Season 9, Episode 3: "A Grand Design" Report
General Summary
Lockette rose from the dead, finding her body whole, but her mortal spirit undergoing the violent beginnings of Apotheosis. In a "place" that existed within time itself, Grandsmith came to fetch Lockette, acting on a request from Valentina Terris to deliver the Dream Team. He gave her a ticket for a ride across time, answer the Android's questions along the way, but in general treating the process as mundane, offering little in the way of surprises.
Of note, he claimed that Raemus had crafted this strange dimension for him when he was "Ra", and that Lockette XII-2 was unique in that she had not become Lockette XIII. When asked why the Sideways Steps had been created, Grandsmith admitted that those had been a mistake, and warned Lockette that they were beyond dangerous. At last, the Saint delivered her to the requested destination, claiming he had arranged for others to help her, and Lockette was thrust into Pandemonium — the place where Shadow and Chaos meet.
Lockette found Valentina under attack from a peculiar trio of warriors — later revealed to be the Triad Unremembered — and a few dozen mercenaries brandishing semi-advanced weaponry. Lockette was met by members of the Chessboard Conclave (in particular Chess, Caesura, and Alexis Night) and Mandarb, who had come to the aid Baba Yaga in the name of favors and coin. Unwilling to state their objective, but unwilling to let Valentina go, the Triad began slicing and blasting their way through the hastily-assembled party, forcing Alexis to take-in Chess' unconscious body, and nearly killing Valentina in the initial onslaught.
It was Mandarb who first keyed into the trio's true identity, having recognized Uldir's Holy Avenger, which was echoed as Caesura recognized the magics of Gallenwald. This bit of knowledge gave Mandarb and Lockette an edge against Uldir, who perished at Mandarb's hand, but only for the shadows around him to slip away, revealing a commoner's body in his place. Then Lockette took a step into the darkness of Pandemonium to get her bearings, and Apotheosis reared its head at last.
She saw three visages of Raemus — the Tinker of First World legend, the Master Raemus that rose to prominence during the last End Day, and the goddess he became, the mighty Sarenrae. Then Sara No-Name appeared behind them all, pointing the way back, begging Lockette to choose Nadir instead.
Lockette thought only for an instant, dismissing Sarenrae outright, claiming she had nothing to gain from becoming a weapon. Then she dismissed Master Raemus, stating that their goals did not align, and that the "Balance" he sought was an intangible fallacy. Standing between the Tinker and a mortal life, Lockette showed the Tinker respect... But saw nothing in his divinity that she could not grant herself.
Lockette chose to remain mortal, becoming of the Nadir, with everything she needed already in her hands.
With her newfound status, Lockette returned in time to watch the tides of battle turn, as the rest of her crew finally gained the upper hand. Mercenaries began to fall in droves, and Varlet and Gallenwald ultimately decided to retreat — leaving the bodies of a middle-aged Tien woman and an elderly butcher behind. Valentina thanked them all for their aid, but honed in on Lockette, claiming that a beacon would guide her back to the Dream Team, should she wish to meet them.
Locketted agreed, and as the Beacon was lit in Dylath-Leen, the duo Skipped to the City of Pleated Light, where Flay waited to meet them.
