviously pushing us all to certain limits.”

Terrance smiled. “I admit, the opportunity to tease you was too tempting to pass up. But actually, I welcome the fact that your faction in particular is willing to think a little ... well, outside the box on this matter.”

“My faction in particular, huh?” Sarin raised an eyebrow, but then waved it off and returned to the topic at hand. “Anyway, Amariel and Rakalla managed to find a way to free both the shadows and the soul fragments from the crystals. The shadows all returned to their owners. The soul fragments, however ... did not.” The paladin glanced at Ambar.

The bard immediately sat up straighter. “Don't tell me they ...”

“Went to the Great Generator? No, not that.” Sarin shook his head. “But to other faction headquarters. Rakalla followed some of the fragments and observed them wandering to the Hall of Speakers, the Hall of Records, the City Court and the Festhall, among others. However, they went right through the walls of the respective buildings, and by the time Rakalla had reached the entrance, she had already lost track of them.”

After this revelation, a stunned and incredulous silence fell over the Green Hall for a while.

Finally, Morânia was the first to speak. “If all these fragments went to the aforementioned faction headquarters, and we assume that the Great Generator is a God Stone ... would that mean that there are God Stones in the other faction headquarters as well?”

“And would that in turn mean,” Erin continued the thought, “that perhaps every faction headquarters has a God Stone?”

“That would fit with the fact that every faction has a Chosen,” Rhys noted.

“Then I know where I will continue my search,” Naghûl declared. “So far, I have not been successful in finding other places like the Great Generator. I will probably not be granted access to all areas of the other faction headquarters. But I could search everything inside the Festhall.“

”Absolutely!“ Erin declared enthusiastically. ”I grant you full access, even to the Inner Sanctum and all private Sensoriums, dear Naghûl!"

The tiefling nodded eagerly, and for a moment, the two Sensates looked as excited as children at a candy stand on the Great Bazaar.

Although such emotionality was not in his nature, Terrance always found it remarkable in a positive sense how enthusiastic Lady Erin and her factotum Naghûl could be about new experiences. From Morânia's smile, he gathered that the bal'aasi felt similarly.

Sarin, on the other hand, just shook his head gently, but he had apparently come to terms with the peculiarities of the Sensates. “Good,” he said. “Such a search does indeed sound sensible. If Naghûl really discovers more God Stones – or what we believe to be God Stones – that would be a huge breakthrough. And while we're on the subject of the gifts ...” He looked at Kiyoshi. “Please tell us what happened to you yesterday.”

The young soldier bowed his head towards the paladin. “As you command, venerable Factol Sarin-gensui. Thank you for giving me the floor.” Then he turned to the others. “As you all know - either because you were there yourselves or from reports – it was during our investigation of the Hive Strangler Murders that a metal decoration in the shape of a face on a house wall near the Mortuary spoke to me in the Old Tongue. It told me then that we should seek out the Keeper and the Proclaimer.”

“Oh, I remember it vividly.” Naghûl nodded. “That led to our journey to Elysium, to the creation of Abaiel and ultimately to Lady Elyria and Sir Lorias revealing the Prophecy to us.”

“Exactly, dear Naghûl-san,” Kiyoshi replied with his characteristic seriousness. “And yesterday, the same thing happened to me again. This time it wasn't in the Hive, but on Park Lane, which branches off from Arcadia Boulevard. And it wasn't a metal face that spoke to me, but a lammasu statue. But this one also suddenly came to life and spoke in the Old Tongue. It said: Find the Four Doors. Find them in the streets of the Cage. Become aware of them and recognize their keys. For whoever controls the Four, controls fate.” Then the young soldier leaned back again and looked around with his usual impassive expression.

The other Chosen eyed him in astonishment, clearly a little overwhelmed.

“The Four Doors?” Sgillin finally asked. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“We also asked ourselves that question, of course,” Sarin explained. “We factols already discussed it briefly yesterday, after the session in the Hall of Speakers.”

Erin nodded. “Right. You, dear Terrance, have indicated that you have an idea about this.”

