Worlds Beyond Number - WWW #49: The New World

Episode Date: May 27, 2025

Shining, shimmering, splendid. Endless open doors, in a countryside of vapor. Everyone's invited. Do we have enough food? This is what you wanted. You leapt out the window, you walked through the door, you sent up the flare. But that's the past, and we're not headed there...are we?Worlds Beyond Number is:Brennan Lee MulliganErika IshiiAabria IyengarLou Wilsonand is produced, designed, and scored by Taylor Moore at Fortunate Horse with exquisite design and editing help from Jared OlsonSPECIAL THANKS TO: Shannon and Amanda Freberg! Transcript of this episode coming soon! You can find transcripts of all our episodes here, for free, on our Patreon.Our album art is by the great Corey BrickleySome additional ambient sound design comes from Michael Ghelfi Studios. You can get their sounds and music for your home games and VTT as well, which we enthusiastically recommend. 

This is the sound of worlds beyond number. The very first time the word cackle was used in Umura. Was not only to describe the general pitch of laughter from a witch, wicked or otherwise. It is actually intimately tied to the history of broom riding. The easiest household object to enchant with the capability of character. of carrying its rider aloft into the skies of the world of Umorah. Flying brooms have been a source of strength for the witches of this world for time immemorial. And in the very first instances of flight, certain commonalities were discovered.

Ame, the Witch of Toma, having flown many times before as a passenger aboard, grandmother ran broom discovers that the experience of flying is nothing like being a passenger. For indeed, as the broom shoots across the kitchen into her hand, grasping the hawthorn, Amé feels what the very first witch has felt. A gleeful, tickling, nauseating rise of the stomach deep in the cockles of the gut and the levitating magic raising the hackles of the neck. The hackles and cockles rising simultaneously, etymologically created the first usage of the word cackle from a confused and giddy witch attempting to describe her physical state to her amazed friends on the ground some ancient sum of years in the foggy past of this.

world. Amé, the broom in your hand, already raising the hairs of your arm as it snaps across the room, fills you with an abulience, a levity, a joyfulness that does not match the horror of the burnt sky outside, nor the menacing of the wizard's slate who now beholds you and has no spell to counter, this magic of witchcraft being much deeper and older than any summoning of spell energy. The broom that you are holding in contact with your body, its bristles of twigs alighting underneath you, first removes weight from the center of your stomach, as though rushing quickly in travel over a bump or sudden rise in elevation. As the stomach goes weight, The rest of the torso, starting low, deep in the saddle, rises as well, such that one's

toes or feet have to kick for purchase on a ground that they are rapidly departing. Even as you feel the weightlessness, some part of your legs is summoned to want to still have ground to stand on. Moving to the window to escape sudden death, the feeling of glee as the fox leaps into the satchel of your bag. And you can see that even the fox, by virtue of being your familiar, feels some weightlessness in this moment. To ride a broom as the witch holding the broom herself is to be well and fully weightless. There is no sense of sitting on the broom, but you suddenly realize that for the need to maintain contact with this thing that is now the sole thing holding you

suddenly some hundred feet in the sky, you leave the window of the castle and suddenly a lethal fall is underneath you. You realize wrapping your legs around it and holding on with both hands is not necessary for weight distribution. It is just a pretty good idea given how significant this magical object is to your continued safety. Can you please describe what Ame is feeling in this moment as she takes to the sky? The wind rushes past you. The broom that you are holding, the fox also cackling next to you. You tear off into the sky. The visual reality, burnt sky, no longer fire coming from arcane cannons, but instead

shattered stone and rubble, the sort of shimmering force fields of arcane shields nearby, calm because they are no longer under direct attack, All of this hellish wasteland around you is in stark contrast to the feeling of weightlessness, utter control, the feeling of panic as some part of you goes, too high, too high, too high, but as you try to counteract that and dip down, suddenly you're approaching the ground, and that doesn't feel safe either. Nothing about this feels safe and everything about it feels joyful. To the broom with both hands, there is a sudden,

rush. You are doing this for the very first time, and at this moment, you are soaring, you are headed straight out and away from the wizard's slate. It is dark under cloud cover, but you are visible to anyone that would think to try to spot you, and you are learning how to fly a broom for the first time. Go ahead and give me an air vehicle proficiency check. This will be wisdom plus proficiency. 25. Unbelievable. Amé, what are the first things you do to test out the broom as you fly it? It's hard to think in three dimensions like this.

