Io's Labyrinth

[Corwin]

"Broken bones heal. Limbs regenerate. But the memories can only be quenched by his ending!" Seira vows, shaking her clenching fist to the heavens.

[Nephrite]

"Oh, no, no. I can just make salt if I need it, you know? I just hear stories every now and again about how awful he is." He says. "I mean, yeah, he doesn't terrorize anyone else by leaving the plane, but, ugh."

[Ebiris]

"Bit of a strange reference to make if you haven't had personal experience, he's not exactly well known," Alicia says after scooting away from Seira's rage, looking askance at Moore.

[Anastasia]

Ahead are grasslands - sunny and bright. Sitting here is but a single sphere, awaiting the party.

[Corwin]

The only hope she holds right now in her heart is of glorious murder so Seira graciously allows someone else to challenge Io's hope this time.

[Ebiris]

Taking that as her cue, Alicia goes and taps her hand on the sphere.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Alicia: 696/696
Active spells: Extended nondetection (CL 33, 65hrs), extended repelling shield (CL 33, 43m), keen edge (CL 32, 298m), sensual blessing (CL 32, 10m), vision of the omniscient eye (CL 32, 10m), greater heroism (CL 32, 10m), death ward (CL 32, 10m), extended ray deflection (CL 33, 44m), divine insight (CL 32, 32hrs), foresight (CL 32, 307m), dance of the unicorn (CL 32, 19m), recitation (CL 32, 3m), greater visage of the deity (CL 32, 3m), ghost touch weapon (CL 32, 22m), many moments of prescience (CL 32, 32 hrs)
Defences: AC 79 (touch 40), CMD 105 spell resistance 47, status immunity (dazzled, blinding, polymorph, petrification, disease, poison, stunning, sleep, paralysis, death effects, disintegration, energy drain, ability damage, ability drain, mind-affecting, and fear), energy immunity (fire, cold, negative energy), energy resist 10 (acid), nondetection (DC 48), ray deflection
Stat buffs/penalties: +9 shield AC, 17-20 crit range, +25 competence perception, +10 insight perception, +4 morale skills/saves, +2 insight AC/reflex, +3 luck attack/saves, +1 natural armour, +4 str, +2 dex, +4 con, +2 int, +4 wis, +4 cha, +18 morale attack/damage
Perceptions: Darkvision 2 miles, scent, low-light vision, tremorsense/blindsight 2 miles, arcane sight, perception +88
Sorcerer spell slots: 6/15/16/13/5/7/12/6/4/4/5/2/6/2
Duskblade spell slots: 6/22/20/19/6/7
Quick-casts left: 2

[Anastasia]

Again Io's voice is heard.

"The grasslands and the desert," Io's voice is heard, "One where heroes overthrew devils and saved their world, another where heroes overthrew devils and saved their world. Both known to parts of you, blood shed to come this far. Moore, you saw what happened when Hell triumphed, and you know full well what would have happened if you failed."

Jetina bows her head at that, silent, while Oberuth's expression is grim.

"Yet you never surrendered and saved your world."

Again the words linger before Io continues.

"In my journeys in the Far Realm, I endured what could not be explained. I was harmed in ways that I could not comprehend. Yet in those battles, I had one virtue that stayed triumphant."

A pause.

"Will you face part of my hope?"

[Nephrite]

"You all went there, right?" Moore asks, looking at Antenora, then over at Alicia. "I'm not sure how this would differ from the last one, so if you've got any insights..."

[Anastasia]

"The will to fight versus the will to survive," Antenora says, "They are not the same, I have had battles where I would fight but lay my life down for another, and battles where I would refuse to die."

"That may be so," Oberuth says, "But what does that mean, practically?"

"Well, survival is a fight, but it's not the same as fighting something alive?" Jetina hmms and finally adds, "I can keep someone surviving for a long time, but they may not be able to stop their attacker like that."

[Nephrite]

"Hmm, so this is more about hope to weather a storm of onslaught and look for your own opening to move forward, rather than blindly going forward at the first sign." Moore says. "Interesting. So it sounds like this will be a test of endurance more than anything else...?"

[Anastasia]

"So it will," Amaryl says, "Are we ready to accept facing it?"

[Nephrite]

"I think we've all been through hardships that have tested the mettle of what we stand for." Moore agrees.

[Anastasia]

From the depths it emerges - a dragon of many colors, a sight familiar to Moore and others. A prismatic dragon rises from the split-open earth, the world shaking from its passage. It emerges and faces the party, "I am what is invincible. I shall never fall, I shall never be slain. No matter how I am set back and defeated, I shall endure. Show me then, chosen ones. Show me how you can rise above even this."

[Ebiris]

"Antenora is One who would survive even the end of Creation," Alicia gestures at the recently risen Goddess, unmoved by the titanic wyrm before her.

"But that is not enough. Patience and survival are all well and good, but only if you are biding your time for a victory yet to come. Just as those who lost Lifasa did so, unbroken by their defeat and enduring until they could reverse it. We will not merely survive Creation, we will protect it, forever."

[Nephrite]

Moore nods in agreement. "You have to be able to endure hardships for a time to be able to one day push past the barriers and obstacles that stand in your way."