“That's true, Lady Erin,” confirmed the Athar's factol. “And as promised yesterday, I will now be happy to elaborate. There isn't much I can say, and I don't want to raise false hopes. However, years ago, I did some research on four special and unique doors. Perhaps they are the same ones that the lammasu statue mentioned.”

“We are very curious,” Rhys said, eyeing the book Terrance had placed on the table in front of him at the beginning of the conversation.

He nodded and tapped the dark cover briefly. “This is a book I wrote several years ago. It's titled On Prophets and Madmen and deals with various prophecies made in Sigil in recent years, as well as the individuals or groups who made them. I'd better just read the relevant passage aloud. Please don't be alarmed, I'll start with a quote. So these aren't my words. Who knows the dark of these doors? Who has the power to open them? One blood, only one blood can open them, I tell you! And when the Fourth Door is opened, the multiverse will shake and shudder, the Cage will be unlocked and the Lady will cry out in anguish and pain!”

Sarin frowned at these sacrilegious words, and everyone else seemed uncomfortable as well. Yes, it was precisely for this reason that Terrance had made it clear in advance that these were not his own words. But someone had spoken them, and they had to be heard here. So he continued, unmoved.

“My king will awaken from his slumber, reclaim the broken scepter and unite the moons of Arendur. Fear for your lives! Even now, the ancient pillars of this city tremble beneath his feet! And they are rising! The pillars of Aoskar are rising, harbingers of his return! A door for relics, forgotten and discarded. - A door for powers, set aside and lost. - A door for mysteries waiting to be freed. - A door for reality, to tie them together and reveal the path to tomorrow's better shores.“ At this point, Terrance ended the quote. What he now read from the book were his own thoughts. ”Such were the words of the mad sermonizer Garmundi as he preached at the gates of the Shattered Temple. I do not doubt Aoskar's power. I revel in his secrets every day. And at the same time I rejoice in the fact that the Mad God is dead, no better proof of the Athar's philosophy can exist. But still, Aoskar's prophets live on and spread his so-called faith. Although I do not believe in Aoskar's return, I do believe in the Four Doors, for the images inside my temple are an unmistakable clue, as is this inscription: Whoever controls the Four, controls fate. These words have inspired more than one gate seeker.” Here he cast a meaningful glance at Kiyoshi, to whom the statue had said exactly the same words. Then he continued. “What is the ancient legend of the Four Doors? From what I have been able to find out, they only appear under the most unusual circumstances. They are portals that only open at certain times and each time with a different key. Apparently, this is a regular cycle, referred to in some traditions as the blink. According to the same sources, the blink occurs every five hundred years. There are several theories in the ancient legends about who can pass through these doors and who can open them. Some say that only followers of Aoskar can pass through, others believe that only the person who is the key can pass the doors. Still others think there is a small group of chosen people who are destined by fate to open and pass the Four Doors. The legends also say that deep in the heart of the Cage, energies flow that few can imagine, pulsing like the blood of the multiverse itself. Supposedly, these energies flow through the Four Doors when they open.”

At this point, he paused, closed the book and looked around. He couldn't help but smile when he noticed the general perplexity. Yes, he himself had heard all this about ten years ago, he had written it down and researched it. And yet he had never really been able to make sense of it. It was only understandable that the others now felt the same way and needed to think about what they had heard. Even Rhys seemed undecided.

Unsurprisingly, Sarin was the first to comment. “And what exactly is that supposed to tell us, dear Terrance?”

Erin laughed a little. “Thank you for asking that, Sarin.”

“I don't know what it's supposed to tell us,” Terrance replied honestly. “I just wrote down what I know about it.”

Lereia twirled a strand of her long, white hair around her finger, as she often did when she was pondering. “That partly coincides with what the Keeper and the Proclaimer told us, doesn't it?”

“Quite right,” Terrance agreed. “For example, the name Arendur should be familiar to us.”

Morânia nodded. “It was an Axial City. The Sigil of the last age, if you will. Aoskar was then what the Lady is today: the protector of the city. And in this, our age, he once wanted to overthrow Her.”

Lereia frowned with concern. “And what if opening the doors leads to what they called the end of the cycle? The Prophecy foretells: The end of time is near. And the Chosen have awakened. Perhaps it's speculation, but maybe it has something to do with the doors.”

