I apologize for the slight delay since my last posting. I'm happy to say that the family is well; my eldest daughter just had her 3rd birthday, and my youngest just turned 6 months. As for the campaign, it continues, albeit more slowly than in years past. Work and family and the busy social lives of my players have conspired to make our sessions less frequent, but the game goes on!
Sagiro’s Story Hour, Part 272
Eyes on the Prize
Cranchus and the Company continue to discuss the details of their strange travels, past and future.
“When we got here,” says Aravis, “We powered the Eyes. I used the Crosser’s Maze.”
“I don't know if that will be necessary for the return trip,” says Cranchus. “There’s a lack of symmetry in time travel. Going forward and going backward use different temporal mechanics. Still... things should work out fine. But here’s the interesting thing, and I haven’t been able to figure out the answer. This Greenhouse of yours. And your butler – Eddings. I don’t know what’s going to happen to him, or that other fellow you said is with him.”
“If they’re inside the Greenhouse, we presume they’ll be safe,” says Ernie, but his tone betrays this as only a hopeful guess.
“I’ve been trying to place them in the temporal loop, but it’s got me stumped," says Cranchus. "The universe will take care of itself, I’m sure, but I don’t know how.”
“If our theory is correct,” says Aravis, “and stopping Inivane stopped the experiment that ended up with us getting here, then the Greenhouse will be back where it’s supposed to be.”
Cranchus frowns. “Well, on the one hand, the Greenhouse caused you to exist in a time where you couldn’t have otherwise been. But in the future you now have ahead of you, this Carp will never be born.”
“Raise your hand if you trust Abernathy,” says Dranko.
Everyone in the Company raises a hand (Flicker raises two for emphasis), but Morningstar still has her doubts.
“But Abernathy didn’t know about Carp,” she says.
Ernie sighs. “But even if something were to go wrong, is there anything we could do about it?”
“No,” says Cranchus. “It’s all a purely intellectual exercise for us.”
“I hate those,” says Ernie.
“I’m sure the Greenhouse will come out fine,” says Aravis. “But Carp, I don’t know about.”
“And Sagiro,” adds Grey Wolf. “Don’t forget we left him there too.”
* *
A week later, Cranchus announces he knows how to fix the Eyes. A few days after that, he comes to the Company with news.
“I have to warn you,” he says. “I could not repair them fully. I don’t understand them well enough, and I doubt I ever will. But give me one more day to tinker, and they should be repaired enough to get you back.”
“That’s probably for the best,” says Ernie. “If they were still alive and kicking when we got back, the Sharshun could presumably try this trick again.”
“The Eyes remember Cranchus,” points out Morningstar.
Cranchus frowns. “You say these things were sentient, but I have no idea how that could be.”
“They told us that their creator didn’t understand them,” says Ernie.
Cranchus laughs. “Well, if Condor didn’t understand them, I don’t know how I’m supposed to. But I’ll do some more tinkering, in case they need their sentience back to do... whatever it is they do. I’ve also got to warn you about a couple more things. I think I can get you back to the exact time you left, but I’m not sure. It’ll be close... maybe even exact... not sure.
“As long as we don’t run into ourselves...” says Grey Wolf.
“And there’s one other thing,” continues Cranchus. “The future is going to be... almost exactly like you remembered.”
This is greeted with alarmed silence.
Sensing there’s more, Ernie prompts the stony dwarf: “But...”
“There’s really no ‘but.’ The universe has a way of taking care of itself, but you’ll only have been gone a couple thousand years, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t a lot of time to smooth out the wrinkles. So, there may be one or two small -- almost certainly inconsequential -- differences. The people you’ve met will be the same, and they’ll remember you, and remember all the same things that you do. Probably. But maybe someone will have a different hair color, that sort of thing. Because when the universe plays itself out from now to your present, some little things will have happened differently.”
“Maybe we’ll own some new houses in a second town...” muses Grey Wolf.
“That’s more drastic than what I’m talking about,” says Cranchus, “but you never know. If you want, I could try to work in a little excess oscillation, though that wouldn’t be much more than a roll of the dice.”
This suggestion is met with a chorus of ‘no’s’
“In the worst case,” says Cranchus – and perhaps he doesn’t mean to say this out loud – “you’d show up to find that you’d never been born. I don’t know what would happen then.”
