Season 10, Episode 8: "And So the Land Was Mine to Bend" Report
General Summary
With Mandarb and the Guardians of the Basin out of their path, and Isra screaming in pain at the top of the stairs, the weary Dream Team had no choice but to dash upward — out of the inner courts and into Pharasma's Spire. While running, Abelina reached out to Lockette through their open comms, revealing that "he" had arrived, but that she would be ready to enact her plan soon. Then Neiva reached out to MaMa, explaining that she could not allow Isra to live again, and that should the party surface on the next floor, she would not hesitate to become their enemy.
The Dream Team arrived in full force, all of their allies behind them, and dashed straight into a battle between the elite forces of Charon, in her full capacity as the Horseman of Death, and the Lady of Graves herself, the mighty Pharasma. Wither Ghasts and Doom Heralds guarded an alien Kinder known as the Light That Left, supported by Charon's three dragons — their names revealed to be Myrkul, Bhaal, and Bane — and commanded by Emilia Song. In opposition was Neiva on Pharasma's left, the Echo of Lost Divinity to her right, and beneath them the many powers built into the stones. Behind them Isra lay bound in mystical irons, each side trying to be the one that executed her troublesome spirit once and for all, trapped in the middle of this cosmic brawl.
Then the ghost of Albus Rickette waded into the chaos, stopping a fatal blow, and inviting the party into the melee — to "fuck the gods, burn down Heaven, and piss out the fires of Hell".
The ensuing cataclysm shook Pharasma's Palace, the Dream Team cutting down their lesser enemies on their way to Isra, giving their all to save their friend.
Cromwell and Delilah-9 made their way slowly, inching ever closer for the right moment. Masamune and Vaughn reunited as brothers in battle, and Gillby made up for his lack of divinity with passion and preparation. Mu and Lockette move in an unplanned lockstep, picking each of their targets with deadly precision, and Wyatt strode behind them, placing spells and shadows as he desired.
Mist, MaMa, Flay, and Caesura marked the vanguard, attacking anyone that stood between them and their Alignmatist — the only one capable of shredding Isra's irons with a swipe of his hands. On the other end of the conflict, Wynrey took up the Shard of Ignorance, and Albus began to aid the party through his mastery of the Song.
Those with Wither in their veins did not stand for long, or were outpaced by the Dream Team's superior mobility. Then it became a duel between the highest powers, as Isra entered Caesura's reach. Neiva finally slipped past her opponents, and nearly killed Isra with her golden pistols, but was stopped by Mist as he invoked the Blessing of the Shield of Light. In a desperate plea Caesura begged Neiva to stand aside, but the druid refused with all her being, and Caesura gasped in pain as he cut her down — reaping her essence apart and destroying her soul. MaMa and Charon both lashed out, attempting to take both the power of Zi and the wardenship of Vulreach, but the Horseman of Death was the victor on both accounts, ascending from one who could walk among Saints to a true and dreadful god.
Then Mu struck a strategic blow at Emilia Song, just as Caesura destroyed Isra's irons, and the Witchwarper tore Emilia from her mortal soul. Charon fled the conflict, pleased with what she had earned, and the dragons swarmed in with a bloodlust. As Delilah rushed forward to Isra, Pharasma attempted to end them both, her first ray blocked by Masamune... The second by Cromwell's sacrifice, as he dove in front of the blast and turned it all onto himself, reduced to nothing by the god's power.
The two Forge Wardens became one, joined in Body, Mind, and Soul, and a stillness took over from the calamity.
The Lady of Graves stayed her hand, her divinity no longer disrupted by Charon, and rent apart any remaining enemies on the field. With a weary sigh and murmurs of Fate, she decided to let Isra live, bending time and space to give everyone a chance to breathe — fifteen minutes, the best she could do with her waning strength, as the Groetus moon flew low over the Boneyard.
Isra found herself at the center of a maelstrom of emotions, as she realized Cornelius was not with the party, and that her own Mantle was currently lost. In awkward camaraderie, Wynrey and Isra lamented Cromwell's death, but saved their emotions for after the conflict. The crew turned Isra's gear back to her, including the Shard of Ignorance, and Gillby gifted the Android a magical ring as a sign of his devotion. MaMa granted Isra the Blessing given for her by Maximus Erebus, as well as his apology and the mysterious, gothic Lantern.
Upon invoking the item, it triggered the ghost of Albus Rickette, acting similarly to a genie and its bottle. Eager to question the scholar — especially with Pharasma, Wynrey, and Vaughn nearby to confirm things — the Dream Team healed up over a long conversation. They explained how Isra was a "Level 3" Transform (in comparison to Lalantha, a Level 5), and that the Cult of the Elder Mythos was attempting to capture her so that they could rend Golarion from the Void. Given that the Dream Team had a long history of both success and failure, the gods had decided to kill Isra rather than let her fall into their hands, but in the end Pharasma had let destiny decide — and there Isra stood, flesh and bones and all.
Albus also answered several questions about himself, implying that he'd been watching the party from the shadows for years, and took the opportunity to scan their minds (with permission) in order to fill in the details and give them advice on the current state of affairs. He believed that the best way to defeat Crow was to banish him — an idea similar in spirit to Annabell and her following, but Albus explained he had his disagreements (a lecture he'd save for another time).
This conversation led to an argument between Vaughn and Isra, who refused to see eye-to-eye surrounding Isra's previous death at the hands of their ritual, and all the times Vaughn had helped the party in the past. Isra considered these moot in the light of the Oni's selfishness nature — a point that was lightly refuted by Masamune — but Vaughn himself did not disagree, admitting that everything he did ultimately served his own interests.
Fifteen minutes passed in a flash, with arguments and inquiries cut short, and the hunting party decided to split up. Mu and Gillby went higher, where Niko Ciro and Shi-Shi were aiming to cover the party from a sniper's roost, and Caesura left to rejoin the Conclave. Vaughn and Wynrey were to head to the main conflict via a different route, leaving only Wyatt and Nassistra left to accompany the crew.
Pharasma left with few words, sliding across her realm and into the battle on her own, and Wynrey gifted Isra a new Key to the Sky King's Door, as the winds of destiny rose around them. Albus wished them good luck as a keyhole formed in the air, unlocked by the Key, and over a thousand Sky Beasts poured forth, led by the black-feathered Sky King, with the Matriarch in full battle gear on his back.
The party joined their escorts in the sky and turned north, Carrot and the Wild Hunt now swarming overhead, war horns sounding the end of this battle...
One way or another.
Rewards Granted
Level 17!
Tarot Deck
- Mist used a Blessing of the Shield of Light to save Isra from being killed by Neiva.
- Isra gained a D-Suit VI from the corpse of Emilia Song, and several pieces of her old gear — including the Astral Flintlock, the Gum Drop Button, the Infinite Band, and the Shard of Ignorance.
Notes
I was about 2-3 seconds away from reading the text describing Isra's permadeath before Mist's player pulled out the Shield of Light... It got close!
Flame in the Night
Tesin Movahesh
Thunder in the Mist
Lockette Endrinmaster 12 2.0
Isra
Report Date
05 Mar 2023
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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