hatthevar | blood rains

[groundrules]

Drawn to undead creator Matthias, the party heads into Hatthevar — former wasteland of myth and superstitions, now city of ghosts.

The first log of Hatthevar spans until 31 January.

A small part of the event is open to players both in and out of the game, who can bring dead characters in the bazaar!

HATTHEVAR

---

Image source.

The party enters blood-rained Hatthevar during a daily one-hour truce between the citadel and the undead forces that assail it. At the gates is undead Lord Rathakku of the Brotherhood, keen to usurp his distracted maker Matthias; in the skies dart the forces of dead wind lord Anurr, who has no love for the Brotherhood.

Hatthevar’s ghostly champions — including enormous ghosts that consume men and floating spirits that strangle with chains — defend the grounds. Matthias neglects the war, persistently summoning spirits from various worlds and points in time to revive them.

KNOCK, KNOCK

Wispy, shadowy silhouettes closely watch the lone gate of Hatthevar. The party infiltrates at sunrise.

Characters who have died, practise necromancy or are death-touched enter freely. The living must consume Karsa’s foul potions that absorb their shadows and partly mute their powers to pass for dead. Holders of Matthias’ severed limbs or organs, or of dark mirror shards or dark water, are closely watched by the dead and perhaps pursued.

Everyone must create new names and stories covering their identity and circumstances of death. Crafty ghost sellers will try to learn your true name to capture you in slavery.

Image source.

Spend a few days acquainting Hatthevar, its constant rains, vicious gambling dens, bazaars, oracle halls, wish shops and nests of memory thieves.

Show kindness to the newly revived spirits who struggle to remember themselves and roam in the citadel’s bazaars of curiosities.

Optionally, some characters are struck by misfortune. Capture a crafty, palm-sized spirit rabbit to improve your luck… or stumble upon a larger, dark hopper to ruin it.

Most sleeping quarters are available at downtrodden inns or in lavish gambling dens, for exorbitant prices. You can’t shake the feeling of someone watching through holes in your walls.

MATTHIAS

Three days after arriving, the party receives a note from Matthias that reveals the origins of his pact with the dark water to propagate the dead in Akhuras. Matthias says he has been working to bring the spirit of his dead daughter Cosette through the beacon for revival. She materializes briefly in Hatthevar but disappears before he can find her. Retrieve Cosette, and he will surrender the party his power over the undead.

Full note

” Well, hello! Is it nippy beyond the walls? Not cold here, just… the rain. Tried wishing it away, but… waste of money, those wish shops. Not like, what is it you call it? The dark water? It’s ancient. Back in Ellethia, we thought it came from the sea. All began with a mirror shard. That, and constant pressure to race against decades of Taravast research into curing death. We got there first! That’s… my claim to fame: I wished death gone. It was work. Work ate me. Then, the dead woke up, killed everyone, and there wasn’t much of a profession left. Or of Ellethia. The dark water wants flesh, so… I’ve made it death lords and armies, and I’ve left parts of me to anchor it. In return… it gives me revival. But, look. I had a… daughter. Cosette? Blonde and eyes green and blue and like her mother’s, and only five summers old, but she thought she was so clever, kept telling her doll so. That’s all you’re left with. Memories. She died, of course. I’ve been working to resurrect her, and her spirit shows up every few days in Hatthevar. She disappears before I can find her. I’m not… good at bargaining. I’m a magical engineer, really. Tinkerer! But my time’s running short, isn’t it? Just look outside. And all I want is Cosette. You want the beacons? Have them. You can have my power whole. I’ll give it. Some of you will need to help hold the walls up, and others might want to look into the funny business in the lagoon, if it’s linked at all to Cosette, though I doubt it. But, truly. Bring me Cosette, and the deed’s done. You can have everything.”

The Merchant distrusts Matthias’ proposal, but sees potential leverage and urges the party to investigate the girl and the lagoon. From here onward, everyone heads to their assignment:

COMBAT

Image source.