It's almost like swimming, but with less control. In a lot of ways, it feels like the broom is not the thing that's floating. It's just the ballast for me. And so as I figure that, out, I figure out the direction that I should be pointing it and the velocity at which I could, if I were suvie, I'd be able to make the calculations in my head about the optimal way to fly this, but for now, this just feels like a deep, visceral welling up from my soul. Like I, I'm meant to be flying in this whole time. I've just been living, walking on the ground somehow.

doing your best to get an intuitive grasp of the broom. The first tests are very simple in terms of understanding that the broom is ballast. The broom is the source of the magic. No, no, the broom is channeling. It's channeling. You feel stories and histories from this broom. You feel a scullery made dancing with this broom in the castle kitchens, trying to build the courage to tell her true love,

another scullery made down the hall, how she truly felt. You feel the leather wrappings around the twigs, adding in cinnamon to make the sweeping smell sweeter. All of the long years of this broom's humble service rush towards you. You feel this broom can move at a quick pace for those that wish to know it can move at a speed of 50, but taking a bunch of extra weight on it would still fly, but it would fly much more slowly. You sense that the broom can basically lift you effortlessly, but to add another rider onto it, other than you're familiar, would dramatically lower the speed of the broom, almost slower than running. Perhaps able to save someone's life if they were falling,

but not really make two-person travel on here feasible. You can also feel you can uncross your ankles and push the broomstick a little bit away from you as you're flying and you're still flying, you can maybe even let go with one hand and hold on with one hand if it doesn't feel too risky. I do some tests. I'm still trying to cover ground, but I still want to make sure that I can maneuver it efficiently and cleverly. Yes, as you look and see the object of your investigation, the lights of the epiphany, the capital ship of the Citadel's fleet, and the Kamsara's an empire, pulling off into the clouds. You know that you have a great task ahead of you, but your task will require expert piloting. So as quickly as you can, you push the broom away from you,

you see that you can stay weightless with just one hand on this broom. You can hang in the sky, holding onto the broom if you want, but tilting it in a direction or other, you feel very imbalanced. You feel that you want the control that knees and hands can give you. Interesting how a broom itself does not do the sweeping. It is the user that has to do the work

and has to guide it. And that is somehow inside my head as I fly. and the broom channels. As you fly, you get back into that riding position and feel yourself wanting more speed and feel yourself basically all you need to do is move your torso away from the broomstick to slow down.

It's very intuitive. There's already a wind resistance of exposing your chest to the direction that you're flying, but it's actually the separation from the broomstick itself that seems to create. that sudden slowness, and to pick up speed, all you have to do is hug that broomstick tighter to the point where you are almost wrapped around it. Your sternum pressed to the wood of the broomstick, your eyes peeling ahead, feeling the shaft of it, up around your jaw line, your legs wrapped around it.

That is when you pick up the utmost speed, surging ahead like an arrow in flight. You see the fox who has gotten himself now. Seeing the degree of danger, even though the weightlessness is making him giggle, he has actually opened and gotten into your satchel. So he's in a little sidecar, which is your sort of like traveling bag. His little head pokes out. And you see, he goes, this is absolutely amazing. Oh, oh, what are we doing? We escaped.

What's the plan? Oh, yes. Uh, the plan. Well, we gotta go after, Suvi. You have a plan, right? Yeah. What's your plan, though? Oh, spirits, you don't have a plan at all.

There's no plan. Oh, we're doomed, we're dead. Come on. Okay, okay, okay. Here, listen, listen, okay. Uh-huh. This is actually kind of easy, right? This is kind of easy, because all you have to do is come up with a plan,

but not a plan that a wizard could guess because they're the best of plans. So don't do too much of a plan. Do enough of a plan that there's a plan, but not so much of a plan that they can guess your plan. You have to be a hero. You have to save Sufi. You love her.

You have to be kind. Oh, but don't actually be like kind, kind. Because you know, you don't want to do a trap. Yes. And that ship is a trap. So don't do that because you have to be cunning. So remember to be cunning. Do everything smart.

And remember, you're the witch of the world's heart. So you have friends everywhere. But don't just trust everybody. Thank you, Fox. I hope that was clear. That was a very good rundown of all the important pieces. Yeah. Whatever you do this, okay, don't freeze up.

You have to follow your heart. Okay, all right. Don't freeze up. Follow your heart. Fox! Just don't make any mistakes. Fox! All right.

I think to myself, what is my plan? I didn't really have much beyond... We get the kids through the door. I take the doorknobs. I don't abandon Suvi, but she told me to... She told me this was a trap. She told me I should run. This is the opposite of that.

Uh, but... Oh, I don't know. I said I wouldn't leave her again. The fox looks up and says, Boss, listen, that's a giant airship. We have no idea where Sufi is. And you hear... And there's a projection of an arrow in light on the front of your broom

as TASC pokes his head up out of your bag and makes the little arrow ridgesion point towards the epiphany. You see the fox looking at the giant cannonade of the ship whips around and looks at TASC and says, Who asks you? Can you sense Suvi? And where she is? Little mirrored spiderhead nodding enthusiastically.

Oh, that's wonderful. Are you able to contact her? You see, Task reaches out and feels a wall. You see that Task projects the word wall in front of you in light. And once again, gestures with an arrow to the epiphany. You wonder if the wall is actually magical in nature, some kind of block barrier or otherwise prevention of tasks, ability, but sensing the direction to his mistress is no challenge to him.

Okay, so I am, I had a plan before, but I'm amending it, and we are going to go follow the directions to Suvi. We're going to get close to her, see if we can knock down a potential wall that's blocking tasks's ability to communicate with her. Because maybe I don't have a plan, but I can almost guarantee that Suvi will. Task nods enthusiastically. And I'm going to need a stealth check from you. Difficulty 15, 20 would be great. Oh, okay.