Not for the first time, Ernie says, “My head hurts.” So, maybe to get some answers, and maybe just to feel better, he casts commune.
“Yondalla, I ask the boon of an audience with thee.”
He feels a chill through his body, and the smell of fresh bread fills his nostrils.
YOU ARE OUT OF PLACE.
“You’re telling me,” mutters Ernie.
BUT YOU MAY ASK YOUR QUESTIONS.
“Can my friend Morningstar get out of being the Slayer?”
I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.
Hm. Not a good sign.
“Can you only answer questions about this time, or can you see into the future?”
THE FUTURE AS FAR AS YOURS IS VERY HARD TO SEE.
“Then I might be wasting your time with most of these. I apologize. In our time, is our friend Tor still alive?”
Ernie expects no answer on this one either, but he feels something rooting around in his memories, as if the Divine presence hopes to piece together an answer from Ernie’s own experiences.
YES, I THINK SO.
“If we break the connection between Abernia and Volpos, will that seal off Volpos?”
YES. YES IT WILL.
“If we seal off Volpos, will anyone on that plane be able to reach Abernia, or anywhere else?”
NOT EASILY
Do we have the means or the knowledge to separate Abernia from Volpos?
YOU? NOW? NO.
Is there anyone in our time who does have that knowledge?
I DON’T KNOW.
“If we split off Abernia and Volpos, would there be ill-effects to Abernia?”
NO
“In the future to which we’ll return, are Yoba’s people okay, without her guidance?”
I DON’T KNOW.
“Thank you very much. It was nice to talking to you.”
IT WAS NICE TO TALK WITH YOU AS WELL. PERHAPS WE WILL TALK AGAIN CENTURIES HENCE.
Morningstar also casts commune, though her reasons differ. With all the rampant doctrinal strife occurring in her own time, she wants to learn what Ell’s policies and preferences were way back when... which is now. It’s a unique opportunity that she does not let slip away.
She casts, and an Avatar of Ell is there, awaiting her inquiry.
“Can you answer questions about the current practices of the church?”
YES
“In my time, we avoid contact with the daylight, to the point where light can be used to harm and distract us, especially in combat. Is this what the priestesses do in your time?”
NO
“Are there any who are trained to withstand the daylight?”
NOT SPECIFICALLY
“Do the priestesses train for combat in Ava Dormo?”
YES
“Do they open the doors of the temple during the day, to people who approach them then?”
YES
“Does this trouble Ell?”
NO
“Do they require that someone ask for help before providing it?”
YES
“Do they walk in the daylight?”
IF THERE IS NEED
“Does this trouble Ell?”
NO
“By coming here, have we jeopardized Cranchus? Will the Emperor find him because of us?”
PROBABLY NOT
“Is there anything we can do to keep him safer?”
DON’T STAY TOO LONG
“Thank you.”
The Avatar fades.
“Not what I was expecting,” she says. “The Illuminated Sisters have an historical basis for two out of three.” She has much to contemplate.
* *
Back in Cranchus’s “living room,” the Company gathers for more conversation.
“Cranchus,” asks Kibi, “in the future, what will be the best way to communicate with you?”
“You’d have to come visit,” rumbles Cranchus. “You can’t cast sendings in or out. Can’t xorn move in here either, or teleport, or anything like that. I’m not about to make myself any less protected in the foreseeable future.”
“I’d say you’re the probably the most powerful Archmagi of our time,” says Dranko, perhaps hoping to take the edge off of Cranchus’s paranoia.
Cranchus chuckles. “Nice to know I’ll live that long!”
“If we do come to visit, is there anything you’d like us to bring?” asks Kibi.
“Another one of your pies,” says Cranchus, addressing Ernie directly
“Any advice on how to use the Gartine Arches to travel between Charagan and Kivia?” asks Dranko.
That stumps Cranchus. “There are gartine arches?”
“Yeah,” says Dranko, pleased to know something Cranchus doesn’t. “They link Charagan and Kivia across the Uncrossable Sea”
“You don’t say! I didn’t know that.”
Dranko then offers to give Cranchus one of the translator disks from Het Branoi, that only work in the presence of strong Earth Magic.
“Sure,” says Cranchus, taking the small disk. “I don’t really need it, but I suppose it’s possible something could dispel the permanent tongues.”
