Order of Heroes Epilogue
One year later at the Prancing Penguin in Dragonford
The Tale of Rolen
As you sit around the table, the bell on the door rings as the door drifts slowly open. As he walks in, Rolen looks just as he did before in his human disguise, but after a quick glance around the bar seeing there are no other patrons, he quickly drops the facade revealing something quite different.Before you stands a figure that, you can only assume is Rolen, but drastically changed. His face is completely covered by a porcelain mask, black ooze, which you cannot tell whether it is painted on or actually coming from the void where the eye sockets are, drips all the way down the mask. As he walks further into the bar an enormous pair of black feathered wings spread from his back extending across the tavern before quickly pulling back, fitting neatly behind his back. It does not appear as if he is really walking, as his feet are obscured by a long black robe, where mist pours from the bottom as he glides to the table where the rest of the party is located, an ornate black cloak reminiscent of the one the Raven Queen had offered to you all drifts behind him. On his shoulder rests a single rather plump raven, which looks as if it has not actually flown anywhere in quite some time. In contrast to the rest of his outfit in its elegance, a simple black crown seemingly made of some kind of metal rests upon his head, almost indistinguishable from the black veil that flows from the mask, obscuring the rest of his head.
After some light talk and delicious food courtesy of Fredrick and Chipper, Rolen starts to recount his journey after the defeat of the Empyreon.
“I suppose you all never did get the full story of my encounter with the departed Raven Queen, although it is not quite as exciting as you would expect, the story is worth sharing so that one of you can remember her instead of the memory burdening me. After our defeat of the Empyreon, Lucky and I had agreed that I would get to use the sword first, and so we made our way to the Shadowfell. Although I had a tuning fork to her palace in Thultanthar, I thought it might be better to not formally announce my visit, as the Raven Queen was not a very trusting individual. I doubted that a head on approach would work, and after reading through Ducia’s thoughts on killing a God, it seemed she agreed. While she lacked the information regarding specifics, as her initial goal was not a God but an Archfey, I was well acquainted with the procedures and intricacies of her domain. As we traveled through the Shadowfell, under the passive protection of the Drow, I contemplated how I would accomplish my mission. In my few direct encounters with the Raven Queen, the time there was the fewest onlookers was when artifacts of great power were being handled, and while the thought of using the God Destroyer as potential collateral did cross my mind, I quickly ruled it out due to the obvious concern she would have around something that could cause her demise. Looking through my bags, although there were a variety of powerful magical items, there was nothing that stood out as to warrant a more private session. That is when I decided to take the larger risk of using the Amber sarcophagi. They had not yet been destroyed but needed to be before Lucky embarked on his mission, and were powerful and mysterious enough I thought to warrant a more private meeting. With the lure decided, I now had to decide on the execution. While a meeting concerning these sarcophagi would surely have more privacy, I still needed to find an opportune moment to strike, and decided upon her entering the demiplane with the sarcophagi. It would be at this moment that her back is turned to me and there should be nothing she was able to do. It took some convincing but I told Lucky that he would most likely not be let in, considering this was not the Raven Queen requesting our presence but me requesting hers. I told him to form a telepathic bond before we departed for the Fortress and that if anything went wrong I would quickly travel to the astral plane where he could meet me and pass off the sword so that at least one mission would be accomplished.
The day arrived as we approached the City of Shade and while I knew something felt wrong, it was not unreasonable to assume this was my imagination considering how anxious I was about the success of my mission. I approached the palace and left Lucky nearby, with our backup plan in place. I knew something was wrong however, when I approached the palace gates and I was informed the Raven Queen was waiting for me. Not only that, but she had summoned me in her divine realm, at the Fortress of Memories. The only time I had visited her personal domain was the first time I met her, so any uneasiness I had was now exponentially multiplied. I considered turning back then and there, assuming she had somehow become aware of my plans, but the promise of freedom had been slowly consuming my every thought and I was ready to try even if failure was all but certain.
