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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lylandra" data-source="post: 9698837" data-attributes="member: 6816692">Session 65A battle of witsWithout making any further sound, Gabriel ambushes Komanov  from the ice ridge and attacks her fiercely with his Kukris. Meanwhile, Auryn turns his attention to the giant warlord so that he cannot intervene for his mistress at the last second. While it engages with her, trying to defend against her nimble strikes, the giant utters a low call and something deep inside the ice responds with a loud cracking sound.Komanov clenches her teeth in pain and stumbles, trying to call forth divine energy, but the worm inside the ice reacts first. With a burst of frost and shattering ice shards, it lunges outward in defense of its ancient master and Komanov. The maw of the creature clamps down on Gabriel’s shoulder, piercing his shoulder, dragging him sideways across the ice. Fortunately, the worm's bite loosens long enough for Gabriel to return to Komanov and strike her before she is able to unleash her terrible magic.Already weakened, the priestess reaches for a potion offered by her acolyte, but Gabriel is faster. With a slash of force energy, the vial shatters in her hands, and the liquid splatters to the ground. Komanov stares in disbelief at such a quick strike, then collapses in a heap.Behind them, the undead warlord roars, swinging a twisted morning star. Auryn ducks beneath the swings, parries a few others, and retaliates with precise rapier strikes. It doesn't take her too long to fell the giant, who collapses in with a shuddering groan.The worm fares little better. Now exposed, wounded, and leaderless, it becomes prey. Auryn and Gabriel dispatch it swiftly, leaving its shattered remains twitching on the frozen ground. They also make sure that the tongueless servant of Komanov finds his way to the Absurdist Web.We agree to next take Komanov's weapon, in which we suspect the Eye of the Voice of Rot is located, to safety. So we teleport the wicked object to Slate and hand it over to the capable hands of Harkover Lee, whom we instruct to treat the thing with the necessary caution and take it apart. We also take care of the dead giant, freeing him from all necromantic influences. After that, we return to Heid to discuss the army still besieging the city.Back in Bhad Rhyzhavdut, we meet again with Philosopher Heid, whose eyes are shadowed but unbroken. The siege continues, though the army of the end has grown more confused in the absence of its prophet. Together with the philosopher, we agree that it is probably best to dismantle Komanov’s cult not with blades, but with words.“She cannot be allowed to become a martyr,” Auryn explains. “We don’t just defeat her - we unmask her, strip her of every ounce of false glory right before the very people she sought to mislead.”“The faithful must watch her doctrine fail, publicly,” Gabriel adds. “They must see that she was not a prophet of the End. Just a woman with too much power and ambition. And with one terrible Titan master.”Heid, ever the stoic philosopher, nods after a moment of reflection.“Then we shall debate.”So we agree that for this, it is probably best to place Komanov in an anti-magic field, so that she cannot use any dirty tricks or run away by magical means, and then dismantle her philosophy in a debate. We ask Heid to take a prominent role in this, as the people of Drakr consider him a philosophical luminary, and we agree to support him with arguments.So we publicly declare that we will challenge Grandis Komanov in a traditional Drakran philosophical debate to gain the attention of both the public and the army of the end. One by one, Soldiers, citizens, cultists, and philosophers alike gather in uneasy silence. Komanov, now being healed up enough to debate, bound in enchanted manacles, is placed within a circular anti-magic field, a soft blue aura humming around her like the eye of a storm. Her face is gaunt, but her gaze remains burning, unrepentant and unwavering. We tell her that we have come to challenge her in front of her people, and it appears as though she is... almost happy to enter the debate. Komanov then explains her philosophy of the end:“I do not fear judgment, for I have seen what waits beyond the veil,” she says, her voice clear, carried by sheer force of belief.“The world is ending. Not metaphorically. Not eventually. Now. And because of that truth, nothing you do matters anymore. There are no consequences for your actions anymore. So why pretend otherwise? Why not embrace it? If our stories end, let them end gloriously. According to our own will”Secondly, she states,  history and traditions are shaped by personal experiences, so everyone should fulfill their own great destiny."And the corrupt - those in power who never feared consequences - feared me. And rightly so. Because I gave the people the freedom to form their own end. It is them who should .be brought down, as they only chain us to mediocrity."She then gestures towards her army:“And them? They were farmers, fishermen, widows. Broken people. Now they are warriors.People who can acieve greatness and form a fine end for their own story. Just like in the stories of old."Komanov then points first at Vlendam Heid and then at us."You, Heid, you hide behind questions, fencing with elaborate words and thoughts. Lulling the people just like those weak politicians. And you, Risuri, hide behind your order and righteousness. You think those values will save you? You are merely delaying the inevitable while giving people false hope. I am no villain. I am the ice that clears the murky waters. And you are the damp ash of an age already dead.”Auryn responds in return, calm but fierce.“I know you’ve seen the end... but you misunderstood its ontext. You say nothing matters. We say everything does. The world isn’t dying because it is time- it’s dying because someone tried to rewrite its laws. That was the Obscurati’s doing, and we are undoing their damage. We’ve seen the cracks, we've learned their ritual and we know how to undo it. Our world has a future”She takes a step forward.