Three days after the festival, Delfarius sits with Morghain upon a cloud above Karak’Grom. His will holds the vapor firm beneath them, while the city’s terraces glow far below.
Delfarius
It is a really good view from up high. Solid is just a matter of will, really, when you think hard about it.
The cloud steadies beneath Morghain as Delfarius reinforces its shape. Below, Amama remains freely among Karak’Grom’s people, walking the terraces beside Nara without his direction.
Morghain
I believe you. The cloud obeys because you have decided it should hold, but I can still feel the difference between command and trust.
Morghain relaxes by degrees, her violet eyes following the city’s movement. Far below, Amama and Nara pause together beside a firelit parapet, absorbed in one another’s conversation.
Morghain
You gave Amama the freedom to remain there, and she chose it. Now Nara is choosing to know her. Does it surprise you when freedom creates attachments you did not arrange?
Morghain
Tell me, Delfarius. When you look down at them, are you admiring what they chose, or wondering whether you can keep yourself from shaping what comes next?
“"She is my friend. I nudged. I just watch to make sure Nara does not hurt her. That is all." I smirk.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Deception, rolled +1)
Delfarius
She is my friend. I nudged things a little. I am only watching to make sure Nara does not hurt her, that is all.
Delfarius smirks as the cloud drifts above Karak’Grom. Below, Amama and Nara continue their conversation beside the firelit parapet, neither appearing threatened or constrained.
Morghain
You nudged them toward one another, then placed yourself between friendship and danger. That is a remarkably careful description of interference.
Morghain studies his smirk rather than the city below. Her violet eyes narrow with amused skepticism, but no accusation follows, and the cloud remains steady beneath them.
Morghain
I believe that you are watching to protect Amama. I also believe you arranged just enough circumstance for Nara to become important to her. Both can be true.
Far below, Nara laughs and gestures toward the terraces while Amama listens, freely choosing to remain at her side. Morghain’s expression softens as the sight confirms the distinction.
Morghain
Then keep watching without tightening your hand around either choice. If Nara harms her, intervene. Until then, let their friendship belong to them.
✓ Quest Accepted
Earn Morghain’s trust by protecting choice without controlling it
“I lean closer to Morghain. "Do you really not trust me enough to not shape their relationship? That would just be like playing a game. And those are not the types of games I play with friends." I tilt my head towards Morghain. "Besides, I am still a little hurt you did not mention my wonderful pun and solid is just a matter...when you think hard about it." I frown a bit. "Not as funny when you have to explain it."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Delfarius
Do you really not trust me enough to leave their relationship untouched? That would be playing a game, and I do not play those games with friends. Besides, I am still hurt you missed my wonderful pun about solid being a matter of will when you think hard about it. It is less funny when I explain it.
Delfarius leans closer, tilting his head toward Morghain with a faint frown. Below, Amama and Nara continue their conversation freely, untouched by any tightening command from above.
Morghain
I trust you enough to believe you when you say you will not shape them. I was naming the temptation, not accusing you of surrendering to it.
Morghain’s violet eyes soften, and the cloud dips beneath their shared weight before steadying again. Her smile turns openly amused as she glances toward the firelit city.
Morghain
As for your pun, it was clever. Solid is a matter of will when one thinks hard enough about it. I simply respected it too much to laugh at the obviousness.
The reassurance lands without reservation: Morghain accepts Delfarius’s distinction and trusts him to leave Amama and Nara’s bond theirs. Her laughter follows a heartbeat later, warm enough to vindicate the pun without requiring further explanation.
Quest Complete
Earn Morghain’s trust by protecting choice without controlling it
“"Urgh. The pity laugh." I say falling back on the cloud. "Besides I wanted to come up here with you to show you not to fear heights. It would be complicated if you were to visit me more often in my Tower if you are always afraid to go out for long on the balcony with me."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -3)
Delfarius
Urgh. The pity laugh. Besides, I wanted to bring you up here to show you not to fear heights. It would be complicated if you visited my Tower more often while fearing its balconies.
Delfarius falls back onto the cloud, which yields beneath him like a cushion before firming again. Below, Karak’Grom glows steadily through the evening haze.