Assigned: Bucky Barnes, Carol Danvers, Deimos, Emilia, Jiang Cheng, Luffy, Natasha Romanoff, Nynaeve, Stephen Strange, Wrath, Wrathion, Zoro

The first line of defence against the swarming undead, you must hold off swathes of enemies across three territories:

THE WALLS

Despairingly tall and uncomfortably narrow, overseen by Matthias’ ghostly cannibal titans, who neglect to discern between friend or foe in their broad, relentless strikes. Blood rains pour down thick and nearly blinding. From the skies, you face the frost-breathing 10-15 meter-tall wyrms of undead blizzard lord Anurr, unaffiliated with the Brotherhood. Stick together: when alone, Anurr’s winds speak to you of your deepest doubts and fears, compelling you to surrender — or to let go of restraint, briefly berserk, and attack your own.

■ Serthica survivors may call their dragons to assist. Through Jon Snow, the party can also summon the giant, but slow and poor-sighted frost dragon Irenia to help on three occasions.

THE COLD PLAINS

Just outside of Hatthevar sprawls a desert-like cold plateau, where treacherous dunes shift to swallow you whole and the bestial forces of the Brotherhood’s most capable undead general, Rathakku, hide in wait. Hard-shelled, slippery and sleek his creatures lie buried and thrust up their arm-rows of hundreds of blades that cut into the legs of passers-by, drawing them into sand.

THE UNDERPASS

A series of subterranean tunnels connects Hatthevar with the cold sand outposts. Scour the myriad of dusty, tunnels and purge it of large scorpion-human hybrids that carry multiple weapons and whose sting leave men hallucinating. Oversized serpents abound, their venom prone to paralyzing their prey. You can make or procure antidote potions from Hathevar. Matthias’ ghostly titans are closing off all tunnel entrances to Hatthevar — don’t end up sealed in on the wrong side.

! Collectively, the party must kill at least one frost wyrm, one scorpion/serpent and one sand lurker to keep all three levels safe. Turn in your threads before 28 January… or let the citadel suffer in part II.

EXECUTION

Image source.

Assigned: Five, Lockwood, Mo Ran, Vanessa, Yelena, Wen Kexing, Zhou Zishu

Your objective is to locate Matthias and secure the beacons that are currently in heavy use. Securing one or more beacons will help you get home.

■ Your best bet for intelligence are the treacherous networks of underground memory thieves and slavers, who attempt to steal your freedom or your recollections.

■ Your next option is the gang of Erkul, who ruled over local oracles and Hatthevar whole before Matthias’ arrival. Coarse, slippery but cunning, Erkul sullenly nurses his weight in wine at the gilded Sanctuary, Hatthevar’s foremost gambling den. Street sources say the establishment’s passcode each day this month is a fruit name. Erkul’s crew sell highly potent opiates.

■ Ransack some Whispering houses for information, equipment, poison or arsenal. Small, dusty, cluttered and often creaking, Whispering houses hold a wealth of dangerous artefacts, from haunting poltergeists you might accidentally release by reading out their names from tomes to flying rope that throttles you. Large dread hounds instil blood-curdling fear in anyone who looks into their eyes.

■ The five beacons of Hatthevar are only briefly active each day as Matthias makes his summons. They are guarded by swarms of colossal leonine-shadow creatures that only attack if they feel any fear in your soul (of it, or anything else), pouncing to claw and shred you apart. To claim a beacon, Karsa may provide a cold, coal-like token that must be placed in the middle of the transport dais, within inevitable sight of the shadow lions. You must wait 15 minutes in place for the token to take root. Report your conquest before 28 January!

■ Every six hours, Matthias sends ravens to check on the shadow-lions. You must either trick them, leave the lions alive or capture the ravens.

CARE

Image source.

Assigned: Allison, Eda, Hermione, Kamala, Lan Sizhui, Sanji, Winnie

Carer’s have the lion’s share of all duties — and the party’s few lingering resources. You must look after the group and the ghosts of Hatthevar: meandering, disoriented and fragile, the spirits who were freshly wrenched from death’s snare become easy prey for the Undead Brotherhood, the elements and the ghost slavers. Rescuing or attending vulnerable spirits can gain you allies.

■ comfort ghosts who recover from revival or struggle with their memories. Many are stranded in the Whispering houses or chained into servitude in the gambling dens.