Can I get, this is from the Fox? Help from the Fox. 16 plus 3 is a 19. Incredible. You peel off. You can look down and see yourself getting scoped by some members of Imperial Army, but there's so much chaos immediately post-battle. Remember, this is in the first 20 minutes after the conclusion of the battle that they just see something flying smudged against the

sky, but he's easily could be a wizard as anything else from the distance you're flying already to make out a broom with the level of haze and fog of war in this place would be very, very challenging. But you do see some beings below, maybe Timori or wizards or other things, spot you as you go, and you see the epiphany pulling up into the cloud cover. If you go into the cloud cover, you'll lose visibility. Maybe you'll see the lights of the ship up ahead of you. But if you stay under the clouds, you will have to contend with maybe being spotted by anyone below you.

I move above the clouds sure that I can have task, be my guide. Are you going to go all the way fully above the clouds? Yes. All right. You pull up. up through that space. For the first time and you don't even know how long you're not under the orange burnt clouds of the Shroud Mountains.

I didn't realize that I had been breathing so shallow, but now above the clouds. I take a deep breath. I follow Task's directions trailing behind the epiphany. As you begin to trail behind the epiphany, sailing over the clouds, the fox and task passengers in the airs, in your bag, both take a moment to look out over the starlit cloudscape.

It is a countryside of vapor that perhaps neither of them, a woodland creature, an artifact of magic, ever thought that they would see? Looking down, you can feel the doorknobs of common cause, knowing that Ursula and the Grinot children are on the other side of that door. They are there in that bag waiting for you. Task continues to point the direction to the epiphany. How long do you keep flying? And is there anything else you do in mid-flight?

Mid-flight, if task is able to multitask, I would like to ask him about, if not blueprints, most likely, layout and information about imperial sky ships. give me Arcana with advantage On my own I know next to nothing about sky ships

Imperial or otherwise but with tasks help and a 19 total I think that I can keep up with whatever task throws at me on that Arcana

you get a sinking feeling in your stomach. The gunnels of the epiphany are inscribed with powerful ruins. Massive, magical lanterns capable of having an iris focused into spotlights a door in the back of the vessel. Those are the lights that you're literally allowing you to follow it before a task could point.

the direction. On a 19 arcana, Amé can rule out the ability to arrive on the deck of the ship in mid-flight. One of several things would happen, probably simultaneously. Powerful divinations would auto fire on you to glean your name, see invisibility, cast out any potential of approaching under disguise or illusion. It is possible that even your name would attempt to be discerned by that, and your location would quickly be fixated on by those lanterns. Now, even if you could dispel one component of these or another, you don't think you'd be fast enough to dispel them all simultaneously,

and those cannons on the back of the ship were manned as TASC and Sufi approached the ship. And I think there's a part of you, too. even in asking this, a very different ame, perhaps an ame of some week or two ago, would have seen the goal of alighting on the deck of the ship as being so worthy and noble that it should just be attempted. And yet a cunningness to go, this thing that I wish to do may well be impossible now surrounds you as you think about how paranoid wizards are. They will have taken great pains to make what you wish to do impossible.

With this wisdom that comes to you as you review Task's memory, I want you to make a perception check with advantage as well. 17. You look at some of the runes on the back of the Epiphany as Task lays them out before you. You are the Witch of the World's Heart, and you have to amend some of your image of yourself. because all of a sudden you realize something which is very true. You've seen more of imperial magic than not only the vast majority of the world,

but probably the vast majority of witches. You've been in the heart of the citadel. One of your closest true friends is an archmaidious apprentice. You have seen great battle unfold. You have seen the sword of the citadel in combat. And you get a sense. of what the outer periphery of the Epiphany's divination magic would be. And on a 17th perception, you become suddenly aware that there are two spirits flying underneath you in the clouds

who do not know that they are about to trip the defenses of the epiphany as they begin to close in on it. I immediately dive down to observe the spirits with clouds. cover. Diving back into the clouds, one is about the size of a human being, the other much smaller flying in its wake. Both of them winged, flying ahead of you as fast as they can, their wings beating. Enzo and Cyril pursue the epiphany. Enzo, Cyril! Twirling around, you see Enzo, you see Cyril goes, It's the Anguish of the world's heart

And you see Enzo turns and goes Who? Mr. Sommi grabbing Cyril in his hands To protect his little blue brother Enzo Of the world's heart What are you doing here? What are you doing here?

You see he turns to continue to pursue the epiphany But suddenly he goes Do they know we are here? No, no And we do not want them to know that Because Suvi is on there And she has been arrested What?

eye is aboard that vessel You see he just begins flying after it And you see No no no no no no no we need to be smart about this You see the fox looks up And a tear forms at his eye He goes that's my boss You see

All right you know what That feels patronizing I don't know what that means You see he looks up And you see that Enzo Whips around to the fox and goes In the manner of a patronalistic condescending And then turns back

and looks at you, as you stop pursuing the epigraph for a second to hang here in the cladz, he flaps his wings holding himself aloft, but you can perfectly hover on your broom. Within the fog, he turns and says, The wizard's sky is aboard the epiphany? She is. Well, why didn't she take these letters to those wizards herself? Well, I don't think that she knew she was going to be on the ship today, or to see them today, or possibly ever again.