Tesin screamed to life out of a cloning vat, her yellow skin and azure hair drained to paleness, the Fey qualities of MaMa returning to her features. Shalema held her, shoving armor onto her body even through the howling, as the low call of Forao's Hunting Horn echoed across the Horse Eye Orbital Plate. The rest of the extraction party — consisting of Nawa Jin, Ozz, Meryl Darling, and Sir Hemmington — watched in awe as the Wild Hunt rose to meet them, creating a planar confluence between the orbital plate and Night. Aggy rode at the head of the party, her enchantments binding Nightshade into symbiotic servitude, with the servants of the Wild Hunt, the Daughters of Night, Alistair, and Ilvarti following unwillingly behind. Bound by the terms of the Hunt, they had no choice but to attack their mother and mistress, spellfire raining down on the extraction party, all while Tesin reeled from the start of her Apotheosis, and the wrongness of having to attack her own children. Assaulted by visions of her horrific past, Tesin froze, unable to see a flaw in Agatha's call for her death, or her argument that the Dream Team's goals were harmful. But Nawa Jin admonished her, diving into the battle with confidence, while Hemmington leapt from wing to wing, fighting off Nightshade in an effort to steal the horn. Shalema fell attempting to save her daughter's life, and Ilvarti cut down Ozz, and then waded towards his defenseless master. He summoned his black metal sword, coating it in Pyric flame... And stayed his hand. Breaking with the Hunt, Ilvarti turned on Aggy, hurling fire and metal towards the leader of the Wild Hunt, and setting her ablaze. Nawa Jin and Hemmington took advantage of her shock, severing her left hand and breaking the fingers on her right, sending the Hollow Blade sailing into Tesin's hands, and the hunting horn to the earth. The Wild Hunt fell into stasis, unsure of its master, as Meryl Darling leapt from the chaos, grabbing the horn in Tesin's name, and began a new call for prey. Tesin stood victorious, despite never taking a step into the fray, as her friends and family threw the fury of Night into Agatha of the White Flame, and Tesin's Apotheosis reached its summit. She was confronted by three aspects of MaMa — the Night Wood Witch, the Mother, and the Queen of Night — and the impassable data Ghost of Sara, who pushed Tesin to turn back. Tesin went after the Witch first, stating she would rather Zero Sum than become her, but the Witch had no desire to be erased. She attempted to sear herself into Tesin's mind, to return to life in a new body, but Tesin's pure hatred of the woman rose above, and she banished the Witch from her soul entirely. Then the Queen made her case, claiming that they had much to atone for in Night, and that their realm had suffered in their negligence. Agatha would have to be put to death for her crimes, but it was the right thing for the realm — a sentiment MaMa had forgotten in her time as the Witch. The Mother offered peace, stating that they had a capacity for mercy, and that their children needed them more than the realm. But both aspects agreed that to be one or the other would not be an end, and agreed that they would accept either aspect to rise to prominence in Tesin's soul. Still Sara countered, claiming that Tesin had a greater mission in saving the entire Petal... But her words fell hollow at the feet of Tesin's people. She chose both the Mother and the Queen — taking powers from neither, but accepting both of their essences, seeing a new potential in the Witch-less soul of MaMa. When Tesin returned to the living, she found Nightshade unconscious, and Agatha pinned by Sir Hemmington's boot. Her other hand had been removed, rendering her incapable of casting spells, her body and will broken. The Hollow Blade rose in Tesin's hands, the duty of the Queen demanding justice, while the Mother cried for mercy. But the Wild Hunt called for blood, and the Hollow Blade fell... And phased through Agatha's neck. As Ilvarti had sought to stay his hand, so did the Mother cry to her husband, and to the kindness found in rule. Aggy howled, demanding a true death, as the essence of Night left her body, effectively exiling her from the realm. The Wild Hunt roared, its need for death unsated, but the the Hollow Blade warped, Carrot coming to sentience in the blade's image, and shouted for peace. The Wild Hunt ended, as did Tesin's Apotheosis, and the planar confluence fell into a stunned silence.