■ rescue spirits from the immense slaver clan of Ras’Kalur, which tricks newly summoned, dazed spirits in the bazaars to sign away their freedom, promising someone to look after them. Ras’Kalur’s people often raid streets and shelters, forcibly dragging spirits back into their camps at the outskirts of Hatthevar.

■ barter to rent or buy abandoned taverns to give the party a resting space during their stay in Hatthevar. You may need to pay locals in favours, from helping them carry out petty acts of revenge to making up with a grudge-bearing wife or paying penance to their ancestors.

■ heal, cook and provide for combatants on the walls, taking care not to fall in the crossfire or frost wyrms or of allied but negligent 12-feet ghostly titans.

■ as the least suspicious party members, negotiate for information or supplies on behalf of the group: make friends with gambling den owners and the two-bit shady crooks who know their daily passcodes to enter, or with the regulars of the Whispering houses.

INVESTIGATION

Image source.

Assigned: Ben Hargreeves, Benedict, Caitlyn, Cal Kestis, Jon Snow, Merrin, Nami, Rin, River Song, Wei Wuxian, Wen Qing

■ You know from Matthias that, as a result of his beacon summons, the spirit of his daughter Cosette appears every fifth day in Hatthevar for a few hours at midday. Despite this, a young girl matching Matthias’ description (5-6 years of age, green-blue eyes, blonde, prone to laughter) is never seen. Matthias alerts you whenever Cosette appears.

■ Day of first appearance: Matthias feels her presence in the bazaar, where the day’s main attraction is a puppet show that draws a heavy crowd. At midday, a chime sounds, and the puppet show performs the sad story of a daughter quarrelling with her father over his absences. The daughter-puppet flees into the woods, while the puppet-father refuses to reconcile and follow her. The girl is killed by animals, and the puppet-father grieves, heartbroken. All the women or girls in the crowd, including you, find they burst into tears.

■ Day of the second appearance: Matthias senses Cosette is in the alley of Whispering Houses. You notice the typical bustle of the alley and shady movements, as discreet, embarrassed, or desperate patrons scuttle. You see no small girls but hear of three trades that took place at the Whispering Houses, carried out by different women: one bought a memory, one sold one, one had a memory replaced. Pay for a memory trade to learn more.

■ Day of the third appearance: Matthias feels Cosette near the Oracle Hall. The hour passes by the time you climb the stairs and are received. The Oracle confirms only one person has visited — a blonde woman — and says to “tell your master that an hourglass keeps track of new time, but can’t give the old one back.”

You get three clue questions/character and should communicate with fellow investigators. Please share key findings by network before 25 January!

EXPLORATION

Image source.

Assigned: America Chavez, Buggy, Connor, Elayne Trakand, Lan Wangji, Licyn, Red, Wen Ning

The river Liu neatly divides Hatthevar, its clean waters progressively darkening towards the edges of the citadel, where they pour into a vast, serene and heavily misted lagoon. Veterans sense an eerie chill from the familiar dark waters that so often accompany the undead.

Like Matthias, Karsa says a strange power sleeps at the heart of the lagoon.

■ travel by raft with a companion through the lethargy-inducing fog, as tar-like people peer up from the waters or swim below, never quite attacking you unless you fall into water. They (and the currents) try to upturn your boat.

■ Scattered lit candles drift on water as you advance. Pick one up, and you find one of the floating creatures of Hatthevar has joined your raft, carrying a rope-chain. It says it and its kind are former oracles and truth-speakers of the citadel — and urges you to speak, pledging to kill the first person who lies before you leave water.

■ Farther out, you discover four half-sunken ships that have crashed into each other over time, their decks now forming a rocky square-like structure. You can carefully navigate your raft to reach this construct, or make your way by hopping onto floating deck parts and the debris of other rafts.

■ Once aboard the square structure, you find all the decks are heavily rotten, creaking and prone to collapse. You hear a maddening, shrill scream that steals control of your now convulsing body, until you find yourself driven closer and closer to the end of a plank or a deck hole against your wishes — unless you are physically detained until the shrieking ends.Sharp-toothed mermaids swim below.