The Raven Queen’s divine realm is unlike anywhere I have traveled. As I walked through the portal provided in the castle, it was as if someone had filled my lungs with that thick smoke which the dwarven machines produce. An aura that I can only describe as overwhelming sorrow permeated through the air, making every step more of a challenge than the last. I was put right in front of her Fortress of Memories yet the brief journey up the stairs almost subdued me. As I stumbled up the stairs, struggling to gain any sense of composure, I took a moment to realize the magnitude of this structure. A structure so large it makes Gauntlgrym seem like a molehill rather than a mountain, its spires looming over the entire land. On the colossal obsidian gate, the skull of a raven larger than myself stood as the knocker, looking down at me, and although my demise is likely what waited for me on the other side of the door, the crying of souls that emanated throughout the land urged me to move inside as quickly as possible. If I thought the journey up the stairs was difficult, the walk to the throne room was no better. While the place seemed empty, dozens of Ravens were perched throughout the place, their steely eyes gazing into my soul. As I finally approached the throne room, I was all but sure that somehow my plan had been delivered directly to the raven queen, and that she was ready to end my life the moment I stepped before her.
The throne room itself, while still enormous in magnitude, felt almost claustrophobic, dozens of pedestals and shelves arranged in almost a haphazard manner were covered in trinkets and baubles, presumably paid for in blood. It was a collection that would put the collective dragons of the material plane to shame, although much of the treasure did not seem to be inherently valuable. On the throne at the end of the room, there she sat, the Raven Queen in all of her splendor. She looked to me, beckoning me forward, and although I was terrified, I steeled my resolve and stepped forward, ready to spin my tale and end her reign. No sooner had I opened my mouth had she silenced me, waving her hand in an almost bored manner.
“There is no need to lie Rolen, I know what you are here to do”
I’d like to say I kept my composure, but that would be lying. I stood there slack-jawed as my chances of freedom slipped away before me. Even though she had a clear victory over me, her face was more resolute than pleased. She continued speaking,
“While I would like to toy with you, watching you squirm as your dreams are crushed before your very eyes, the time has come and I do not wish to delay any longer. As I’m sure you are aware, my plans are beyond your comprehension, everything that passes, every action or event that occurs throughout the universe has been influenced by me. I will do what it takes to achieve my goals, even if sacrifices have to be made. I knew long ago that my reign would not last forever, and thus I have been preparing for this moment. If I were to control who would replace me, weave their entire life so that their strongest desire would be to end me, then I could make sure that they would carry on my plans.
I stood there, trying to wrap my mind around what she was saying, surely this was some kind of convoluted lie, some final attempt at preserving her life, I tried to speak again but she quickly silenced me.
“Think about it Rolen, who had your parents killed, who forced you into servitude, who put you in the party that was chasing the God destroyer, everything that led you to assembling the sword was orchestrated by me. You are special Rolen, you can finish where I left, and you will, even if you don’t want to. No matter how much you resist, you will accomplish my goals.”
I refused to believe it, I would never be like her, could never be like her, she was delusional to think that I would ever do anything for her or her goals. I started to walk forward but the sword grew heavy in my hands. Every step I took closer to her felt as if my life was being drained merely from her presence, I struggled forward and collapsed on my knees the sword falling to the ground.
“My dear Rolen, you will become greater than you could have ever believed, our influence will reach every corner of the universe and whatever we want to come to pass will.”
She walked forward, right next to me and leaned down close, picking up the sword and returning it to my grasp and lifting my hand, pointing the sword to her chest.
“The time has come Rolen, fulfill your destiny, take your freedom and take your spot in History” As she helped guide the God Destroyer sword through her chest.
As she slumped over, an indescribable sensation occurred. All the cries of the damned, the memories of the forsaken that echoed throughout the place seemed to assault my ears. The objects around the throne room all spoke to me, telling their stories and sharing their secrets. It was almost too much to bear, but then I heard her voice. Even as her lifeless body slumped dead in front of me, her voice somehow radiated in my mind, though quietly, saying that my journey had now begun.