“You chose to give up. We choose to fight.”Then Gabriel raises his voice next, steady, but almost gentle.“You speak of great destinies as though they belong to all - but most of your so-called heroes were, as you just elaborated, once people with quiet, honest lives. Fishermen who fed their neighbors. Farmers who braved the elements to keep others alive.There is nobility in the simple. The quiet. Not everyone needs glory to find meaning.”(ah yes, the perfect argument for a former butler)A murmur ripples through the crowd.“You mock weakness, Komanov. But we call it humanity. And those with true strength, those with power, should not rule through fear. The best leaders are those who listen. Those who lift. Heid never ordered armies. He inspired thought. That is what power should do. Not commanding armies, pushing their people towards death, making their lives a living nightmare”Auryn then brings forth the next counter-argument:“Yes, there are corrupt politicians. Yes, Drakr’s leadership failed its people. But for every corrupt leader, there's at least one who is honest and sincere. Some of them stood against the tide, like Heid, who stayed in Bhad Rhyzhavdut, or King Gabriel of Risur, a supposed enemy, who came to Drakr's aid despite your nation's pact with the Obscurati. They subjugated Drakr to the Obs, ignoring the will of the people, just for the sake of securing their power, yes. But philosophers like Heid have always used their power to guide with wisdom, and he opposes the Obs." She also explains that there is nothing wrong with admitting one's weaknesses and growing from them, as not everyone in the world has to be a warrior, just like King Gabriel already said. A wise leader, she explains, takes the weak into consideration and gives them a voice instead of oppressing them.Gabriel then picks up the train of thought to finish our argument:„We came here, knowing that we'd most likely face adversity. We risked our lives not for glory, not for conquest, but to protect the people of Drakr, a country whose leaders would probably rather see us dead, from your 'End of the world'. That is not cowardice. That is conviction. "Komanov laughs bitterly in disbelief.“You think they’ll believe you over me?”But the crowd is already shifting. A few of her followers are whispering, while some look uncertain.“I gave them strength... the strength to choose their own end”, she hisses.Auryn meets her gaze, slowly shaking her head.“No. You gave them permission to despair. You wrapped oblivion in philosophy and sold it as salvation.”It seems that our arguments are winning out over those of Komanov, as one by one the army of the end lay down their weapons. And with their conviction gone, the blizzard, and the hivemind are gradually dissipating. Then something strange happens.The energy starts flowing southward, a current of invisible thought trailing through the dimly lit sky.Hours pass. The city's defenses are rebuilt in places. Meanwhile, Asrabey leads sweeps through the frozen wastelands with local troops, chasing down loyalists and routing the last of the Vsadni, the undead horsemen. With Komanov captured, and her philosophy dismantled, the morale of her followers has collapsed.(no dwarven implosion here since Komanov was pretty much shackled and shielded from magic.)Then, a sudden pulse of arcane energy flickers as a small contingent of well-armed, well-uniformed Drakran soldiers teleport to out site. They bear the crest not of warlords, but of the official government of Drakr. Their commander delivers a simple message: “The Vice-Chancellor of Drakr wishes to meet with you. Your presence is requested in Trekholm.”We exchange nods with Heid, who seems both curious and wary. Without hesitation, we agree to take the philosopher with us and teleport to Trekholm. There, we learn that the vice-chancellor has apparently distanced himself from the Obs."We underestimated the influence Grandis Komanov and her cult had. We did nothing, our eyes clouded, and our so-presumed 'allies' uninterested in the pleas of the north,” he admits, plainly. “But you, who were supposed to be our enemies, listened. You came. You helped our people to get rid of the icy scourge of the end. And for that, Drakr owes you more than words.”He also commends Heid for his unwavering voice during dark times.and instead thanks Risur and Heid for their courageous intervention in the north.King Gabriel then steps forth to make an announcement of his own:“Then today indeed marks the end of the old world. Not through destruction, as Grandis Komanov believed, but through unity. The cold war between Drakr and Risur is over at last.“He then glances at Auryn and nods in affirmation„And this end, this change is not a threat. It is a glimmer of hope for a broken world.”As if to underscore the shift, an arriving Danoran military train carrying soldiers is sent back to Danor. Though the Danorans make no protest, their silence feels intentional as if at least some of them are grateful to not be caught up in the conflict.Unfortunately, his good mood is immediately dampened when Gabriel receives a sending from Harkover Lee. With a fair amount of shock on his face he turns to Auryn and the rest of the crew.„I'm sorry... I know this should be a moment of rejoice... but I just got terrible news. Herkover Lee just told me that Lord Price-Hill has been found dead on his estate.“(If you know our party, then you'd maybe already guessed that we formed our own counter-arguments against Komanov. And yep, this kind of “philosophical encounter” is what makes this adventure path so interesting. As for the philosopher of the End... it might have been more engaging if we had someone with a Drakran background in our party or if we had the opportunity to get to know more about Komanov or meet her in a previous adventure, but I know that this is hard to pull off without the PCs trying to get a hold on her immediatelyAs for the message of Price-Hill's demise... that really came out of nowhere and was a huge shock indeed. Especially as the leader of the RHC was such a beloved character. We'll see where this is going next time )</blockquote>

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