■ Reach and explore the curious ships’ graveyard, to peer into the black well in the middle of the square infrastructure.

QUESTIONS

NPC INBOX

Comments

five hargreeves | the umbrella academy

[somebadnews]

[ Prompts being added below. Plotting comment here for anything you'd like to discuss ahead of time. Also very open to wildcard if you've got an idea for your own prompt. Will match action or prose to preference! ]

knock, knock

[somebadnews]

[ When they reach Hatthevar Five has the growing suspicion that Rathakku finally managed to break open the gates to Hell after they left Alem, and the apocalypse has finally come back in full force to consume them. It looks grim. He never did finish what he was working on in the castle before they moved on; still hopelessly stuck at the same point he always is, and a breakthrough is probably years away. Which means he has no safety net to fall back on. He would question their decision to confront Matthias when they're ill prepared, but once he sees it with his own eyes, he doesn't think they'll wait for them to rise to the occasion.

The foul potion Karsa doles out does nothing to brighten his mood. Here he is, willingly drinking poison from someone he's never trusted, and nodding along as his shadow disappears like that's nothing to worry about. He goes along until he's informed that they'll need to come up with fake names and death stories to go along with them. It feels like a joke, but no, they're serious and Five can only smile sharply and silently accept that they're screwed.

How is this their best plan? ]

Cover stories work on the dead now? [ He complains to anyone nearby, because he's stressed out, they have huge problems here and it's easier to be petty in the moment. Changing his name is apparently where he draws the line. ] Even if none of them can read minds, I'd be surprised that none of them remember us. We're probably responsible for a few of them that ended up here.

[beitangmoran]

[You might be surprised, Five, to notice that Moran apparently does not need to drink the potion. Isn't that interesting?]

The dead all have lingering attachments, but they also have something missing. What comes back is not whole, and that is why it is a problem. I would expect some memory holes that will work to our advantages, were we to meet familiar faces.

[somebadnews]

[ If he didn't notice him not taking the potion, the fact that his shadow still exists might tip Five off in a minute or two. At the moment he's still unsettled by what it did to him. Even after all this time, he half-expects Karsa to curse him in the process. ]

So we tell them they're mistaken? [ He doesn't like this plan, if he hasn't made that abundantly clear, but Moran seems weirdly calm about the whole thing. ] We'll be found out. Matthias probably already knows we're here, so we're entering on his terms. Are we hoping he'll do us a favor?

[beitangmoran]

Of course he knows.

[This is his domain, and the man is immensely powerful. It would be stranger of him not to notice their arrival, really.]

I don't think a favor is what we're looking for here. Maybe... a deal.

[stomacles]

[ Ben shrugs. He's grateful he has a body, that he's not just a spirit anymore, but they both know the truth. ]

Mine's not a cover story. Besides, they're the same as any type of person, right? Some people believe what they want to. Some are that gullible. [ At least, it's that easy to Ben. ]

[somebadnews]

[ Five's expression makes it obvious that he Does Not Like Ben using the real story of how he died. Specifically because he doesn't know it. Either because it wasn't in the book, or because his memory of reading said book is full of very confusing holes. If any of his siblings had mentioned it to him, he wouldn't have that problem, but it's still a hard subject. This might be the perfect time to ask, and he should if he wants to have another go at changing the timeline, but he can't be sure how he'll react.

He might hear it soon anyway, but for now he drags that out for a bit longer by making a bigger issue out of this than he needs to. ]

That's assuming they don't have another way to tell. [ They were serving him Grace's cooking in the castle, he's fairly sure that someone here will see through him, gullible or not. ] Unlike you and Allison, I've never died. I don't trust that Karsa's special potion will be enough to hide that for long.

[stomacles]

[ All Five has to do is ask, but until he asks, Ben remains fairly tight lipped on it. He, after all, only remembers how he died the second time, not the first time. Or was it the first time? Some part of him wonders, but without answers, he's not touching that. ]

They would have to be powered for that, right? I guess you can ask them if they can mind read, but other than my own powers, I didn't have some special ghost ability to tell if someone was lying to me or not. Other than [ he shrugs ] Klaus was usually easy to tell.

[ Ben does frown about the potion, though. ] Do you feel okay?