“If I may say something about that ...” Jana took a deep breath. “So if I may speculate, I would say that a group of people chosen in some way is supposed to pass through these portals and awaken Aoskar?”

“That's what the preachers of Aoskar would like,” Naghûl interjected disparagingly.

Terrance placed the book back on the table in front of him. “I would point out that Garmundi was a barmy. Just because he thought Aoskar would return doesn't mean that's the case.”

“Since this happened before my time in Sigil ...” Erin leaned forward and examined the book with interest. “May I ask who this Garmundi was?”

“Garmundi was a follower of Aoskar,” Terrance explained. “A crazy, dwarven preacher. We don't know where he came from. But one day, over ten years ago, he stood in front of the Shattered Temple and began with these sermons. We informed the Harmonium and waited for the Lady to flay him.”

“I remember it vividly,” Sarin remarked. “I was also assigned to that mission at the time.”

“And I think it's wonderful that you were so eager to protect my temple.” Terrance couldn't resist the slight dig, but he delivered it with a friendly smile.

Ambar nodded at the remark and smirked. “Yes, I had also come by to watch. It was an uplifting sight when the Harmonium came to the Athar's aid.”

Sarin accepted the comments with a gentle shake of his head, but the Athar's factol was certain that a few weeks earlier he would have reacted more indignantly. As unpleasant as the kiss had been, it had brought them all closer together.

“And what happened to Garmundi?” Erin asked. “Was he arrested, or did the Lady flay him Herself?”

“Neither,” Terrance explained. “He jumped into a crevice that has been on the Temple grounds for a long time. This crack is very, very deep, and before the Harmonium could arrest him, he threw himself into it.“

Rhys also looked thoughtfully at the book in front of Terrance. ”Could it be that Garmundi isn't dead after all?“

The high priest gave his colleague a thoughtful look. ”Who knows?”

Suddenly, Naghûl sat up straight, as if electrified. Apparently, an idea had occurred to him. “What if ... this crevice is one of the Four Doors?”

Sgillin looked at the tiefling and whistled softly. “Through which he then fell ...”

“Was his body ever recovered?” Morânia asked.

“No,” Terrance replied. “The crevice is really deep. It extends far into Undersigil.”

“Maybe he was the key,” Lereia speculated.

Skeptically, Jana shook her head. “But if he had been the key and opened the portal, wouldn't those ... primal energies have been released? Surely that would have been noticed?”

“In this case the blink would have been back then,” Terrance added. “And I think that's still ahead of us.”

Lereia unwound the strand of hair from her index finger. “Do I get it right that we should rather prevent the doors from being opened?”

“Yes, absolutely!” Jana blurted out.

“The statue only said we should find them,” Kiyoshi explained calmly. “We should become aware of them and recognize their keys. Apparently, we should control them if we want to control fate. But whether we should open them and even pass through, or whether we should prevent them from opening, was not said.”

Rhys was still studying the book, as if she could see something through the closed cover that would help them. “If a group of people are destined to pass the doors,” she said, “then perhaps it will happen either way.”

“That last paragraph about the flowing energies makes me think,” Ambar interjected, looking at Lereia. “Doesn't that fit with the text about the Deus Machina that you found in the Abyss?”

The young woman nodded. “According to this text, four pillars channel the energies of the machine. So it would be reasonable to assume that the pillars are the doors, or that each door has a pillar that channels its energy?”

“That assumption seems plausible to me,” agreed the bard. “Because Garmundi said ... may I?” He pointed to the book. When Terrance nodded and slid it over to him, the half-elf opened it and searched for the passage he obviously wanted to quote. “Right, here. Even now, the ancient pillars of this city tremble beneath his feet! And they are rising! The pillars of Aoskar are rising, harbingers of his return! Before, he spoke of doors, but here Garmundi mentions pillars. The Four Doors and the Four Pillars from the ancient text could be one and the same.”

Lereia leaned forward and reread the relevant paragraph. Then she frowned thoughtfully. “The text from the Abyss was written by Tolumvire, right? The Keeper and the Proclaimer also mentioned that name in connection with Arendur.”