Did you not deliver them yet? We're trying. The wizards are aboard that ship. You see Cyril goes, mine, poo. Interesting, interesting. Well, I'm trying to pursue the ship and not be caught, and I think perhaps it's to our advantage of you also are not detected by them.

I understand that you were given this missive as your final request, but perhaps could you hold out a little longer and, well, help me figure out how to get to Suvi? Give me a persuasion check. Honey, baby! On a Nat 20s you look, you see that Enzo's long pointed nose and long pointed ears turns and says, Who saved our brother Vandal? We would perform freely. And you see both of them bow in midair.

Oh, thank you. I hope that little fart nugget is doing all right with Suvi. He'd love to be called that. Yeah. Thank you. Enzo turns to you and says, where is our brother? Oh, Task here. Do you know Task?

See, Tas shows Suvi walking aboard with Vandal's book. He can guide us. Task can guide us to Suvi, but can't seem to be able to communicate with her right now. Enzo turns and says, The ship travels away at top speed, but it is worth mentioning now, I think, that if the ship has defenses, pursuing it makes sense, but understand this, before the ship arrives at its destination, this cloud cover will end, and we will be pure and plainly visible. We need to remain hidden, but I don't believe that there's a way that we can. could make ourselves undetectable to all of the wizardy runes and divinations. Enzo sort of cocks his head and says,

Ammonbound, I am not a creature of that ship. Were we once again in the citadel, the place of my birth? I might be a little bit more useful than I am here, but the truth is, I would have to approach that ship, before I knew how to undo any of its writings. See, Cyril turns and says, We chase many treasures aboard the ship, but in point of fact, we do not chase the ship itself.

That's true. We don't need to get aboard the ship if, for some reason, they take Suvie off of it? You see, the fox looks up and says, well, boss, they'll take her off eventually, right? They're not going to let her live the rest of her life there. No, yes, I realize, but, ooh, are they? Do I know, does it look like they are going to the Citadel? Directionally, yes.

Best bet would be to somehow meet them or intercept them at the Citadel, but that seems like it'd be even more difficult to get into. Go ahead and give me a history check, no help on this one. Call it DC-15. That is a 15 on the die. You see that Cyril begins to weep and goes, It is hopeless. Companions four, you see task chirps, and goes, Companions five, a bitter end,

a loss of letters, loss of friend, the ship that soon will leave the clouds, Abandoned hope, abandoned shrouds. And you see Enzo turns to him and says, Yes, once it leaves the cloud cover, to think that the ship will head over the Erulyan desert. There will be zero humidity or moisture in the atmosphere. Two demons, a witch, a fox, and a mirror spider

will be visible even to the most lackluster century aboard the back of the epiphany. You see the fox goes, Yeah. Probably there was some way to beat them to the citadel and not have to cross the desert. Amé, your favorite neighborhood in the citadel, Haverward. And you remember, where did that orange glow come from in Haverward?

Four gates. Four permanent teleportation gates. Do I know where the gates came out? I know that there's one in Cairo. There's one in Cairo. and Caro is a hell of a lot closer than the Citadel. Beautiful babbling brook, clucking of chickens, the buzzing of bees, the shouting and splashing of young children.

Ame's cottage is alive. Children splashing in down a stream. children chasing a loose chicken children in a fight some of the older boys hitting each other in the dusty patch outside of the weaving room inside the house

some others seated together eating some have overeaten due to a level of starvation or hunger some are catatonic in a corner having been in captivity for too long. The responses of these children to the traumatizing events that they have been through varies based on their temperament,

varies based on the circumstances that they arrived. Some of the children know where they can go to find their parents, Should they somehow be returned across the sea to the Shroud mountains? Some have only been in captivity for a very short time, perhaps less than a month. Others, it's been longer. There are others who, even before the empire found them, did not have parents to return to. There are some 80 children here, varying ages, each of their stories as their own. but what they all share in common, as Ursulaan beholds them, is that now, under his eye, they are free and they are safe.

Ursulaan, there are friends here as well that you have. Dr. Yagi in the kitchen is carefully, you know, after sort of the triage of seeing any immediate injuries of which there were blessedly very few. is now more in depth going about tending to and healing the children here. A lot of the younger kids are sort of playing with Hena Hohai. He's got this sort of wooden scarecrow staff around. Elbeth is feeding any kids that have not gotten a chance to eat yet. As is Dalma, who is cutting up stalks of scalyans for a big stew. Nearby, I think you also see Neif.

seated on a stoop reading a letter from Amme to her, the note that Amme penned. And she reads it aloud so that you can hear, I think. These are the children of the Grinnell. They are scared and have been through hell. Please care for them. Be gentle. And he will take them to their families or find homes for them. You're doing great.

How does she know I'm doing great? I might not be doing great. Neif, you are doing well. Neif turns up to look at you and goes, how did all this happen like this? Is Ami okay? Is everything, is, I mean, oh God, this is really tough. This is really tough.

This is really tough. It is. It is all quite immense. And that's why I believe we should focus on what is in front of us. these children and what we can do for them today. You see that two of the older boys walk over and approach you. Are you wearing your glamour in this moment or no? No.