Permanent tongues.. Dozens of lewd remarks pass through Dranko’s head in an instant, and everyone knows it.
“Don’t. Just don’t,” warns Ernie.
Dranko opens his mouth, but with a great effort says nothing. “And you say I have no strength of character,” he mutters.
“I’m very, very impressed,” says Ernie.
“You have no strength of character,” opines Aravis with a smirk. “You do have strength of will.”
Ernie reiterates his hope that the Eyes only have one ‘charge’ remaining, so that the Sharshun won’t be able to get their hands on them and try again. That leads to a rambling discussion of the Mirrors, and the Emperor, and Condor. Dranko points out, when the subject of Condor comes up, that both Condor and Cranchus have lost a daughter to their Wild Magic experiments.
“I haven’t lost my daughter,” says Cranchus sharply. “I’ve lost my wife. My daughter’s still alive, and evidently goes on to be Kibi’s mother.”
“Yeah, but she’s going to be a bookend for, like, 1500 years,” says Dranko.
In aghast unison, all others of the Company exclaim “DRANKO!”
Cranchus can’t decide whether to be offended or amused.
“It’s okay,” he grumbles. “At least, now it’s okay, knowing what I know about how things turn out.”
“It’s still rude,” says Ernie.
“What do you expect!” laughs Cranchus. “He’s a half-o...”
“Don’t say it,” snaps Aravis. “That’s rude, too.”
“What, that Dranko’s a half-orc?” says Kibi, instinctively defending his grandfather. “But that’s true!”
“I would have said ‘d*ck,’” says Grey Wolf, mostly under his breath.
“Well, I have thanked him for his hospitality,” says Dranko earnestly. “He’s been very kind to us.”
“Thank you,” grumbles Cranchus. It’s hard to tell how seriously he’s taking all of this.
“Dranko,” says Ernie, “you’ve done a good job remembering the rule: ‘Ernie’s the one who comforts the bereaved.’ Here’s a new one for you: ‘Stop at thank you.’”
“He’s sort of a work in progress,” Grey Wolf explains.
Cranchus nods, grunts, then stands and stretches with a sound like a small rockslide. “I’ll need one more day to get the Eyes ready. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
* *
The following day Cranchus presents a small stone plate upon which rest all seven Eyes of Moirel, restored to their unblemished state. They even emit a soft glow, which is a new trick for them in their resting state.
“I had the most fascinating talk with the Green one!” exclaims Cranchus. “I don’t know how they became sentient, but they are. They all are! And this one here, on the end? It’s a right bastard! If I didn’t know better, I’d swear it was trying to fight me, so it wouldn’t have to go back.”
He gestures to what the Company assumes is the Red Eye, and they offer their agreement.
“And here’s the other thing you’ll need,” continues Cranchus. He hands Ernie a gold and silver circle, a belt of stability somewhat similar to the one Ernie recently affixed to the Wilburforce statue.
“Best I could do on short notice,” says Cranchus, “but it’ll do the trick. Now, about the Eyes. When you get to the Plinths, it’ll take a few minutes for them to warm up once you’re in the center, if I understand how they work. That could take five, maybe ten minutes.”
“I recommend we prepare for an attack while that’s happening,” says Dranko.
“I doubt that,” says Cranchus. “The Plinths have been abandoned for years, and I still scry them from time to time. After Condor’s experiment, which...heh, heh... appeared to be a dismal failure, the Emperor punished him severely, and they abandoned the site.”
(Ernie notes that this does match the local halfling account of events.)
“Can you scry the area one more time, right before we go there?” asks Dranko.
“Of course. Condor is a tricky one. I’d be surprised if he could divine anything about your coming, since... I forgot to mention... I built an anti-divinatory into the Eyes when I fixed them.”
“Great!” exclaims Dranko.
“And I’m prepared to do you one more favor,” Cranchus continues. “I can teleport you out of here, up to the surface. Must have been nasty finding your way down here on foot; I’ll spare you the annoyance of backtracking. I can probably get you fairly close to the mirrors, but...”
And here he turns to Kibi and winks.
“...wear your helmet of waterbreathing.”