Terrance nodded. “A mysterious figure, yes. Basically, all we know is that he lived in Arendur during the last cycle. Until you were in Broken Reach, nothing was known about his grave. He wanted to avert the end of Arendur and unite the multiverse. But something went wrong and ultimately he himself triggered the destruction of Arendur. At least that's what Lady Elyria and Sir Lorias said.”

“According to the Keeper and the Proclaimer, the Three Swords are also from the last cycle,” Erin added.

“Is it known how Tolumvire's writings survived the destruction of Arendur?” Jana asked. “Perhaps there is more that has survived and that we can find.”

“One of the last copies of Tolumvire's book is said to be in the archives of Arendur, in the Keeper's library,” said Lereia. “At least the text we copied says so. But what that means ...” She shrugged helplessly.

At that moment, Jana groaned softly. Then her eyes rolled back and she exhaled deeply and slowly.

Terrance knew exactly what that meant: a vision. But Naghûl also held his head, gasped and slowly bent forward, his eyes closed. Was Jana taking him with her into her vision? Before Terrance could lean over to his Chosen to support her if necessary, he felt dizzy and his vision darkened. Apparently, Naghûl wasn't the only one Jana was taking with her ...

 

When Terrance's vision cleared again, he saw the Spire - high and distant, as one would see it if floating high above the Outlands. Then he approached it, as if in rapid flight. He saw something floating above the Spire. A familiar sight ... but something was wrong. A little closer ... There! It wasn't a ring. It was a disc, and it wasn't spinning like Sigil did. The gigantic disc hovered motionless above the Spire. As he got even closer, he realized that a large city had been built on this disc. A beautiful, huge city. He wanted to get closer, to observe this impressive city, to admire its architecture, to find out who lived there. But then something happened ... The disc trembled. It shook and swayed ... Then large cracks ran through the disc and it broke ... the whole wonderful city broke apart ... fell to pieces, literally crumbled ... The fragments of the city fell ... They fell down the Spire, deep, deep, infinitely deep ... The sight was incredible, breathtaking and terrifying at the same time. Terrance felt as if he were watching a world die. Then the broken city fell to the ground, crashing at the foot of the Spire ... and somehow he knew that at the same time, the multiverse around him was falling apart ...

 

A blink of an eye later, he found himself back in the Green Hall, looking into the partly astonished, partly tense faces of the other factols and Chosen. A slight feeling of dizziness and disorientation remained. He looked to the side and realized that Jana and Naghûl were back as well. The tiefling was just sitting up in his chair with a confused look on his face, and Jana was brushing her hair back, still a little pale around the nose.

Terrance shook his head slightly and rubbed his temples. “Jana, could you perhaps give us a warning next time?”

“Yes ... a warning would be really nice,” Naghûl agreed, his voice still a little weak.

“I'm sorry, Factol,” Jana replied nervously. “I ... I just thought you should see this too.”

Terrance leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. The images the vision had shown them had been impressive and terrifying, and he was still processing what he had seen. “Thank you, Jana,” he said. “I appreciate you showing me that. It was extremely awe-inspiring.”

“That ... was Arendur, wasn't it, Factol?” Jana reached for her water glass and took a big sip. “The city on the disc?”

Erin was the first in the group who could no longer contain herself. “What did you see?” she asked, giddy with excitement.

“We saw Arendur, I think.” Still a little shaky, Jana put her glass back down. “Right here, where Sigil is today. But the city wasn't a ring, it was built on a disc. It was huge and beautiful.”

“Oh!” Erin sat up straight and listened to Jana as enthusiastically as a child.

“But then the disc broke,” the sorceress continued. “Little by little, it shattered into many small pieces that fell down to the Outlands. And with the disc, the entire multiverse broke apart. At least, that's how it felt. It ... was terrible.”

Naghûl nodded in agreement, but his factol grabbed his arm. “That sounds incredibly exciting!” she exclaimed. “I mean, of course it's also dreadful and frightening. But very moving!”

Sarin gave his colleague a sidelong glance and shook his head. “Really, you Sensates are all a bit barmy, Lady Erin.”

Naghûl shrugged apologetically and smiled, but his factol just waved it off. “You'd better come to the Sensorium at last, my dear Sarin.” Then she looked expectantly at Jana again.

