FINAL TRIAL

[strangerpeople]

FINAL TRIAL

[The doors at the other end of the city do not open for the Titled. However, whatever is going on in there still brings forth bright lights from within, and ultimately, it is to the steps of the entrance that everyone is drawn to. It's not the most formal setting for figuring out the truth of the matter before them.

Eric's brought the snacks, at least.

The Dragonborn sits at the top of the stairs, looking down as everyone congregates.]

...Having this key...I am certain I can open the door with little difficulty. But before I do we must make certain we know and understand exactly what we will be facing. What we are facing. These people...they are doing something and we must ensure we can somehow stop it.


[The end is near. The objectives of this quest are simple:

Who is the Mastermind? What is going on in this world? And...of course...why did the Mastermind want to kill 15 strangers?

Good luck, Titled.]

Comments

[carries_war]

[Jr. slides his drawstring backpack off his back and opens it up, laying his discoveries out on the floor as he mentions them.]

I found designs in a language I don't recognize, for something huge, big enough to be one of those Tower emulator things, along with enough translation notes to work out what it says. I also found a map. The symbols don't mean anything to me, but it looks like a target list to me.

The most worrying part, though...I found a collection of theoretical treatises about the disappearance of a race called the Dwemer. It mentions an arch-mage, and the last one is about preparations to perform some kind of experiment. Looks like you'll find mad scientists wherever you go...

[intercessing]

Arch-Mage?

[Blink. The light of recollection comes to their eyes.]

...Not...of Winterhold, by any chance?

[lightnen]

The Dwemer?? I actually found this pamphlet about them when I was looking around the prison area.

[ He takes out the pamphlet to show everyone. ]

Same with an experiment. There was a paper I found that lists this experiment and a bunch of names that seem vital to it. Though only three names stood out over the most. The Dragon Parrthenax, Ulfric Stormcloak and Delphine.

[defriendestration]

NYEH-HEH-HEH!

I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, FOUND LOTS OF PAPERS AND STUFF!!

[carries_war]

You gonna tell us what was on them?

[poorlovefool]

[Eric and Gab are here, WITH THE SNACKS. That is what they are good for.

Well, maybe he'll try being good for something else too.]

All right, who wants to figure out all of this junk...

[He's just going to distribute all the paper evidence tl;dr shit to various people's podiums. Though, the "Terse Response" he gives specifically to Futaba.]

Any reason your title came up in this one?

[defriendestration]

OOH, WOWIE! YOU GOT LOTS OF PAPERS, TOO!!

[carries_war]

I'm thinking the schematics I found were for one of the Towers mentioned in that pamphlet. It matched the description of Walk-Brass.

[But just a moment, he's going to start looking through these other pieces of paper.[

[socialhacktivist]

In the Preparation Room I found a coffin that was draining blood from a girl-- she said Alexis, the Ruler of the Empire of Cyrodiil was her spouse. But more than that-- she said this wasn't the first time. She said she knew that this was Snow-Throat. Something about her blood being a commodity...

[carries_war]

I figured that's where we were. That's one of the Towers, kind of like...an emulator of the central spire of reality, according to that pamphlet Eric found. Some sort of linchpin that lets this world exist without the deities who made it.

[intercessing]

My-

...!

!!!!!

Serana! Where is she!?

[poorlovefool]

[Once he's done distributing papers, Eric's also going to take another look at all of this other sweet loot he grabbed - the bow, the sparkle and darkle arrows, the knife that fills him with yearning.]

I want to test these to see what they do. I'm pretty sure the darkle arrows [He just says the thing he called them in his head out loud like people will understand] have some kind of corruption effect, and someone was really excited about finding that bow, so maybe they'll help us figure some stuff out. They were in Elenwen's room of all places, they're probably really magical and important!

So, um, any volunteers?

[Let him poke you with suspicious weapons so he doesn't have to do it to himself...]

[lightnen]

...Why not volunteer yourself up instead of being so willing to ask someone else to do that?

[ Not impressed with you, Eric. So of course he's gonna criticize that kind of thinking. ]

[carries_war]

I've got a bunch of healing potions and I don't feel pain the same way humans do. I'd prefer if it turns out someone already knows what they do, but if it comes down to testing them on someone...