Morghain
I was not afraid of the height. I was respecting the possibility that your confidence might outpace the cloud’s willingness to remain solid.
Morghain lowers herself beside him, her dark hair shining blue in the thin light. She does not retreat from the edge, but her hand closes around the cloud’s surface to test its firmness.
Morghain
Still, you have made your point. I will visit your balconies again, and I will trust you to keep them safe. In return, you owe me a proper tour without pretending every lesson is a joke.
Her concession is genuine, but the favor is now named and owed. Morghain settles fully beside him, accepting the height while preserving a clear claim on his time and attention.
Morghain
And next time, Delfarius, let me laugh at the pun because it is funny, not because I am trying to reassure you. That would make the lesson more successful.
✓ Quest Accepted
Give Morghain a proper tour of the Obsidian Tower
“I frown a bit disappointed. "So that means it was a bad pun. Noted." I look over to her and smirk staring deeply in the eyes. "What else do you want to see in my Tower? Hmm an informed guide is a better guide."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +3)
Delfarius
So that means it was a bad pun. Noted. What else do you want to see in my Tower? An informed guide is a better guide.
Delfarius frowns in mock disappointment, then turns toward Morghain with a smirk and holds her bright violet gaze. The cloud remains firm beneath them.
Morghain
I want to see the places you protect rather than merely display. Show me the archives, the heart of the Tower, and wherever you keep knowledge too dangerous for careless hands.
Her answer carries no hesitation. At once, a stair of black glass unfolds from the cloud into the Tower, its first landing opening directly onto the Endless Archives.
Morghain
That is an impressive answer from the Tower itself. I will accept the invitation, provided you explain what I am seeing instead of expecting me to admire mystery in silence.
The new passage grants Morghain a tangible privilege: the Tower recognizes her as a welcomed guest and opens its restricted archive galleries to her without a command from Delfarius.
Morghain
Lead on, informed guide. Start with the archives, then show me the heart, and finally the knowledge you trust me to question.
“"Okay. Well shall we?" I say gesturing towards my Archives.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Delfarius
Okay. Well, shall we?
Delfarius gestures toward the black-glass stair. The passage answers at once, carrying both of them from the cloud into the Endless Archives, where endless shelves rise beneath a starless vaulted dark.
Morghain
Gladly. You make an entrance even when you are merely opening a door.
Morghain steps onto the archive floor without hesitation. Silver script moves across the nearest shelves, recording thoughts, lives, and ancient judgments while sealed galleries remain dark beyond them.
Morghain
Show me how this place distinguishes preservation from possession. A record can be kept safely, but the person behind it must not become another artifact.
The Archives open a broad gallery before her, leaving its wards visible rather than hidden. Names shimmer on distant spines, while the threshold to deeper knowledge waits for Delfarius to explain its limits.
“"Hmm. Well it is just an archive. It was created with me, by me and created me at the same breath as the Star forge was. Sister spark. I needed a place to remember those lives I created. I returned to the new cycle like a mortal until I discovered my true power. And why it was important. Creation, the mortals, the lives lived. That is why the book you borrowed from me did not react the same way as it did when I touched the pages. It recalls the feelings, the sensations of the story of the mortals and knowledge it records." I brush my finger over the spines respectfully letting the memories brush into my mind. "Does that make sense?"”
SUCCESS (Good Ancient Archive Lore, rolled +1)
Delfarius
It is just an archive, though. It was created with me, by me, and created me in the same breath as the Star Forge. My sister spark. I needed a place to remember the lives I created, so I returned to the new cycle as a mortal until I discovered my true power and why it mattered. Creation, mortals, lives lived. That is why the book you borrowed did not react to you as it did to me. It remembers the feelings and sensations within the mortals’ stories, as well as the knowledge they recorded. Does that make sense?
Delfarius brushes one finger over the nearest spines with unusual respect. The Archive answers through warmth, grief, laughter, and countless fleeting sensations, letting remembered lives pass through him without tearing free of their records.
Morghain
Yes. The Archive is not merely holding descriptions of lives. It is holding the resonance of having lived them, while your touch gives you access to that resonance as its creator and kin.
