The celebrations of Aurora's victory last into the night and the next day. The first true dawn in Lifasa in years, free of Hell's taint at last. Great are the cheers and greater is the joy as all celebrate a vast win against Hell.
Yet come the afternoon, officers and staff gather for an essential meeting. Everyone is wandering in - Balyss chatting with Simmer, Ram and Hanna laughing over a roast chicken they're making a large dent in, Finnegan leaning against the wall and nursing a tankard of ale, Drena and Westwind having a merry conversation in wind as much as speech and so many more. Only Sylvie and Moonlight are not here.
At the head of it is Morniel - smiling throughout, drifting amid it all and talking to many. He has words with Queen Ilsenine and Crystal, then a small conversation with Lady Skye. Even Lisa is here, curled up in a corner and watching, a big, half eaten turkey leg before her.
"Everyone, settle down, we actually have to talk," Morniel raises his voice, "We have news far and wide, as well as a visitor. We need to talk about devils in Lifasa, about rumors from Avernus and so much more."
Misaela is resting against Adrian, a giggle and a flush. She drinks deep from her wine glass, Adrian blushing a bit as he puts his arm around her. "Yeah, talk!" she laughs, having more wine after.
Priest looks up from a deep conversation with the Jarl, "Another time...and then we can talk about galuh," he says agreeably.
"Yeah, 'bout time," Tannin speaks up, "Finally saw myself a real, live berserk cornugon. Give me talking any day!"
Go ahead and intro yourselves. I'm getting this up super early since getting epilogue priorities went super fast. You all are welcome to chat amid yourselves if you want.
Moore flies in, looking well-rested. He gives everyone a nod and a wave before he settles in next to Ilsenine.
Surraruthru flies in, his scales of Chaos Diamond glittering insanely as he lands claws first into a roast chicken and begins tearing into it with nary a thought to the others, focused on sating his hunger.
Calleigh is atop Balyss' head again. She might be snoring.
Tryll is talking quietly with Tepen and the other irrigo.
Ilsenine smiles - a real, true smile. She gives Moore a brief hug, "We won," she says, voice touched with wonder. "The nightmare's over."
Kascha comes on over as Surraruthru feasts, smiling, "Eating up before you go see your tree and grove?" she asks, carrying a plate full of little slices of meat and cheese as...
> roll 1d20+8
<Kobot> Space_Cat rolled 1d20+8 --> [ 1d20=4 ]{12}
"Kyaaaah!" Kascha slips on something, stumbling, and sending meat and cheese all over Surraruthru's chicken as well as himself.
Meanwhile, Balyss looks up and smiles as Gytha remarks, "Home...we have a home now."
Moore nods and gives her a gentle pat on her hand. "There's still a lot of work to be done, I'm sure." He says with a smile.
Still, so many questions remain... but he has time to find answers for them.
Surraruthru growls as the mess falls on him and cleans it off.
"I'm going to have Balyss check you for a curse. Or take you to a luck god for a blessing. But yes, food follows victory. I doubt it'd be a wise first impression to claim my Grove and immediately begin hunting the locals. Then again, it'll establish the food chain right away... Perhaps I'll leave a little room in case someone gets mouthy..."
Afina happens to look a little bit lost, all things considered. After the euphoria of victory... well, she's pretty stuck by the concept of having a life after the Crusade. Everything before that was in service to Ilsenine, and during it her whole being was consumed solely with the war to free Lifasa. Now it's done and the future stretches out before her, it's actually a little bit scary not having an immediate goal or directive.
There are things of course. Killing more devils, figuring out her place in sylvan/eladrin nobility and forming a court of her own, drawing down Aurora's forces, but none of it occupies her so much as the Crusade itself had before now.
So when Morniel mentions news and visitors and rumours, she actually looks a bit relieved as she flutters into her customary chair. Those are more immediate and tangible things she can deal with!
"Heh...sorry?" Kascha blushes and plucks a bit of cheese off of Surraruthru's chicken, munching on it.