You stay just beautiful sunlight standing in this yard. You look over and see there's that beehive that you ate that honey from all those years ago. It's just and now these kids all throughout. And you see that these two kids walk up. one of them looking at you and points to the sword on your waist. He goes, that your sword? Oh, you do. One of them says, I didn't get to see.

He killed a guy with it. He killed him. And you see, looks up and says, are you a warrior? I am. You see that the other kids, like, picks up a stick nearby. It goes like, I want to learn a sword fight. And you see, Ursulaan is immediately overwhelmed. I think there is, I think as he stands here, like surveying this group,

I think in bringing the children to safety, there is now the managing of this group of young people that is like not, has always been the domain of his friend, Amme. And there is something. these children, as a child, picks up a stick that Ursulaan kind of freezes up and it's just, don't do that. Hmm? Don't do that. Put the stick down.

What? Okay. A warrior's greatest acid is not his sword, but his shield. You see that a little kid comes up, and this young little kid comes up, and this young little, girl says, I can't jump anymore. And just starts to cry. She's like seven years old. She's going, I can't jump anymore. Oh, you know, Ursulon's going to pick her up and just hold her. You pick her up. Another little kid who's about five comes over and is crying and just

has grass all over their hands because they were eating so much honey that they got a bunch of grass on their hands. And you see that the older boy says, man, I can pick up a stick. Because you, I didn't, you, you, you did, you fought those guys. It was great. He killed his blood, blah everywhere. And the other guy died, ha! And you see that another kid who is hearing this and is not as callous as this, like, young teenage boy, is being reminded of the epic violence that just freed them all and just falls into a hole in his head and goes and sits against the stoop with his back against the house.

Enough, enough, enough of that. What I did to those gods. I wish I had not had to do. I'm not proud of what I did. You see that the younger boy who looked sort of more disturbed looks up and you can see feels safer in your presence. Our world is scary and filled with people who do not understand each other,

who do not understand me, who do not understand you. I wish for other means to deal with those people. But in certain times and moments, yes, we must fight, but it is never the ideal. You see that the younger boy looks up and says,

are we going to get to go home? You are. You see, he nods, and just goes and puts us, hand on your cloak and just stays close to you. See the older boys about like 14. One of the older ones who's here goes, I'm not scared of fighting. I don't know.

I want to stay here. This place is nice. I'm from Caro. Caro's not nice. I don't even live with other Grinot. I don't speak the Grinot language. I don't even do any of that stuff. I was all right.

I was on the street. I did lots of fights. I'll kill people. I'm sorry you had to do that. You immediately see the lie that he has. has told that he has killed people, sort of break on his face with the weight of your response, which is the true response you would give to someone that had had to do that. You see, he goes, fine, I should get to stay here if I want.

This place is nice. I can go where I want. And you see that he walks off. The little girl nearby who you're holding is just sort of crying, these sort of long sort of whimpers in your arms. Neif looks over and you see Neif turns to that younger boy. and walks after him for a moment. And you see, she goes,

you don't, you don't have any parents in Cairo. You see, he turns to, no. I don't even remember my parents. I grew up, I grew up in a hard part of Cairo. I was raised by some older kids,

and they put me in, there was a school I was in for a little bit of time, but that place, that place stunk. I got out of there. And you see that Neif, It was only a few years older than this boy. He goes,

well, I think that, I think that Amé would be happy with you staying here. If you wanted, are there other, there are others like you here that don't have parents to go home to, aren't there? You see, turns and says, yeah?

Yeah, there's, like a bunch of us. Yeah. And you see that Neif looks up. Uh, Ursula, give me a perception check. Only a six. You look and see Neif, her eyes kind of darting back and forth. Something.

Not sure what. She turns and says, huh, okay. And you see that Neif kind of walks with determination into the cottage. I'm going to put the young girl down that I'm holding. If you sit here, I'll come back. Would you like water? I'll see if we have cake. And you see that she sits there with her hands crossed.

And you see another little kid comes and sits next to her in a strange little odd act of child kindness and just starts putting dandelion heads in her lap as some kind of gesture of a childlike solidarity with no words spoken between them. them. I'm going to turn and walk in the house. You see Neif bounds up the stairs.

Elbeth and Dauma have a bunch of kids in the kitchen. Elbeth is giving little sweet treats as Dalma makes the soup. Dalma turns to look at you and says, busy in the cottage, any there, so long? Yes. 80 children is a lot of children. It's a lot. We're packed to the rafters.

And as he says that, you see a bowl, a full ceramic bowl. falls from the rafters, smashes on the ground into charts. There's like three kids up in the rafters. Please come down from the rafters. I'm going to reach you up and try and bring them down. Give me an attack roll. Natural one.

You jump up, and another bowl, this one filled with cream falls on your head. We had to climb up here. We can't jump anymore. You had to climb up there? Are you going to fix it? I'm going to try. Okay, try.

I will try. ride later. Did you kill that guy? All right. Elbeth, do you have more cake? What? Do you have a cake? I don't have any cake.