Silver script brightens along the shelves beneath his hand. The response is gentle rather than possessive: the records remain preserved, while their emotional impressions acknowledge the one who gave them a place to endure.
Morghain
That explains the book’s difference. I could read its knowledge, but you touched the lives woven through it. For you, the pages remember creation from both sides: the maker and the mortal who returned to discover what he had made.
Morghain
He speaks of creation as responsibility, not merely dominion. The Archive’s memories are not trophies to him, even if his power could make them so.
Morghain
It makes sense, Delfarius. More importantly, I understand why you touch these spines carefully. You are not simply searching the past. You are greeting the lives that taught you what your power was for.
“"Well when I stopped just treating my power like a hunger to feed. Yes."”
Delfarius
Well, when I stopped just treating my power like a hunger to feed. Yes.
Delfarius lets his hand fall from the spines. The Archive’s warmth remains beneath his fingers, but it no longer feels like an appetite demanding to be satisfied.
Morghain
Then that is the change beneath everything else. You stopped asking what power could consume, and began asking what it could preserve.
Morghain turns toward him, violet eyes reflecting the silver script. The shelves continue their endless whisper, yet none of the recorded lives are disturbed by her attention.
Morghain
That does not make your power gentle, Delfarius. It makes your choices visible. Hunger can be denied, redirected, or indulged. Purpose has to be examined every time.
A nearby volume opens without being touched, revealing a mortal’s account of fear becoming courage. Its resonance brushes the gallery, then settles back into the page.
Morghain
Show me one life you preserved because you understood that difference. Not the grandest one. The truest.
“I hear a chime and chuckle. I answer it. "It is okay you may come near me, just mind the shelves." In a puff of smoke Pistol comes out of a shadow gate telling me why she came and what she did last and how excited and hard it is to keep a secret, then notices Morghain.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
A clear chime rings through the Endless Archives. Delfarius chuckles as silver script ripples along the shelves, and a nearby shadow gate answers his attention.
Delfarius
It is okay, you may come near me. Just mind the shelves.
The gate opens obediently between two towering shelves. Pistol bursts through in a puff of smoke, purple sparks skipping around her boots before settling harmlessly against the floor.
Pistol
I came because I found a secret passage behind the feast banners! I followed it, opened a little shadow latch, and moved three books that were definitely looking suspicious. I was so excited, and keeping it secret was really, really hard!
Pistol’s grin falters as she notices Morghain beside the open volume. She hugs her mechanical squirrel close, studying the unfamiliar goddess with bright, wary curiosity.
Pistol
Oh! I do not know you yet. Are you another archive person, or someone Delfarius is introducing properly? I can keep secrets, but I need to know which kind this is!
Morghain
Then let us begin properly. I am Morghain, a guest and friend of Delfarius. I have not met you before, Pistol, but your secret sounds safely placed in your own hands.
“I raise my eyebrow at Morghain as if to present Pistol as an answer to her earlier question to me. "Wait. Three suspicious looking books. To where, Pistol. Where did you move these sus books to?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Delfarius
Wait. Three suspicious-looking books. Where did you move these suspicious books to, Pistol?
Pistol brightens beneath Delfarius’s raised eyebrow, hugging her mechanical squirrel as purple sparks skip across the Archive floor. Morghain watches, amused and attentive.
Pistol
Behind the shelf with the silver moon carved on its side! I put them in the little gap behind it, where the books cannot wander away.
Pistol darts to a towering shelf and presses three fingers against its moon carving. A shadow latch appears, opening onto a narrow recess where three displaced volumes rest safely.
Pistol
See? They are all together, and none of them screamed, bit me, or tried to become a door. I think that means I stored them perfectly.
Morghain
A sound hiding place, if somewhat alarming in its description. Pistol, will you show us what made those books suspicious without opening them yet?
“I look at Pistol half amused, half tired already. 'Of course she moved tomes in my Archives. Why not' I think to my thoughts alone. "Pistol, when were you here to move these, or did you just do that?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Delfarius
Of course she moved tomes in my Archives. Why not.
Delfarius
Pistol, when were you here to move these, or did you just do that?
Pistol’s grin turns sheepish beneath Delfarius’s raised eyebrow. Morghain remains beside the open recess, watching the girl and the three displaced volumes with growing amusement.