Meanwhile Makaril comes over to Afina, claiming a chair next to her. "Let's talk later," he murmurs, keeping his voice low.
Afina gives Makaril a little nod of agreement but keeps quiet to hear what Morniel has to say.
Jaela sits right next to Adrian and the Graceful Blow officers in her rarely-used deep purple evening gown, flanked by Mirima and Tepen. Having eaten aplenty in preparation of the battles, she keeps on sipping celebratory fruity milkshakes with a bit of a kick in them, trusting in her supernatural constitution to keep her properly alert. She smiles at Makaril as he makes contact with Afina, but then her attention is drawn to Morniel.
Morniel holds a hand up and says, "We won."
The cheers are deafening, Morniel's next words drowned out. Only once they die down does he continue. "But there are several things to discuss. First of all, it seems impossible to summon a devil on Lifasa now, nor for one to enter through magic. Lifasa has emerged stronger from this ordeal and may be truly free of tyranny - at least directly from Hell."
"Are there any devils remaining on our world?" Jaela addresses him. "And what of other fiends?"
"There's a large number of of devils in Aurora's dungeon, and one in the guest suites," Afina mentions, since figuring out what to do with them is on the agenda as well.
"We don't know yet, but divinations suggest other fiends are not so affected," Morniel declares, "We do. They seem safe in Aurora and a test shows they are unable to leave Aurora while it is on Lifasa."
"What if the Lifasa populace? How many are missing? Were anymore found or released? I'm sure there were plenty transported to Hell that need finding."
"We're still sorting that out," Morniel says, "We may never have solid numbers, but estimates will be possible in time."
"We do have our leads for that," Jaela muses. "The devils might as well prove useful while we're keeping them."
"Well, that's a crusade of it's own, I suppose. The children of Lifasa will likely be searched for the God's only know how long. Speaking of, have we heard anything from our Godly allies?"
"Secondly," Morniel speaks up, "I have glad tidings. Seira's forces were pressed heavily at the end with Seira and Amaryl off the field - only for elven reinforcements to help save the day. They were lead by Ellese," he announces.
"Well finally," Tepen murmurs to himself, "Glad tidings indeed."
"I'm glad she made it through her own trials and tribulations to return to us." Moore says.
"Ohhh, Ellese came back? And stomped some devils? I bet she was happy." Calleigh says, abruptly lunging forward out of Balyss' hair and into the air.
"Indeed. In any case, we should consider tasks that need organizing and who plans to go where. Efficiency will make this go faster and get us all where we want to be. I have a grove to establish, a den to build, and hydras to situate and transport... I'll need to study the magic on the cafeteria and copy it to feed them all, as a matter of fact. I plan to start on that after presenting myself to Seira. Is there anything that needs to be done in the Cauldron while I'm there?"
"Simply pass on our thanks," Morniel says. "Preliminary searches of Lifasa show that the world is restored to what it was before. Villages, cities and castles are awaiting people to return to them. However, I believe there is a greater matter that must be considered - government."
A pause as Morniel goes to a window, a green and grassy field drenched in sunlight seen beyond Aurora's walls. "How is Lifasa to be ruled now? Let it be known that all but the foolish can see Hell will desire revenge, and will surely find ways to try and obtain it. While we have our cups overflowing with joy, we must not fall into defenseless laxity, either. One golden age ended on Lifasa, let us not be so arrogant as to think a second could not."
"Can I interject and ask a larger, related question? What happens to Aurora?" Moore asks. "I realize the main push of the crusade was to free Lifasa, but I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say that its overall mission and the hope that it brought to people, even those unrelated to Lifasa, can't be overstated. I'm sure we were going to get to that point and I apologize for jumping over it, but the answer to this may also answer your question about government."
"That's a heavy question," Gisfal says from his seat, drinking deep from a mug of cider. "What now? Not everyone wants to keep fighting, and everyone here's earned the right to rest if that's what they want. Plus some will need to return to their previous duties."