The sorceress nodded. “I'd like to mention a thought I already had before the vision, and which now seems even more obvious: If not everything was completely destroyed, then could there still be ruins of the old Arendur to be found? In the Outlands, at the base of the Spire. Perhaps the Keeper's library is not just a metaphor, but a real location?“

Erin clapped her hands enthusiastically. ”Yes, exactly! I'll put together an expedition!“

”Please don't forget my name, Factol,“ Naghûl interjected immediately.

She patted the tiefling reassuringly on the shoulder. ”Of course you're coming!”

“Erin, please ...” Sarin made an appeasing gesture in her direction. “Can we plan all this properly first?”

“Don't talk to me about plans,” the factol of the Sensates replied with a sigh. “We've seen where that leads us.”

The paladin leaned forward slightly and frowned. “Oh, really? And where, if I may ask?”

She gave him an innocent and charming smile. “It leads to us sitting around talking forever. Weren't those your words, my dear Sarin?”

“Oh, I see.” He had obviously been thinking in a different direction. “Yes, I ... said that. That can't be denied.”

Terrance suppressed a smile as Erin once again took the wind out of her colleague's sails with her charm. It was always fascinating to watch the interactions between her and Sarin, both of them walking a fine line between friendly rivalry and playful teasing. And he had to admit that Lady Erin was a master at appealing to the strong-willed but sometimes stubborn paladin in a way that was both subtle and effective. Influencing would certainly have been too strong a word. Terrance was sure that Sarin was too confident and too aware of Erin's abilities. But the Sensates' factol had a quality to approach the paladin that no one else in the group possessed, and this was both exciting and valuable.

Meanwhile, another thought had occurred to Lereia. “We could tell Elyria and Lorias about the vision. They said their knowledge grows with the clues they obtain.”

“That's true.” Rhys nodded. “But unfortunately, they obviously need something tangible. Morânia and I showed them the transcript from the Abyss. They tried to learn more from it, but without success. Apparently, they need the original manuscript or at least very old transcripts of an original for their abilities.”

This information gave Kiyoshi an idea. “Could the book written by Factol Terrance-heika be such a text?”

“I am honored,” Terrance replied. “But didn't the two of them say it had to be ancient texts or written by someone who plays a very special role?”

Ambar smiled. “Perhaps you play that role, my friend. All of us, possibly.”

“Yes, yes, we all have the spark,” Sarin remarked ironically.

“We do!” insisted the half-elf. He crossed his arms and eyed the paladin defiantly, clearly unwilling to back down from his philosophy here in his own faction headquarters.

“All right.” Sarin raised his hands defensively. “However, I admit that Kiyoshi may be onto something here.”

“It might be worth a try,” Terrance agreed. “I was planning to meet with Elyria soon anyway. I'll ask her to bring Sir Lorias along, and I'll show them the book when I have the chance.”

“Good idea,” Erin agreed. “But I’m still in favor of this expedition! Anyone from this group who wants to join is welcome to do so. The Sensates will finance it, of course.”

This announcement elicited a brief grin from Sarin. “I like to hear that.”

Ambar nodded. “Good, then I would say Lady Erin should prepare the expedition. Terrance will show Elyria and Lorias his book, and the Chosen could ask the Envoy about the expedition's destination. We'll also try to find out more about the God Machine or the Four Doors.“

”All right, we have a new goal,“ Sarin stated, then glanced briefly at Erin. ”So sitting around and talking wasn't completely pointless after all.”

“Oh, Sarin.” She placed both hands on her chest in an exaggerated theatrical gesture. “Please don't hold a grudge against a lady. I'll make it up to you.”

“Oh, really?” The paladin raised his eyebrows.

Erin laughed heartily. “I have a very rare and really good bottle of Arborean wine. It's yours.”

Sarin had to laugh too, and bowed to her. “My deepest thanks, my lady.”

Terrance watched the brief exchange with a smile and then looked around again. “Well, I think we know what everyone has to do. Let's get to it.”

“I agree,” Ambar concurred. “I thank my esteemed colleagues and the Chosen for honoring us with their presence here at the Foundry.”

 

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played May 28, 2013