Pistol
Just now! I found the passage behind the feast banners, followed it here, and moved them before you noticed. They were suspicious, so I rescued them into one safe little group.
Pistol
I did not move them earlier, and they did not move themselves. I used the shadow latch, peeked into the gap, and put each tome inside very carefully.
Morghain
There is your answer. She moved them moments ago, and her confidence suggests she considers unauthorized archive rearrangement a form of helpful exploration.
Pistol pats the nearest book through the open recess, then looks up at Delfarius expectantly. The volumes remain closed, intact, and exactly where she placed them.
“I sigh then it breaks into defeated laughter. I hold my hand out and the Tomes come to my hands. Which books was Pistol suspicious of. "Why did you come here, little shadow? Surely not just to rearrange my Tomes."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Magic, rolled +2)
Delfarius
Why did you come here, little shadow? Surely not just to rearrange my tomes.
Delfarius sighs, then breaks into defeated laughter. He extends his hand, and magic draws the three suspicious tomes from the recess into his waiting grasp.
The volumes settle against his palm without opening. Their bindings bear no visible threat, but faint ward-scent clings to one spine, while another hums with concealed shadow.
Pistol
I came because the passage was secret, and secret passages are practically invitations! Also, one of the books whispered about a purple place.
Pistol hugs her mechanical squirrel tighter and points at the middle tome. Purple sparks brighten around her fingers, matching the curious glimmer in her eyes.
Pistol
The middle one felt lonely, the silver-spined one felt sneaky, and the black one tried very hard to pretend it was ordinary. I wanted to investigate.
Morghain
That is a remarkably honest answer. The question is whether her investigation has found a danger, or merely three books with unusual manners.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine whether the three suspicious tomes pose a danger
+ New Item Acquired
Middle Tome
+ New Item Acquired
Silver-Spined Tome
+ New Item Acquired
Black Tome
“"All of my Tomes could pose a threat." I say manner of factly. I look over the Tome that sparked Pistol's interest the most. What does it pertain to.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled +3)
Delfarius
All of my Tomes could pose a threat.
Delfarius lifts the middle tome beneath the Archives’ silver light and studies its binding, ward-scent, and concealed resonance. The answer resolves without opening it.
It pertains to Splatter: a record of constructed trials, their rules, participants, verdicts, and the power that turns judgment into spectacle. The tome preserves not merely outcomes, but the choices made beneath them.
A hidden index unfolds across the cover, separating every recorded game from its governing conditions. One sealed section identifies which rules were freely accepted and which were imposed, making coercion impossible to mistake for consent.
Pistol
So it remembers the rules too? That means it can tell when somebody cheated! Can it show me the strangest game?
Morghain
It is a ledger of judgment disguised as entertainment. More usefully, Delfarius, that index gives you a way to expose false consent before any future trial can claim legitimacy.
The tome settles warm against Delfarius’s palm, its index now accessible to him alone. Its first advantage is clear: every recorded trial can be examined by rule, choice, and consequence without releasing the game itself.
“I fold the pages back and close the book. 'I like splatter, and sometimes I just need to throw someone over the side of the balcony of my tower.' I think to myself amused darkly. "This is not a game for children, Pistol."”
Delfarius folds the pages back over Splatter’s sealed trials and closes the tome. The warmth leaves his palm as the cover settles, leaving the dangerous games contained once more.
Delfarius
I like Splatter. Sometimes I just need to throw someone over the side of my tower.
Delfarius
This is not a game for children, Pistol.
Pistol
I know! I do not want to play it. I only wanted to see the strangest game, not become part of one.
Pistol hugs her mechanical squirrel closer, purple sparks fading from her fingers. Her mischievous grin returns, but she keeps a respectful distance from the closed tome.
Morghain
A sensible boundary. Splatter may preserve judgment, but curiosity is not consent, especially when the game was built to turn consequence into spectacle.
Pistol
Then can you show me something strange that does not involve throwing anyone anywhere? I promise I will only move books that are actually suspicious.
Morghain’s violet eyes brighten with amusement while the Archives quietly reseal the tome’s index. Pistol points toward the deeper shelves, already searching for a safer mystery.