"I'd rather have saved talking about Aurora for last," Afina speaks up. "But fine, we'll do it now. Aurora can't be retired, a fortress without an army is just a prize waiting to be claimed - and make no mistake, greedy powers across the planes will want to claim Aurora for themselves. And its army? Everyone here signed on to free Lifasa - that's done. Some might be eager to keep fighting the mere concept of evil, but I didn't recruit people for an eternal war here," she nods her little head towards the Jarl who was quite forcibly conscripted along with his merry band way back. "So either we come up with a new cause for Aurora, or someone else will do it for us."
"I don't think anyone needs to decide today what they're doing, of course." Moore says with a small shrug. "For me, personally, I'd like to continue work with Aurora. There are matters that I'd like to aid with here too," He turns and nods to Ilsenine at that. "But either way, it's good to have a discussion about next steps for everyone."
"We could always put it in hidden demi-plane and rotate a guard through it. Maybe something connected to Elysium or the like. Enough of a crew to run searches for Lifasians or the like."
"One point - if Aurora needs a place to rest, free of the plans and plots of the planes for a time, I am certain my superiors will help you with that," Morniel speaks up. "You have ran your race, you do not need to begin another only out of fear of what will happen to Aurora if you do not."
"Honestly I'd prefer to place it somewhere connected to Lifasa, but with the battle won, those who tolerated our control of Aurora will likely become significantly less tolerant of it being in our backyard, so to speak. I don't think anyone is really ready to deal with that."
"Another point," Jaela voices, looking over the assembled officers. "We've been relying on Sylvie for our internal security, and that would no longer be possible, going forward with fresh recruits. It was a part of our answer to what brought Medi down, and we should come up with a suitable alternative. Once we have, however, I intend to stay on and lead it on a fresh Crusade. Benfal and Lifasa might have been the only two Primes completely taken over by devils, but there are plenty of Hellish interests we could oppose. In fact, outside our core membership most of the recruits should be perfectly fine with that, so I expect to retain most of the army once we offer everyone a chance to settle on Lifasa, an honorable discharge or reenlistment."
She nods in Moore's direction. "It seems there are already plans to spread word of this miracle across the planes, so there should be no shortage of fresh recruits to rebuild Aurora's armies. For now, however, Aurora should be safe on Lifasa while we work out all the details."
"Indeed."
The voice that speaks is calm, confident and masculine. The figure that strides is is a man in the flower of young adulthood, smiling and wearing a fine tunic, pants and purple cloak. You have met this person before - an avatar of Lathander is before you, no presence overwhelming you. He smiles as he walks through the portal into the room, "Great work everyone, Hell needs more people eager to kick it in the ass and as good as you are at it."
Murmurs ripple through the officers here, several bowing their heads respectfully. "Ho, Jaela. You came out of this in one peace. Afina too. All of you are looking surprisingly alive and not killed except for Moonlight, she's recuperating back home."
Afina was planning on visiting Moonlight soon, really! "Our thoughts are with her. This wouldn't have been possible without your support, Lord Lathander," Afina says, rising out of her seat respectfully.
"A few of the officers had some close calls, but Moonlight was the only one slain on Lifasa," Jaela affirms, after joining in the respectful bow. "Her sacrifice was not in vain, as you can see for yourself, and we are grateful. For the support, for her presence and the troops, for the spear. Is there anything you would like to ask of me in return? A strike at devils somewhere?"
Moore nods back to Jaela and gives a deferential nod to Lathander's avatar. Huh, are the others hiding out in the crowd too?
No, they're probably just watching through their own means... Right, Sylvie?
Lathander laughs, a light and pure sound, "Aye! And it wouldn't have been possible without all of you being so good at dispatching fiends. An admirable quality to have. Also Moore," He turns to the pixie and gives him a look, "Too bad, you and Calleigh would make a cute couple."
Ilsenine freezes at that, then very pointedly takes Moore's hand and holds it tight, giving Lathander's avatar a rather pointed gaze.