I'll make a cake. You can make a cake? I'll try. That's all that's all we can do. All right, I'm going to head up the stairs. You head up the stairs, and you see, in Grandma Wren's study, with all the sort of books that Neif has organized, absolutely. beautifully, that there are papers that she's arranging, and she's making a little journal book for herself. And she takes it and takes a little pen and looks up and says, too many kids.

This is so many children. Yes, 80 children is too many children. So I'm going to start to interview them. We need to get this. This has to be, we need to learn where they're all from. And we need to start to compile. And some of them are too little and they might not know the name of their town. So we need to get the other kids together to help explain.

And some of these children are young enough that they don't speak any imperial. They only speak to Roy and I don't speak to Roy. So we need to figure this out. I'm going to get started. Great. This is excellent, Neif. Okay. Okay.

Okay. Okay. I saw you speaking with the young boy from Cairo. I think you being closer to their age, it means something to them. Thank you. I just understand, I think. I just understand because I know before injury found me, I didn't have a home to go to. And even when I was with injury, I didn't have a home to go to.

and now I'm almost an adult and this is the first home I ever had and the person whose home it isn't around because she's out doing very important things. I think I'm about to turn 18 and I'll have not had a home. But there are many children here

and they have years in front of them and most of these children have parents who are desperately looking for them and they have you to thank for a chance to be reunited. But there are some here that that work is not going to be finished easily,

and that work matters. And if it didn't... And you see that she just starts shaking and goes, if it didn't happen for me, maybe something close enough would be happening for someone else. Ursula is going to walk up to Neef, kneel down to be at her height,

put both his hands, paws on her shoulder. You are doing great. This is great work. For the first time, under your hands, your breath all around you, there's a feeling of certainty which you have been carrying for some time. And at your touch, you can share that certainty with her. And there is a break in blessed relief, and her nervousness collapses into tears.

and she falls forward with a face on your chest and shakes and cries. For a brief moment, she just needs a second. She gets up and wipes the tears from her eyes and says, I don't know what the plan is, and that makes me scared. But I know that you have a purpose. And if you'll have me, I'll help. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that these kids, especially the ones that don't have somewhere, that they need to get back to you, they find somewhere to get back to.

I will have your help. It means a great deal to me. I'm going to get started talking to these kids. And you see that she hustles downstairs with the journal clasped to her chest. I think Ursulaan stands for a moment, feeling the cream drying on his fur, thinking of this idea of home. Thinks back to that summer. This place, albeit for one summer, was his home.

And the sense of belonging and place that he found here, and I think moves back downstairs to give that same feeling to these children. You walk downstairs, soup is on, everyone's going to get like a little tea cup of soup. and you see you walk downstairs to get people a feeling of home. Elbeth looks up and says,

I don't know that we have the cake. I don't know that we have what we need to make cake. I'm going to go into town. See if I can't get more supplies. Okay. Okay. Yes. And you see that they look at it.

She says, we'll manage them here. There's a little bit of soup to go around, but as much as you can get. And I think you see Neif goes, and she's talking to, another boy who's also a little bit younger than that boy from Caro. You see, he's about like 11 or so, but he looks really bright, little sort of blonde-headed boy. She looks over and says, he's going to help me. He's going to help me talk to everybody because he speaks to Roy and Imperial. And the little boy looks up and says, hi, I'm Buckles.

Nice to meet you. Yes, a lot. Hi, nice to meet you. I'll give everybody a hand if I can. Thank you, Buckles. I'm eager to see you all return to your homes, and Neif is but one person. So it means a great deal to me that you are assisting her. Thank you.

And you see that, once again with your words, you find yourself centered in that feeling of home. And as rattled as you were mere minutes before, wow, how confident does one feel when imparting. converting confidence to another. Holding a line together side by side. You see buckles turn to Neef, they get to work, and you head into town.

We, I think for the first time in the camp, or close to, no, except for Matsuri. But we see Toma, a beautiful water mill spinning over in the corner, down the little lane. There's a cluster of buildings all together with a smithy,

and a little summer stage for festivals or music, a small shrine in the center, populated with images and idols of many of the great spirits of a calm and those honored friends that hold places of high virtue and esteem amongst its peoples. Among their number, you see hidden away some of the great bear, some of Naram, some of the king of Storm, the Mary Hunter, and even one to Orima in the corner. And as you walk forward through Toma, which you've been in many years ago, but maybe didn't, I don't know if you left this way when you left Grandma Wren's cottage, you look to the summer stage where the little festivals are held and out beyond it in a field of small, sort of easy pastoral flowers blowing in the breeze.

there is a tall maypole and hanging from the summer stage you see that there is an emblem of a spirit there and you see an emblem of the great bear hanging over the stage. You depart, walking forward, and up ahead you smell

the wonderful smell of fresh-baked bread. It seems we both know where I'm headed. Walking forward, Lohan steps out. A little bit more crow's feet around his eyes than some gray around the temples. He looks up and goes, Oh, Lohan.

Good to see you. Good to see you. How are you doing? Well, um... Two baguettes and some fresh butter. I'm going to eat much more than that, friend. I don't know quite how to say this. There are four score children at the cottage. I've brought them here from war.