“"Pistol, did you come here for a real reason or did you just want to explore my Archives?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled -1)
Delfarius
Pistol, did you come here for a real reason, or did you just want to explore my Archives?
Pistol’s grin fades into thoughtful concentration. Her mechanical squirrel peeks from her arms as the Archive’s silver script gathers faintly around her, answering the question rather than distracting her.
Pistol
Both, but mostly a real reason. The middle book whispered about a purple place, and when I heard that, something in me felt like it recognized the words.
Pistol
I do not remember seeing it before, but it felt connected to my missing memories. I came to find out whether the Archives knew what it meant. Exploring was just the exciting part.
The sealed tome gives a quiet pulse beneath Delfarius’s hand. Its index turns one page by itself, revealing a purple-marked reference buried among records of shadow weaving and forgotten paths.
Morghain
Then her curiosity followed a genuine resonance. The Archive has confirmed that the phrase is connected to her history, though it has not yet revealed the memory itself.
Pistol
So I was right! I did not come here only to poke around. Can we look at the purple reference together, Delfarius? I want to know what I forgot.
“I frown as I look at the book of Shadows. It is the Tome about the life she lived in the cycle long ago, isn't it?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled +2)
Delfarius frowns over the Shadow Tome and studies its layered resonance. The investigation passes through ink, binding, and sealed memory, separating its ordinary references from the preserved account beneath them.
The answer resolves with certainty: this is the tome of Pistol’s life in the destroyed cycle, preserving not merely events, but her feelings, sensations, shadow magic, and forgotten choices.
Purple script stirs across the closed cover. The Archive recognizes Pistol’s former life within the volume, while its memories remain contained rather than forcing themselves into her present mind.
Pistol
It really is mine? Not just a story about someone who looks like me, but the life I lived before I forgot everything?
Morghain
The resonance confirms it. The tome preserves the person you were, Pistol, but it does not own the person you are now.
The Shadow Tome opens at Delfarius’s touch, revealing a complete first passage beneath the purple-marked index. Pistol’s forgotten cycle-life is available to read, while the choice to face it remains hers.
“"I did tell you I would let you read it if you wanted to. Do you want to?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Delfarius
I did tell you I would let you read it if you wanted to. Do you want to?
Pistol
Yes! I want to know what I forgot, but I want to read it myself, not have the memories pushed into my head.
Pistol steps closer, mechanical squirrel tucked beneath one arm. The Shadow Tome lies open between them, its purple script brightening without spilling any memory into her mind.
Morghain
Then let her choose the pace, and let the pages remain pages until she decides what each memory means.
The tome answers Pistol’s consent. Its first passage settles into clear, readable lines, while a gentle ward separates remembered sensations from her present thoughts.
Pistol
I can read it. I remember choosing shadows, and being scared, but I do not have to become that girl again. I can keep deciding who I am.
Pistol places her fingertips on the first page. The purple ink yields to her touch, revealing the opening memory for her to read, while the Archive keeps every later passage safely waiting.
“I stand up and look at Morghain. I sigh a bit shortly and smirk. "I hope you are okay with a delay in our tour." I look at the other tome that Pistol was suspicious about.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Perception, rolled +1)
Delfarius
I hope you are okay with a delay in our tour.
Delfarius stands, gives Morghain a brief sigh and a smirk, then turns toward the other suspicious tome. Its silver spine catches the Archive’s quiet light.
Morghain
A delay is acceptable. I would rather see what drew your attention than hurry you past a mystery.
Delfarius studies the silver-spined volume without opening it. His perception passes through the binding, wards, and layered resonance, revealing correspondence preserved beneath the harmless archival script.
The letters describe shadow-weavers hiding children and forbidden teachings during the destroyed cycle. One repeated reference names the Violet Hearth, a refuge connected to Pistol’s lost life.
The clearest account states that a frightened child was brought to the Violet Hearth, but the surviving correspondence ends before identifying who delivered her or why. The knowledge settles privately with Delfarius.
Morghain
You found something significant. Take the time you need, Delfarius. A truth preserved in silence is still safer than one exposed before its owner is ready.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn who brought Pistol to the Violet Hearth