Io's Labyrinth

[Anastasia]

Thus you return to the knight and the door, "You have returned. You have keys?"

[Ebiris]

"I hope we've proven ourselves with enough combat, but prudent anyway," Alicia nods to Moore as they take the teleporter, ready to hand over their keys to open the way to the end.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Alicia: 696/696
Active spells: Extended nondetection (CL 33, 65hrs), extended repelling shield (CL 33, 35m), keen edge (CL 32, 290m), sensual blessing (CL 32, 2m), vision of the omniscient eye (CL 32, 2m), greater heroism (CL 32, 2m), death ward (CL 32, 2m), extended ray deflection (CL 33, 36m), divine insight (CL 32, 32hrs), foresight (CL 32, 299m), dance of the unicorn (CL 32, 11m), recitation (CL 32, 3m), greater visage of the deity (CL 32, 3m), ghost touch weapon (CL 32, 14m), many moments of prescience (CL 32, 32 hrs)
Defences: AC 91 (touch 52), CMD 129 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, +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, +8 competence attack, +4 untyped attack/damage, +12 dodge AC, +12 morale saves, +15 critical confirmations
Perceptions: Darkvision 2 miles, scent, low-light vision, tremorsense/blindsight 2 miles, arcane sight, perception +88
Sorcerer spell slots: 6/15/16/13/5/6/12/6/4/4/5/0/4/1
Duskblade spell slots: 6/22/20/19/6/7
Quick-casts left: 1

[Corwin]

"So we have," Seira asserts, making the keys appear orbiting them as if they were ioun stones. "The key of triumph," she voices, as the platinum key drifts towards the knight. After a brief pause, the adamantine key joins it there. "The unbeaten key." She smiles, and gold joins the other two. "The key of power, of course, and finally, the key of hope." As that ever-shifting key reaches the knight, she adds happily, "Made from the stuff of dreams and possibility, as is only proper. May we pass?"

[Anastasia]

The four keys are offered up. They fly ahead and with flashes of light and power, the door ahead opens. A great bell sounds after, echoing about.

The knight steps aside, "The path is open. Proceed."

[Corwin]

Seira proceeds.

[Ebiris]

Nodding to the knight, Alicia walks on after Seira.

[Nephrite]

Moore nods as well and goes along!

[Anastasia]

Ahead s a hall turning into stairs, rising up. All the colors of the rainbow are here, bright and luminous. The stairs rise high and higher yet, as if demanding that you climb them.

[Ebiris]

A demand that Alicia resolutely answers, step by step!

[Anastasia]

As the party rises, the rainbow walls give way. Images, memories.

Alicia blade to blade with Beth, a hazy memory of days long gone.

Seira, training in old Balmuria, days long forgotten.

Light, overwhelming light.

A single devil deep in the frozen wastes, plotting, escaping.

A quiet elf sitting in a great chamber with a few others, listening, head bowed and sorrowful.

Light, overwhelming light.

Oberuth, watching Seira train, long ago, watching in the yard of the old garrison.

"As I sought my purpose with the dragons and perfected them, you sought your own purposes and perfected yourselves." Io narrates as you climb. "You have come far, heroes. Faster than any of us hoped, no less. Antenora was never our choice for One, nor was Jetina meant to join Moore once more.  Yet it so happened anyway and our hopes are stronger for it. Of the ones chosen before, Seira and Alicia have lived up to all the hopes vested in them so far. Of the ones my aid enabled, Moore has lived up to all of my hopes so far."

[Ebiris]

Alicia watches the memory images, a faintly wistful look at her much younger self crossing blades with her big sister, until it ends and Io speaks. "Who was your choice for One?" she asks. Asmodeus made his choice in Gathgorian, perhaps there's someone chosen by Io or Zaphkiel that could be a really good ally. She's interested in what would qualify them anyway..

[Corwin]

"Besides, can't there be other Ones?" Seira adds. No reason to stop after one success!

[Anastasia]

"Someone with the will to change reality, to learn to see reality as malleable, who can project themselves out and project what and who they are with supreme confidence," Io says, "The Words of Creation are the keys to making from nothing, even the nothingness of Beyond. The language created to forge Creation by the Three Incarnations. It was not meant to be a thing of the righteous in the beginning, but grew and changed with Creation. One, no less, who has a natural talent to shape raw chaos, the stuff of everything and nothing, into solid form. The combination of all of that is extraordinarily rare."

After a moment, "So there can be. The first as meaning and resonance, but our goal was always to have Antenora be Alicia's faithful ally, not to stand as One."

[Nephrite]

Moore winces a bit -- even now he still can't see through that brightness. Is this what they see when they look at 21?

He then blinks.

"Wait, are you saying you wanted me to do what Antenora did?" Moore asks.

[Anastasia]

"When you put it like that, it does make sense," Jetina marvels.

Antenora's quiet that, studying Moore carefully.

"Yes," Io confirms as you continue to climb. "You are being groomed for it. It is a path you could still pursue to the fullest if you choose - you all have overperformed to our hopes. Antenora's success is a marvel, a fluke. Perhaps...a sign that Creation will yet be saved. Her odds of succeeding were infinitesimal."

"Yet again I stand here," Antenora remarks wryly, "A sign that Creation will be saved."