They are under my care. And they need to be fed. I can pay you as much as I have. Um, your turn. Lohan just stares and says, uh, all right. We can talk of coin later. I have

Rand, well, Amay's tab running, but she is, of course, the witch of the village, so mostly that's a kindness. Four score children. Yes, some 80. Did they come up through Silbury? I haven't seen anyone traveling all day.

No, it was the great workings of the witch of the world's heart that brought them here. What? Yes. What, like medicine? Hmm? Like a little medicine? Like a little medicine?

What do you mean workings of the great witch of the world's heart? Oh. Um, Amay has her ways. Oh. Oh, a witch's ways. Never mind. I don't need to know. I don't need to know.

Uh, bread, um, muffins. Um, do you want cake? We'll take anything. All right. Let me get a wheelbarrow. Um, do you need, I'll, I'll get word out into town. No. if toys, if other children would like to come by and play with them.

I mean, truly, anything that anyone can provide, we will have. I'll see it done. Anything for the Witch of Toma? He looks around at his bakery, he goes, okay, this, we may have to talk of coin. Of course, and I can help. Yes, all right. We'll speak it all out. I'll go get help.

Busing bees fade to twinkling fireflies as an impromptu festival occurs in the yard. Grandmother Wrens Cottage, there is bread. Townsfolk have come up with other forms of food. People are bringing clothing and people are bathing and you see that people are talking and a bunch of the townsfolk have come up. Toma has leapt into action at this strange and. wondrous sight. And you see that people look around. Some of them are going,

children appear out of nowhere. No, the witch's ways are mysterious. You see someone says, but with Wren, it never. And you see someone else turns and says, You weren't around when my grandmother told me stories of when Wren first came to Toma. Those were strange times. A young witch

is much more tempest than teapot. I'll tell you that right now. And you see that the children are out. And there's a moment as these adults are sort of moving around helping that you see, Neif is still sitting with buckles talking at her. She's filling this journal up. And there's a moment that it is just you, Dr. Yagi, Hena Hennah, Hoha, Elbeth, and Dalma, all kind of standing away.

Maybe like a little bit up the hill towards the shrine just to keep an eye on everything. and you look to your right and see these four spirits to the side of you. Give me perception or insight in this moment. 14 perception. This is the first time you've seen them since spoke with the man in black on the river. Since you dedicated your breath to something great. I think standing here, you look at Dalma, who's in his old man glamour,

but even when you saw him in his spirit form was a little porcine green man, but you look at him and see something infinite stretching behind him, a stream that has run for sentry water and life and growing things, and you look at Elbeth and see not only the buzzing of bees, but you see her effort, you see, you see, the making of something flower to flower, busy, busy, busy, buzzing. You look at Dr. Yagi and see a goat, but also behind that wisdom, healing medicine, something ancient and profound.

And you look at Hena Hennamohey, this silly scarecrow with a wooden stick. And you can feel ringing from behind him something like the ringing of a sword and shield as you look at a guardian spirit. And for the first time, you see that there is no such thing as a lesser spirit. Each one of these spirits has come from a world eternal and unending. And though they aspire to humbleness here, they are every bit as infinite as any spirit, which would be regarded as great.

Ruslan turns to behold these four. caretaker spirits. Thank you. I know this moment was thrust upon you, but you have all handled it beautifully, and it means a great deal to me. It was one thing to free these children, but I feel that there is much work to be done in getting them home. And I'm thankful to not do that alone. Your companions here on the low side of the hill. Turn and all smile at you. You see Hennano, Mohe goes, well, thanks so much. That's very kind of you to say.

And Dalma looks and says, Brother, the effort it took to free. If I'm not much mistaken, really seen you. And you see the other three that hear Dalma say that turned to look at you and go, Oh. And you can see they are seeing what you are seeing in them.

Dalma smiles and says, I need no shrine or offering when I see a spirit dead. So virtuous. I am happy to tend to my stream. Caretakers are we all. But rare and mighty are those spirits who work great change upon the surface of the world. Thank you, Mr. Soup. Ha, ha, ha.

You see, Dalma laughs and sort of spins in the air for a second, unseen by any of the humans below, and goes, Ha ha, ha, ha. Oh. Well, old Mr. Soup, never mind it a joke. And you see that he turns and says, well, but to speak of the business at hand, I think you are right. There is much work cut out ahead of you. How do you intend to get these children home? You see that Elbit says, we would help you if we could, but we are spirits of this land and place.

It is Amé's cottage to which our breath is tied. The same is not so for you. Well, it's my hope that when Neif is able to find where these children come from, I will be able to transport them home or request aid. Orima once... I once encountered Orimma. in the near spirit. She gifted me a great steed.

And I thought to pay visit to her shrine and perhaps ask if she could aid me again. Dalman nods and says, I think it a wise choice. A wise choice and true. You'll need more than a steed, even a great beast's to carry this many children. It's hard to think of how one might do it safely.

