The unstable reality of the Grotto of the Gossamer Heart froze. Even Dahlia couldn’t move, but she was aware of this pause. The power behind this ridiculous feat seemed to mimic the time dilation used when she touched a Pillar of Ascendance, so she assumed it to be tied to Thoth or another god.
You have gained 325 experience.
You have gained 30 Glimmer for disrupting the plans of other Fey.
Dahlia couldn’t move or even frown, but she wanted to. That tiny value seemed remarkably low for the significant effort it had taken to defeat the chorister. All the other opponents they’d defeated lately hadn’t given much experience compared to the increased difficulty of more vigorous, higher-level opponents. Did the number of minions she had summoned impact her experience gain? She would need to investigate.
Disrupting the plans of other Fey, on the other hand, seemed highly profitable. The massive windfall of Glimmer felt more satisfying than leveling up anyway, or so Dahlia told herself.
Your skill Magic—Thaumaturgy has increased to rank 4.
Rank 4: Arcane Reclamation—Your refined spellwork lets you capture residual magic as you cast. Once per day, you may regain an expended spell slot of 3rd level or lower.
Your skill Magic—Spell Singing has increased to rank 3.
Rank 3: Melodic Infusion—Your spell songs subtly reinforce each other. Once per short rest, you may reduce the casting time of a spell if sung. Additionally, your melody effects now linger briefly beyond their allotted duration.
Quest: Kill Maeravel Thornheart (Again) complete.
Rewards: Scythe of the Solar Requiem, Title—Keeper of the Last Light
Two orbs of light burned into existence before Dahlia. The first, and more significant, morphed into a tiny, Dahlia-sized two-handed scythe.
Scythe of the Solar Requiem
Divine Artifact, Scythe
Description: A long, gleaming handle of blackened gold engraved with hieroglyphs that shift under the sun’s gaze culminates in a curved obsidian blade with veins of sacred light. It hums with perfect memory of the cold finality of death and celestial wrath.
Traits
Counts as a Spellcasting Focus
Finess, Versatile, Adaptive
Ignores Necrotic and Radiant Resistances & Immunities (True Death and True Light know no barrier.)
Abilities
-Solar Eclipse (Always Active)—Dahlia can shift Requiems at will. Solar Requiem deals bonus radiant damage with melee attacks and spells cast through the blade. Eclipse Requiem deals bonus necrotic damage.
-Gloamcaller’s Condemnation (Always Active)—During Solar Requiem Blazing Verdict causes targets to receive an ethereal brand of judgment—the next radiant spell cast against the target deals double damage. During Eclipse Requiem, Oblivion’s Whisper causes a fracture in the target's soul, making them vulnerable to necrotic damage and death effects.
-Twilight’s Final Verse (1/Brief Rest)—When Dahlia lands a killing blow, she may invoke either Solar Benediction or Midnight Dirge, regardless of the active Requiem. Solar Benediction grants allies within 30 ft temporary health equal to half the slain targets' maximum health. Midnight Dirge extracts a memory, name, secret, or other hidden knowledge from the slain target.
-???Locked due to current affinity with the Scythe of Solar Requiem???
-???Locked due to current affinity with the Scythe of Solar Requiem???
Weapons had never been something Dahlia learned how to use. She didn’t precisely think of herself as a mage but rather as an arcane artisan versed in the soul. Yet the appeal to the weapon was evident even to her. Merely touching a hand to the golden haft filled her with a resonance that made the connection between her current focus (her hat) seem like it might as well be a piece of cow leather compared to the most glorious shimmer silks.
Divine or not, flecked with light or the cold of death, the Scythe was a potent addition to her arsenal that Dahlia immediately fell slightly in love with. The weapon's dark, almost cruel appearance in Eclipse Requiem certainly played on her desire to appear darker and more dangerous. Best of all, it had two powers she couldn’t even use yet! What were they? When would they unlock? Did she have to talk to the weapon? How else would it have an affinity unless there were time constraints?