[redhourglass]

( natasha huffs an amused glance at five, shrugging her shoulders. she'd had an alias to fall back on as soon as karsa had mentioned it. poor natalie rushman, secretary to stark industries who'd died when aliens had attacked new york city — beloved daughter, diligent worker, and entirely fictional. no one beyond a close group would recognize that alias as one of the ones she'd burned on the run from ross. )

You look like a good 'John' to me. ( she says, calmly, mostly to see how far she can push him. ) Maybe a 'David'?

( still, he's got a bit of a point with the whole 'being the reason why the dead are here'. )

You see anyone you recognize?

[somebadnews]

[ He huffs at her name suggestions, like 'John' and 'David' are hugely insulting and not something that absolutely doesn't matter. Names are apparently a trigger for him, since he's refused every other one he's been given. ]

Thanks for the suggestions. [ He gives her a tight unbothered smile. ] I haven't yet, but they could be out there. We've cut an impressive swath on our way east.

Good thing we'll have aliases we made on the spot.

memory sellers and whispering houses

[somebadnews]

[ Exploring the city is about what he'd expect to find in a place populated by the dead. The spirits passing through have his thoughts drifting to the end of days, and how grateful he is that he didn't possess the ability to see them when he was the last living person on earth. He'd rather ignore them and focus on the task at hand: tracking Matthias and keeping his family safe, but it's not long before he hears rumors about the merchants peddling memories.

It's not something he should indulge in, as often as he's been warned about mixing magic to get his memories back, but soon he decides he can afford a detour to see exactly what's being done here. Matthias' presence lingers everywhere, so even if they can't (he knows they can't) help him, he might learn something.

When he enters the Whispering Houses and encounters the first merchant trying to talk him into selling his memories, he nearly forgoes subtlety and jumps right to tearing the place down. The thought comes across in the way he stares the merchant down. ]

Thanks for the offer, but that's not what I came for. [ He still feels eyes on him as he moves to the next dusty hovel, and soon he risks a blink into the next alley over — not only does he only teleport a few feet away, but he lands in an unfortunately large puddle that he didn't spot before he jumped. Just as he's cursing his luck, he looks up to see a familiar face.

Ignoring if they saw that.]

You're late. I can already tell you which houses aren't worth your time.

[downswing]

( Bowed, dust-laden, downtrodden. Houses like tombs, suffocating. He chases them not as ends, but as means, hungry for the opportunity to choke down supply chains for slavers. It should not rile him so, like a blood sickness: they have witnessed forced servitude and labour prior. It is no stranger to them, among the living.

But these are the dead, already deprived of hope and memories, and theirs is suffering none of the living may envision. It is too ugly a thing — unnecessary. Mouth rigid and head downturned and his cloak shielding the better part of his face, he feels a stranger to this world, if not to himself.

He stumbles upon Five — almost literally, the elder's height be forgiven — when he moves from Whispering house to Whispering house with purpose, searching for traces of men touting wishes in exchange for freedom. )

I do not hunt honest wish makers.

[somebadnews]

[ The moment Five knew what was waiting on them, he had a feeling it would affect Lan Wangji more than most. Looking at him, he can't tell if he's focused on Matthias or if the urge to free spirits is too much of a draw for him. Not that Five hasn't found his own distractions, but he can multi-task.

It'd help if he had something to keep him going and set his powers straight. What would it take for Lan Wangji to give him a jolt like he did when he was poisoned in Taravast? Or would that draw too much attention? ]

That's an interesting word for them. [ Assuming any of them are honest. Although now he's wondering... ] What do you mean by hunt?

{ but the tender grace of a day that is dead — will never come back to me

[matermali]

[ While Vanessa would normally be the one with eyes on Five, in this case it's the ragged child who seems to have her mesmerized in the shadows of the alleyway. By all appearances he looks human, but appearances can be deceiving—the lantern he holds is much more than what it seems. Moths flutter inside, and for whatever reason, Vanessa is too captivated by the sight of them to even humor Five's existence.