[lightnen]

Hey. Look. I don't know if this would be of any importance, but I found this in the area I was investigating. Says it's called Torpor. I don't know it's use but I thought i'd bring it up just in case.

[ Killua pulled out the vial to show everyone, expression rather serious and almost grim. He was completely taking this whole mess seriously for what it was worth. ]

The Prisoner Tower that I explored? Wasn't a pretty sight. I suspect it had to do something with an experiment, likely the one Jr. mentioned earlier and has to do with some pretty heavy stuff. The guy in charge of this... didn't really take it too well.

[ Don't make him say it out loud, okay? ]

[thiscomicsucks]

Hang on, which experiment was this again?

Trying to keep all of this straight is making my head spin.

[bythewaves]

There is one more thing. I found a room with a metal giant of some sort, surrounding it were the remains of 15 individuals. Oddly, it seemed their bodies had been burnt to ashes but the clothes remained untouched. I assume they fought the machine, for it was badly damaged. I took this gem from it - I do not know if it was the power source or something else.

[poorlovefool]

One way to tell. Did the other giant robot have a gem?

[poorlovefool]

I have another thing too. This chest.

[Taking the weapons off his podium to put this on it instead]

I have no idea why there's a glowing horse skull, but we could try reading the scrolls or something.

[strangerpeople]

...She seriously had those? And she had that?

HEY KIDS, PAY ATTENTION

[carnageandclass]

[They've been talking non stop and they seem to have made some progress but there's something Camilla noticed that hasn't been brought up.]

We have found quite a bit but I do think we need to ask another question:

[And she turns to Alexis and his loved one.]

Lord Alexis, what do you know about the Dwemer and why would there be experiments on them.

[intercessing]

...They are a disappeared race of people, who were more advanced in their brief time than even the races that still live today. They created tools in an attempt to become divine. They disappeared during a massive battle eras ago, apparently after the tools were used.

...

Arniel found one of the tools used by Kragenac. A tonal instrument called Keening.

AFTER ALL OF THE DISCUSSIONS

[defriendestration]

....SO...WHAT DO WE DO?

HOW DO WE STOP....ANY OF THIS??

[carries_war]

I think we've already derailed part of it just by surviving. They need us dead, in order to weaken all of the Daedric Princes.

DINOKSETIID

[strangerpeople]

[It's after the declaration to fight, that the doors are suddenly thrown open, revealing the inside of the building where the light was coming from at last. The doors don't seem to have opened on their own - indeed, it seems to be from the magic that is bring thrown with in, as it is accompanied by a shock of lightning.

As for what is within the Hall of the End? There is a giant, bright orb floating above a hall which looks just like the Debate Hall, where dozens of figures, clad in dark brown cloaks, keep shooting magical spells and weapons at it. Fire, lightning, poison clouds, arrows. They don't seem to be having much luck.

At the bottom of the hall is one figure in particular.]

Get rid of it. I don't care how! Get rid of that thing! It's not supposed to appear here!

[From her position, Elenwen speaks again, upon seeing the group outside the doors. Her eyes narrow at the sight.]

And--kill the Titled. All of them. As I said--I don't care how!

[She's not panicking. Oh, no. Why would she be panicking?]

[bythewaves]

And that would be why I agreed with Junior. [ Maglor says dryly and sighs softly, reaching for his sword.

Once more, hm, brother? Maedhros says gently

At least for a better cause Caranthir grumbles ]

EXECUTION: Lein Al Zind

[strangerpeople]

[They did their best. They really, really did. The cracks spread, and as the Titled worked on the egg, the orb split down the middle.

And then exploded.

Everyone is thrown back. The bright light engulfs them all, accompanied by a powerful roar. There is a faint silhouette of a massive dragon within the broken bits of the egg, as it unfurls its body and its wings within the epicenter of the energy. It is terrifying and fascinating at the same time.

More terrifying, because it meant even with destroying the egg, the inevitable is--

A voice rings through the air.


Rii Tiid Sah

An overwhelming new sensation takes over, and everything, for everyone, goes black.]