Dahlia banished that from her mind and regarded the entry of the final reward of the quest before she laughed. Time had unfrozen, and she’d immediately begun to caress her new weapon—or if she were being sincere, her new spellcasting focus that looked like a weapon. Oops. Lady Nyxaria always said, pluck a petal, claim the whole bloom.
Title: Keeper of the Last Light
Divine Boon
Bestowed by Amun-Ra upon the one who holds twilight between her fingers while walking the boundary between light and oblivion.
* Vision of Eternal Twilight: Darkvision (limitless range). Dahlia always sees the last, dying light of a soul, even in places where death is hidden or veiled.
* Light Cannot Be Stolen: Dahlia is immune to blindness and cannot be deprived of sight by unnatural means. All magical darkness or concealment within 30’ of her is diminished (to her), reducing its effectiveness.
* Death is not an End, Only a Choice: When an ally dies within 30’ of Dahlia, she sees a glimpse of the soul’s path—whether it can be called back, bound, or lost forever. Dahlia gains a substantial bonus for resurrection attempts (magical or otherwise) if they can be saved. She may absorb a fragment of their essence if they cannot be saved—which crystalizes into Glimmer points.
Some of the abilities almost sounded like a curse. Always seeing death, even when you wanted to ignore it, wasn’t a blessing—but limitless Darkvision combined with True Sight and blindness immunity meant she would never have to worry about losing her vision in combat. Yet another check in the column of reasons to take Call Darkness as a spell.
Quest Complete: Investigate the Heart of the Bramblewood.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Reward: ??????
“This is certainly a problem,” a voice Dahlia didn’t know spoke. On the surface, it sounded like regular old common, spoken by one of the dozens of voices humans seemed to talk with. Yet under that, a vibration shook beneath the words, drawing attention to the fact that words were the bones of the universe, and the one speaking them knew them all. Also: he wasn’t human.
He was a bland old man, Thoth was, other than possessing the head of an Ibis. Thoth’s long, sharp beak could carve wisdom into stone. Dahlia reckoned he’d be great at cracking nuts.
“What’s a problem?” Dahlia asked. All of her minions were still frozen in time, annoyingly. Not a great sign if she had to skirmish with the god. Not that any of them were combat ready, after the battle they’d endured.
“Well, Horus is very displeased at the resurgence of a Chorister on Nantes. Yet with the approval of Amun-Ra, he cannot evict you even if you were to wander into one of his temples. I wouldn’t recommend that, by the way. There’s still a lot of other things he could do to you.”
Status: Outsider has been replaced with Status: Outsider*, *:You are immune to the effects of Banish while in the material realm of Nantes, thanks to Amon-Ra.
“So, the problem?” Dahlia asked again. She didn’t care about the politics amongst the gods; as far as she knew, she didn’t get Glimmer points from them.
“Aelwyth Morghaine. It's been sealed since the War of Iron and Thorns, but it will no longer remain so. You completed your initial quest to travel there and find the Heart. What will you do with it?” Thoth asked, his avian eyes narrowing upon the Fey.
“It is mine, now. What is found was meant to be bound.” Dahlia answered with a sing-song voice and a smirk. “Or are you more of the wind gifts to those who grasp, deity?”
“I’m more of a ‘What is taken in folly, returns in wrath’ sort,” Thoth answered dryly. “And what will you do with a city in the abandoned north besides wait for Horus to send his Feybane Inquisitors to obliterate it how he intended to during the war?”
Dahlia bit her lower lip in worry. A whole city was a lot to defend, it was true.
“I’ll make it a Gloamhollow, then.” Dahlia spit-balled a crazy idea at Thoth.
Thoth winked at Dahlia.
“Horus did say he would do anything to get Aelwyth Morghaine out of Nantes,” Thoth said conspiratorially.
“Why are you being friendly, like Amon-Ra? I thought your buddies hated the Fey?” Dahlia couldn’t keep the frog down her throat any longer, and the question bubbled out to croak at the god.