Tesin screamed to life out of a cloning vat, her yellow skin and azure hair drained to paleness, the Fey qualities of MaMa returning to her features. Shalema held her, shoving armor onto her body even through the howling, as the low call of Forao's Hunting Horn echoed across the Horse Eye Orbital Plate. The rest of the extraction party — consisting of Nawa Jin, Ozz, Meryl Darling, and Sir Hemmington — watched in awe as the Wild Hunt rose to meet them, creating a planar confluence between the orbital plate and Night. Aggy rode at the head of the party, her enchantments binding Nightshade into symbiotic servitude, with the servants of the Wild Hunt, the Daughters of Night, Alistair, and Ilvarti following unwillingly behind. Bound by the terms of the Hunt, they had no choice but to attack their mother and mistress, spellfire raining down on the extraction party, all while Tesin reeled from the start of her Apotheosis, and the wrongness of having to attack her own children. Assaulted by visions of her horrific past, Tesin froze, unable to see a flaw in Agatha's call for her death, or her argument that the Dream Team's goals were harmful. But Nawa Jin admonished her, diving into the battle with confidence, while Hemmington leapt from wing to wing, fighting off Nightshade in an effort to steal the horn. Shalema fell attempting to save her daughter's life, and Ilvarti cut down Ozz, and then waded towards his defenseless master. He summoned his black metal sword, coating it in Pyric flame... And stayed his hand. Breaking with the Hunt, Ilvarti turned on Aggy, hurling fire and metal towards the leader of the Wild Hunt, and setting her ablaze. Nawa Jin and Hemmington took advantage of her shock, severing her left hand and breaking the fingers on her right, sending the Hollow Blade sailing into Tesin's hands, and the hunting horn to the earth. The Wild Hunt fell into stasis, unsure of its master, as Meryl Darling leapt from the chaos, grabbing the horn in Tesin's name, and began a new call for prey. Tesin stood victorious, despite never taking a step into the fray, as her friends and family threw the fury of Night into Agatha of the White Flame, and Tesin's Apotheosis reached its summit. She was confronted by three aspects of MaMa — the Night Wood Witch, the Mother, and the Queen of Night — and the impassable data Ghost of Sara, who pushed Tesin to turn back. Tesin went after the Witch first, stating she would rather Zero Sum than become her, but the Witch had no desire to be erased. She attempted to sear herself into Tesin's mind, to return to life in a new body, but Tesin's pure hatred of the woman rose above, and she banished the Witch from her soul entirely. Then the Queen made her case, claiming that they had much to atone for in Night, and that their realm had suffered in their negligence. Agatha would have to be put to death for her crimes, but it was the right thing for the realm — a sentiment MaMa had forgotten in her time as the Witch. The Mother offered peace, stating that they had a capacity for mercy, and that their children needed them more than the realm. But both aspects agreed that to be one or the other would not be an end, and agreed that they would accept either aspect to rise to prominence in Tesin's soul. Still Sara countered, claiming that Tesin had a greater mission in saving the entire Petal... But her words fell hollow at the feet of Tesin's people. She chose both the Mother and the Queen — taking powers from neither, but accepting both of their essences, seeing a new potential in the Witch-less soul of MaMa. When Tesin returned to the living, she found Nightshade unconscious, and Agatha pinned by Sir Hemmington's boot. Her other hand had been removed, rendering her incapable of casting spells, her body and will broken. The Hollow Blade rose in Tesin's hands, the duty of the Queen demanding justice, while the Mother cried for mercy. But the Wild Hunt called for blood, and the Hollow Blade fell... And phased through Agatha's neck. As Ilvarti had sought to stay his hand, so did the Mother cry to her husband, and to the kindness found in rule. Aggy howled, demanding a true death, as the essence of Night left her body, effectively exiling her from the realm. The Wild Hunt roared, its need for death unsated, but the the Hollow Blade warped, Carrot coming to sentience in the blade's image, and shouted for peace. The Wild Hunt ended, as did Tesin's Apotheosis, and the planar confluence fell into a stunned silence.
Rewards Granted
Created Content
New and updated articles for:
- Zero Sum
- Apotheosis and Nadir
- Howling Wastes
- Aergia
- Roger Glipglorp
- Mirror
- Song
- Tether
- The Dreamlands
- Infinity Petal
- Other Side
- The Beacon at Dylath-Leen
Notes
In a total shake up, Lockette Nadir'd and Tesin decided she wanted a slice of that MaMa magic after all. Guest starring the author Dominic Altraeza's fuck-you letter to Mist in Season 1, who played both Mandarb and Ilvarti to perfection.
Flame in the Night
Tesin Movahesh
Thunder in the Mist
Lockette Endrinmaster 12 2.0
Isra
Report Date
03 Sep 2022
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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