Cranchus leads the group through his caverns, opening up passage after passage with his innate ability to stone shape. As they walk, Dranko suggests to Cranchus that he could write a letter to his daughter and actually put it on her person, so that when she recovers from the accident, she’ll have some guidance. Cranchus looks thoughtful.
““Did she have a letter when she was found?” he asks.
“No,” says Kibi.
“Then I’d best not.”
Dranko stammers. “But... I... ok... fine. Stupid time travel.”
They reach Cranchus’s scrying chamber, and he spends a few minutes casting before all the Company sees the abandoned Mirrors of Semek in his scrying mirror. The party mages are impressed; Cranchus seems to be scrying a place rather than a person, which is not normally how these things work.
“It should be simple,” says Cranchus. “Aravis, you won’t have to supply any extra power, and Kibi, you won’t need to keep everyone grounded. Traveling forward in time is different, and simpler. All you’ll need to do is make sure Ernie’s wearing his belt, and that you’re all touching him.”
“How will the Eyes know when to take us?” asks Dranko.
“It’s all about Ernie,” answers Cranchus. “They’ll try to return him to the exact moment he left. Of course, that’s not an exact science either. You might get there a little early, or a little late. Late, that’s not a problem. Early... well, let’s say that would be very interesting.
“What happens if we meet ourselves?” asks Dranko.
“That would be the 'very interesting' part.”
“And what about the Greenhouse?” asks Ernie.
“I have no idea. It might be there, it might not. Or maybe it’ll still be traveling through time when you get back., and will just show up one day.”
Dranko’s eyes narrow as another thing occurs to him. “If things have changed, is it possible that our past selves will have done stuff that we don’t remember? Like, let’s say our past selves stormed the Castle of Glassamere. Then we pop in, but we haven’t done that. But somebody must have. If the people who actually had stormed the castle get displaced to somewhere else – the other me, the one who’s displaced, is going to come after me for revenge. ‘Cause I know me. If I lived in a nice happy world, and another me came and kicked me out to someplace else, I would absolutely come back and kick my own ass.”
Cranchus sighs. “No. It doesn’t work like that. You won’t exist in that case. I mean the other you. He won’t exist to take revenge...you’ll be him!”
“Oh,” says Dranko, brightening. "So, you’re saying I get his stuff.”
“You’re him. It’s your stuff! But don’t get worked up about it. Remember, that’s the sort of thing that should be smoothed out. It’s theoretically possible, of course, that you’ll have done all sorts of things differently than you remember. This is all theory. And you, you’re the practice.”
“My head hurts,” says Ernie.
“Like I said,” says Cranchus, “I’ve infused the Eyes with an anti-divinatory, but abjuration isn’t my specialty, while divination is the bailiwick of the Black Circle. I’m pretty confident that whatever means they have to track Ernie and Aravis, this will foil. And I know they don’t’ know where you are now. They can’t scry in here, and my continued existence is proof of that.”
“But we know they have prophecies where we show up at a certain place and a certain time, and there’s nothing we can do about that,” points out Morningstar.
“True,” admits Cranchus. “There’s only so much I can do.”
In the final minutes before they take their leave of Cranchus’s demesnes, the Company tries to remember exactly what they had been doing right before the universe changed. There was that parade celebrating Sealing Day, and King Farazil had possessed Ernie’s mom, to everyone’s chagrin.
Dranko and Ernie both cast auguries: “Will going right now to use the Eyes to return to the future bring us weal or woe?”
Dranko’s spell fails, but Ernie’s returns an answer of WEAL AND WOE.
“Guess we’re getting ambushed then,” he says. The only question is, will the ambush come before they travel, or after?
The Company casts a final flurry of protective spells before uttering their final farewells. Cranchus crushes Kibi in a rocky bear-hug.
“I’ll have a happier next thousand years, knowing my daughter turns out okay, and will go on to have a son who’s a powerful Earth Mage in his own right.”
“It’s been such an honor to meet you,” says Kibi with a sniffle. It’s not assured -- perhaps not even likely -- that they’ll ever see Cranchus in person again.
“Bah!” says Cranchus. “Honor? We’re family! Don’t talk like that.”
“Well, it was an honor for me to meet you,” says Dranko.
“That’s true,” says Cranchus. “It was.”
And with that, the old dwarf, now almost half earth-elemental, teleports the party back to the surface. Next stop: the future!
...to be continued...
/satisfied burp