With the psychic thievery interrupted by what looks like another boy appearing out of nowhere, the urchin only stops for a moment to squint before smiling and shifting the lantern in his direction: "Don't s'pose you've got a light on you, huh? Don't want to get lost around here at night, y'know!" ]

[somebadnews]

[ Five recognizes Vanessa immediately, but for once she isn't eying him like they've got some terrible shared secret between them that's never going away. She doesn't acknowledge that she hears him at all. At the moment she's completely distracted by someone so small he can barely see them until he gets closer. She doesn't even look in his direction as he approaches; entirely consumed by a little boy with a lantern.

That doesn't bode well. ]

Hey. [ She still doesn't look up, and a pit forms in his stomach. He's already seen how the peddlers here can't be trusted, and too many are out to control them by any means necessary. If they get their claws in her, bad things are going to happen. He jogs over, raising his voice and trying again to get her attention. ] Hey. Vanessa, look away.

bad luck (action or private network)

[somebadnews]

[ Something is definitely wrong with him.

Ordinarily, it isn't hard to keep tabs on the people he cares about. Teleporting comes as naturally as walking to him, and he can pop around a city in the blink of an eye to make sure they're only playing dead. (Which is significantly more important here, with their paper-thin stories, encroaching enemies, and the threat of an unpredictable and impulsive dead-wrangler. Not to mention his dead-but-alive brother.)

Since he drank that potion, though, half the time he's barely able to blink inside a room or ends up somewhere unintended that was halfway to where he'd calculated. When he does he lands in a puddle, but as much as it rains, it's happened enough times that he's starting to think it's related. (Thankfully it's been water so far, and not puddles of blood. He's having a hard enough time staying clean as it is.) It makes for a lot more walking than he's used to, which makes it harder to avoid detection.

He's quick to blame Karsa, and he grumbles as he takes a seat in an alley to wring out his socks after yet another soggy landing. If he notices a dark rabbit skirting into the shadows, he doesn't make the connection.

So he pulls out his pendant and sends out a note, because this entire place makes him nervous and who knows how long it's going to take him to get to every one of them on foot. ]

un: ut malum pluvia: Check in. Urgent.

[ He'll judge what order to visit them on based on how quickly they respond. ]

un: starlingroad

[starlingroad]

[ America herself is having some teleportation problems, but she hasn't thought to ask about anyone about it, so far. She keeps getting snagged every time, before she can jump through. Then there was her...uncomfortable cover story. She really hopes no one asks too much about that. ]

[ Of course, when Five makes a network post - and he says so little she has to check in. ]

America Chavez, checking in.

Why?

un: ut malum pluvia | text / private

[somebadnews]

[ Because he can't be everywhere at once, that's why. Although when America is the first to respond, he wonders if she's experiencing the same problem. He'll get to that in a minute, but first: ]

Who are you with?

un: song;

[spoilers]

( River has been spared drinking Karsa's potion, a small benefit of having already died. That isn't to say she hasn't had a few problems. The constant rain dampens clothes and energy alike, never mind what it's doing to her hair. It lingers in her steps as it turns bloody. And nothing comes without an uncomfortable price, not even an umbrella.

Funnily enough, she's hardly noticed the unnatural number of people who've mistaken her for a familiar face. )

Sounds serious. What have you done this time?

( Is this friendship?? They couldn't possibly be something so agreeable as friends. )

un: ut malum pluvia

[somebadnews]

[ He makes one mistake... that she knows about... and fairly gets called out on it, but that isn't what this is about. This is him calmly assessing the situation and efficiently locating each of them.

Interesting who picks up first. If she keeps this up, she might make up for those months she mysteriously vanished. ]

About time I use this for something practical, considering we're in enemy territory and some of us have a history of disappearing without a trace.

This is your check in call.

approaching the beacons

[somebadnews]

[ Once they receive Matthias' offer, things change. Five knew that he must have been tracking them, and their covers were so weak that he wonders how they haven't been chased off by now. It had to be because he wants something from them, and it's no surprise what that thing is.

He considers calling Anurr about once an hour, to find out exactly what he's trying to do here. Before he thought he understood him, but now it seems he's out to conquer the world, and the sting of that betrayal makes it harder to strategize. He could attempt to manipulate him to get his help with the beacons or throw his trust into Matthias to keep his word, and neither option feels worth the risk.