"Oh, I do, I do, but not now," Lathander says, "You may want to go off and chase a new Crusade. Keep on going - but don't forget there are days of rests for a reason. Everyone needs time to rest. Take some time, evil will be here when you've had a chance to grow and recover from your war. "
"The Triune had plans for me on Lifasa," Jaela agrees vaguely. "With devils barred from our world, that should be restful now and then."
Moore blinks a few times, then smiles over at Ilsenine with a small chuckle.
"Actually, Morniel, you mentioned some news from Avernus? I'm guessing that has to do with Bel overstepping the boundaries of The Competition?" He looks over at Lathander at that.
"Yes. The dead walk Avernus," Lathander says solemnly, "Great hoards of the undead tear down Bel loyalists, while the Bronze Citadel is under furious attack. I do not believe Bel is long for this world, and soon devils will no more speak Bel's name."
Jaela perks up at the mention. "Undead, you say? From what source?" Lathander surely knows given his interests and portfolio.
"Lixer is being promoted in his place?" Afina guesses. "He hasn't exactly covered himself in glory during this campaign either."
"It seems so, though we won't know for certain. Asmodeus is a tricky one," Lathander's avatar replies. "I wouldn't advise trying to meddle in it by going to Avernus, as I have no doubt Asmodeus is watching these events closely. The few other times there's been regime changes in Hell, we've received warnings if we make motions to interfere in 'an internal infernal matter'."
"Is there any information that suggests the forces of The Abyss intend to interfere?" Moore asks.
Something to consider later, Jaela muses. "If I might raise the subject," she says to Lathander, "the late and unlamented Taelfagn mentioned an attempt to counter Shar. His methods were terrible, but it did make me wonder afterwards whether our side has an actual plan in place, and whether it needed an extra hand."
"Those that appear are torn apart by one side or the other," Lathander says, "Neither side has any love for demons, even cooperating when they appear."
A pause, "Yes, the Prophecy of Primus is something we are working on," Lathander finally says, "To make sure it never comes true. For now we're fine. There's time yet."
Surraruthru glances at Lathander and focuses on what he's saying, but continues eating. He's not his god, after all.
"So, did you enjoy our golem?"
Calleigh makes a face at Lathander's reference to Moore, "Ew! Yuck! Boys! I mean, he's cute and all, but I'm not interested in growing up. Bleah!"
Tryll's misty form around Calleigh and Balyss coalesces into an eye roughly the size of Balyss' head. 'I actually wanted to discuss the Aurora's future as well. I see no reason why it should be retired. The forces of evil certainly won't. Instead, I would propose that it be homed here, but still mobile. Recruiting others for a grand crusade against Shar would not be remiss. If Taelfagn was right about the Prophecy of Primus, then we'd be wise to be proactive against her. While there is time yet,' the eye flicks over to glance at Lathander, 'we should use our time as well as we can. I'm rather fond of my current existence, and I'd like to ensure that the planes continue on forever.'
"A marvelous golem," Lathander smile as he goes on. "That is ultimately your decision, Aurora." A nod to all of you, "Good fortune as I see Lifasa on the first days of its new life."
"Well, I've given my input. I believe we should put it somewhere neutral for a time while we stabilize things here before we draw attention we're not quite ready for. A hard to find demi-plane connected to one of the heavens with an elite contingent focused on rescue and intelligence gathering. Once Lifasa is prepared to deal with its own future and attention from another faction, then we can bring it back into full operation."
Once Lathander has left, Morniel says, "We need not decide today, then. Our business is covered, surely there is more celebrating to be had?"
I honestly don't want to go that deeply into this - it's mainly a question that's beyond the scope of the epilogue.
"Quite. I need to check on my fellow Faerie Dragon and see how the hatchling is doing, then on to the hydras. If I can, I plan to relocate them quickly and sort out the grove."
Moore nods. "Yes, absolutely. If any of you need me for anything, please let me know."
Okay, locking this and sorting people into their own threads now.