“That entire affair is Horus’s doing; the rest of us thought it folly, but several Fey Lords and Ladies made pushes to gain more power for themselves, which added weight to Horus's words. Even gods are not above folly.”
“So, you’ll make Aelwyth Morghaine into my Gloamhollow?” Dahlia tried to keep her tone relaxed and hide her excitement.
“You will be the one to do it; I will merely be a conduit for the spell. Before we begin, are you certain about your newest servant there?” Thoth pointed at the ball of potent negative energy that floated frozen next to Dahlia.
At first glance, it appeared to be a mere ball of necrotic energy. A second look would show it to be much similar to a Will O’Wisp, the essence of a life reduced to the size of a human head that seemed to constantly be unraveling and reforming as if a flame danced back and forth between this one and an unseen world. Unlike most wisps, if you stared long enough, you might catch the vaguest glimpse of Maeravel’s face in the darkness, her eyes sunken and burning with regret and wrath.
Information filled Dahlia’s mind.
Name: Servant
Race: Wisp
Level: 4
Undead
Strength
6
Intelligence
15
Dexterity
22
Wisdom
12
Constitution
13
Charisma
19
Traits
Resistances
Necrotic, Psychic, Cold, Lightning, Non-Magical Weapons
Immunities
Poison, Charm, Fear, Paralysis, Grappling
Fey Lorekeeper
Servant remembers the ancient bargains, forgotten rituals, and lost histories of the Soulweald and the Discordant Ones. She can provide cryptic but valuable insights on most things Fey, forgotten places, and dangerous figures.
Thornheart’s Vengeance
A Lady does not suffer indignity unanswered—nor does her master. Servant may lash out with Sweet Revenge as a reaction against those who attack Dahlia.
Incorporeal
Servant is ephemeral and has no physical body.
Abilities
Multiattack
Servant makes two Thorn Strike attacks.
Sweet Revenge (Reaction)
Servant unleashes a Thornstrike attack as a reaction to someone damaging Dahlia.
Thornstrike
Servant unleashes a volley of three necrotic thorns at one or more enemies.
“Do you think she’ll live up to her name?” Thoth asked curiously.
Dahlia laughed. It was a sharp and vicious sound, like claws raking souls to pieces.
“She will because she’s mine. I won’t abide an ill-mannered servant,” Dahlia answered. She was tempted to shove her hand into the black sphere and toy with it, but Thoth didn’t seem that interested in a demonstration on the proper use of an enemy's True Name when you’d already defeated them.
“Very well, then, back to the matter at hand. Brace yourself, Disciple of Nyxaria. We gods do not use magic as you Fey,” Thoth said while dramatically rolling his sleeves to his elbows.
Dahlia understood the reason for the drama when power boiled the air around Thoth, and the god formed the effects of a spell equivalent to that of a 9th-level spell.
Nantes groaned as a hundred square miles of forest, ruins, and all of the Horus-cursed Fey artifacts of the Bramblewood were shunted out of the material world into a different dimension, a dimension in the darkness between planes.
Aelwyth Morghaine trembled, the heart pulsed, and Dahlia grit her teeth.
Leave it to a god to use magic like he was throwing a lightning bolt at a sinner. Dahlia exhaled, and it almost came out as a whistle because her teeth pressed so tightly into her lower lip. If the divine wanted to tear reality open with all the subtlety of a smote prophet, so be it. But Aelwyth Morghaine would be hers, and heaven’s wrath would not brand her Gloamhollow.
“Fine,” Dahlia said as she focused on magic and deciphering the spell equivalent to what Thoth had done. Did Greater Demiplane even exist as a spell?
Dahlia tried to shoulder Thoth out of the way—a pointless exercise when you were 8” tall and your opponent stood over six feet tall—and was a god to boot—but she stuck a hand into the manifesting spell and took control of it.
“But we do this the fey way—less fire, no brimstone, and lots of poetry and tragedy.”