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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lylandra" data-source="post: 8555986" data-attributes="member: 6816692">Now before we enter the final session of adventure #8, I'd like to take the time to give a quick detour into something that I somehow didn't manage to sweep in properly in over the last recaps as we dealt more with the plot, Kasvarina and the exchange between Auryn and Carlyle: The inner thoughts and motives of Auryn herself. I basically kept a parallel thread to the recaps only for Tiz and me so he'll be able to understand when she acted strangely from time to time. And dealing with Kasvarina had a major push on Auryn reflecting herself.Starting with her realising that she does love Morris Dawkins like a father figure, maybe even moreso than she loves one of her mother's husbands, just like he'd see the (adult) daughter he never had in her. She also managed to grasp and accept the concept of fated threads tied together for the first time when they both vowed to have a friendship that persisted through time, and that she'd be his mentor in his next incarnation. Which also somewhat eased her worries about his eventual demise. For now that is. (Wonder if there is another group that used the lovely Rear Admiral as excessively as we did...)This mirroring theme also reflected in her dealing with Kasvarina. After her initial reflection of her own desires onto the more vulnerable Kas, she had to confront and witness the cold, cruel deeds of her ancestor. And despite the oftentimes horrifying experience, Auryn understood that she had to actively embrace Kasvarina as turning her back on her would be the easy but wrong path. All while trying to understand the situations Kas had been in and fearing that she had the potential to walk just as cruel a path as she had. That her family's legacy, her own legacy, would be of great power and will, but also of ruthless determination. Oh and what a relief had it been that Kasvarina turned out to be that resilient when faced with her past tragedy. And that she did appear to truly regret and make amends for her past misdeeds. And then she learned about Launga, her own great-grandmother. She knew exactly how it felt to lose a loved one, to see them perish before her own eyes being unable to prevent it from happening. But losing her own child to treachery and betrayal by those you trusted would be on a wholly different level. She knew she would have slaughtered the pirates just like Kasvarina slaughtered Rilego had she been given the chance.She had reacted somewhat like Kasvarina, shutting off everyone and being reluctant to form personal bonds until Morris had reached out to her. And until Gabriel opened up to her.Auryn secretly admired Kasvarina's fire, her will to stand up even after she'd been stripped of all that was left living for. Even though all these experiences turned a once bright flame dark and twisted. And she saw what she could potentially become should tragedy strike her in the same way.   But she knew she had been blessed where Kasvarina had been cursed: Gabriel wasn't Miller. She had someone to rely on and to trust. She could express her turmoil, at least to such an extend that she didn't feel alone. Which was especially valuable now that she had to be a stable safehaven for the new Kasvarina. Gabriel had no secret agenda of his own, but instead was a voice of reason and pragmatism while she was free to be a visionary and follow her ideas of peace and prosperity for all. And like Miller, he couldn't die and would recover as long as she found him and help him restore his memories. But Gabriel also needed her visions and her moral compass as he'd otherwise let his pragmatism when facing problems turn to utilitarianism. Meanwhile, Kasvarina and Miller might have been too similar in nature to balance each other. Instead, they (and most of all Miller after becoming Nicodemus) amplified each other's path to darkness. After they had met Ashima-Shimtu, Auryn also reflected on the demoness' claims that a part of Kasvarina had been reborn and given a new chance way before Grappa did the same for the still-living Kasvarina. The potential effect on causality worried her a bit, especially as Kasvarina would be helping herself if she took it literally. But it would explain how their fates were tied together. And she wondered if Gabriel and Miller shared a similar connection. But then there was the tiny (or not so tiny) chance that Ashima-Shimtu was just playing games with them all....Not that Auryn was overly worried at that point. She knew who she was and who she wanted to be. (Well, at least for now...)Regarding Nicodemus, Auryn's opinion had shifted quite a lot. She had found him to be charming when whe first had the chance to talk to him, she even admired his perfect albeit merely displayed attitude. But now she realized that all of this had just been a facade. That all of this immaculate exterior was just crumbling down on the inside. Miller might have had noble goals, and it was likely that Nicodemus still thought he'd follow the same ones he always had. But his methods were cruel. Today's Miller would walk on the corpses of enemies and allies alike should they happen to shand in his way. And that included Kasvarina, his closest ally and maybe former partner. And then one thought came to her mind, clear as the sky on a mirror moon: If Miller, or Nicodemus, knew only the dichotomy of either ally or enemy, then what would be left to set him apart from the Clergy he despised so much? What progress could be made by exchanging one tyranny for another?(and yes, there will be more dissection of Nic in the next chapter)Lastly, Auryn grew really fond of the Humble Hook's presence. And after meeting Ashima-Shimtu, she also held Triegenes in the highest of regards. Being incorruptible while also being all alone in a world of corruption, walking his set path without faltering really impressed her. She didn't know if the man had to witness his former comrades or disciples locking up his ally Linia, or why he didn't interfere when he had the power of a god. Which left her to wonder where Triegenes would be right now. Was he in the Bleak Gate, unable to act in our world? Or was there a divine realm, cut off from our system by the Ritual? All she knew was that the emotions she felt, the whispers she heard when focussing on the hook came from Triegenes himself. And that maybe he had the Hook with him when he ascended to godhood with the help of the Ritual of Apotheosis.   </blockquote>

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