If his powers weren't subdued reaching a beacon wouldn't be an issue. As is, they're currently less-than reliable, so he keeps out of sight and surveys the beasts guarding them. He can tell he's not the only one, but he barely glances at whoever joins him. Ravens circle overhead as the beacons activate to bring in more spirits. Watching it happen, a belated thought occurs to him. ]

Do you think it was his daughter all along? [ The reason they were brought here. Was it all Matthias blindly searching for help to find his dead daughter? He shakes his head. It was bad enough when they were told they were meant to be used as bodies in an undead army, but this... All this time all they've been is fucking collateral. ]

[cosplayqueen]

[She isn't supposed to be here. This is not her lane. Kamala hasn't been neglecting her duties either. She can't help pulling on this thread. It feels too much like Najima and Dar-Benn. Someone's good intentions coupled with great cruelty and indifference lead to a terrible outcome for everyone in their path. They are all living with the consequences of someone else's pain.

She investigates when she has a spare moment or is on the way to something else. Five being here is just more incentive to stick around. They are both weakened right now. She wants to have his back.

At the question, Kamala meets his eyes with a deep sadness someone her age should not know. She knows this story. The ending isn't going to be pretty. It never is.] Ever since we got here? Yes. I think this is all about Cosette.

[She crosses her arms over her chest and looks ahead. Her voice never raises above a whisper.] This is what it's like back home, Five. People want something so badly and it isn't even a bad thing to want. They make everyone else live with the consequences that come with getting it. I can't be with my family because he wants to rip his daughter out of Heaven.

[She isn't angry. She gets it. They all wanted their loved ones back after the Blip. It is sad.] I wish I knew what she wanted.

[That's what haunted her since they got the letter. It feels like a significant thing. She hasn't heard anyone else ask the question yet.]

[somebadnews]

[ That may have been an obvious question after all the evidence they've come across. Five shouldn't have asked it out loud, but Kamala responds exactly like he could have predicted. It hits in a way he wishes it didn't, and he has to turn his head to look at her directly when she finishes speaking.

Of course she's already sympathizing with the enemy. He isn't the one who should be convincing her not to, considering what he did. He became a killer who couldn't stop meddling with the course of history until his family survived, and see where that's gotten him? Two out of six is better than none, but he can't give himself any bonus points for bringing the long shot back from the dead when Matthias seems to have been behind all of it.

That doesn't suddenly make him not dangerous. Having justifiable motivations isn't enough. ]

Not everyone can get what they want. [ He doesn't mind being a hypocrite. Saving his family also meant saving the world, so his conscience is clear. ] You think that it would make a difference if she didn't want to come back? If he took it this far, we can't trust what either of them say.

Did you already-? [ If she snuck off to talk to Cosette he needs to add a few more words. ]

[blackscales]

In what sense? I've suspected since Ellethia that she was the drive of it all. Grief drives people to mad acts. I'm certain, at the very least, all this has been in support of bringing her back.

[ Wrathion studies the slow circle of the ravens, the shadowy creatures guarding the beacon. If they take out the creatures, eventually the ravens will come back and alert Matthias. What then? Presumably he just conquers the beacon again, now angry at them. A different plan, then.

A shame the place is so open. The creatures have an excellent vantage point. They can see the beacon. A distraction, then? Something to draw them away? ]

[somebadnews]

[ Five frowns. It makes sense, more than what they were previously told, and he hates how much he understands that drive. If Matthias was willing to do all this for her, after all this time, he won't be easy to reason with. ]

Bad luck for us if she doesn't want to come back. He seems to think we can do it, so tricking him might still be an option. [ Even if they're able to get to his daughter, Five sides with the Merchant on this one. He doesn't trust that he'll do as he said when he made his offer.

He turns his gaze back to the beacon in the distance. The two of them could get to it. Five's teleporting hasn't been completely reliable lately, but they're close enough. It's being seen during the time it takes to use the token that's the larger problem. That, and getting assaulted by whatever the hell those things are guarding it. ]

If they all belong to him, he'll know what we're up to, even if we eliminate them. We're taking a risk.