You see that Yagi sort of nods and says, "'Mez, a vessel is what's needed now, "'something that can take them. "'They are from lands far, far removed from a calm, "'that is, to be sure.' "'Elbeth look up and goes, "'Aremah is the right one to talk to. "'I think she has a shrine in Poma,

"'and it would... Be well for you to go, I think, Ursula. And Neif has offered to help you with this endeavor. Yes, she is creating a catalog, a record of where each of the children are from, and she has a young one named Buckles, who speaks to Roy, assisting her. Elvis nods and says, well, we'll keep an eye on things here and tend to the cottage, but I think with the villagers here, none of them will mean harm, but word will get out.

I think there is some urgency. Very well. Then do you intend to speak to Orima tonight, or... I thought so. When we'd gotten most of the children to bed, or as many as we could. To bed, to bed. Actually, that's quite an endeavor. We should talk to some of the people that brought clothes.

to see if they can leave it and we can pack some bedding or maybe some can stay to sew. It may be a while, Ursula. I think if you want to go, you'd best go. If you believe it best, I trust you. It will stay busy here for some time, getting everything ready. It will be likely a later night.

I think we'll want you back at the cottage when all of the grown-ups return to Toma. Agreed. I think Ursulaan is going to make a point of thanking villagers who have come to the cottage as he moves through the crowd and then back down into Tomo. After saying goodbye, you head on the road

and start to head back to Toma, your boots crunching here and there. It's not a gravel road, but there's enough little stones that everyone's just in a while. You get that little scraping noise of stones and the dust. As you head down the road, give me a perception check. 19. As you are walking down the road, About halfway to Toma.

It's about a 45-minute walk. It's walking down the road behind you. Ursulaan stops. To listen and see if the boots also stop. They don't. Never do. Lipton's quarters of the epiphany in gold. Massive desk.

Marble. Rich, warm wood. Golden pen. Behind it. Fleets of window. surveying the retreating skyline of Twelvebrook, highest most and raised in the aft of the ship, surrounded by windows on all sides,

this massive quarter behind a door, the actual bedroom of the captain, but here in the state room, so to speak, the desk, and behind it a massive spinning aurory, transmitting energy of our house, Abjuration across grand carpets, a small table adorned with fine liquors and glassware, much like a university's moving chalkboards, slate and spell chalk hanging from a basket suspended in mid-air, glowing ruin underneath it to be moved and left at arm's reach.

maps and maps and maps unfurling, a small helixing private library of spellbooks at the behest of the sword of the citadel. To one side, a working fireplace, a small, low-raised table, two sets of sofas and four armchairs around it, to have a staff of no less than a dozen come to make meeting in this place. This palatial captain's quarters smells of rich incense, burning cedar, a deep floral of a jasmine or perhaps some rarer flower, a hidden orchid, deep in a jungle capable of granting wishes, used instead to simply sweeten the air of the quarters of one who can grant wishes for herself. The sword of the Citadel sits at her desk, uncomfortably pivoted outwards,

a sleeve of her armor removed as a busy Citadel doctor tends to her. She writes furiously several missives, each missive not being handed to anyone in particular, but instead being rolled up, placed into a helix of six emeralds, flashing in light and vanishing as the smell of Ereth fills the cap. A raid before her are Citadel staff only, all name-cloaked, all wizards of the Citadel, as well as several Tamori attendants, and one or two you recognize. recognize bound spirits in the surface of Citadel wizards here, who do not tend to walk the citadel grounds with these bound spirits visible. You are marched into this room to see this site unfolding by two war mages behind you who bring you to attention in this place. As you

March in, where does your attention go to? Am I still gagged and bound? You are no longer gagged and bound. I think her eyes immediately go for the windows in the back and can't leave her understanding of 12 Brooks. and it's that weird your eyes are looking because you're thinking about the thing you just experienced

and then there's the dissonance of that like scent in the room the incense when she knows based on what she's seeing we're not far enough away yet we should still be able to smell the burning that dankness and the blood

and I hate that this room doesn't smell like the thing I still see behind my eyes. But I work very hard to not make eye contact with any person in this room. You

look and are the last one to observe the ruined fields of 12 Brooks. The quickly rotting corpses of Kashifi Dreadnots. The castle. Give me a perception check. D.C. is 20.

D.C. is 20. 17 on the dice. On a dirty 20. You look out, envelop the epiphany, racing away from you. From a window, orange vapor. I think there's just, it's noticeable enough, like, without recognition or hope or understanding, like a couple of her fingers just drum against the side of her leg as her brain just goes, remember that for whatever reason. One of the wizards speaking, if that other houses, marshal quickly.

but by all accounts this will come as a surprise. And you see that steel does not make eye contact with you, but points in your direction and she finishes writing something and says, move her to the corner. And you are moved to a corner of the room near some of the spellbooks lining the wall. And there is a small... Am I touched?

Yeah, the war mages put their hands on you and move you to the corner physically. Okay, noted. You are standing in a circle of golden runes in the lingua arcana, and you see that steel snaps her fingers and a cylinder of silence. Okay. I can still read mouths. Observant.

What are they talking about? This is my favorite feat I've ever taken. And I will do my best to school my face to, like, neutrality. while trying to watch as much conversation that's being directed at Steele as possible. In her presence, nobody here is speaking to each other. So it's easy to follow the conversation. This is a room not of jocularity or familiarity. Cool.

This is a room. Steele continues to write proffering her left arm to the doctor. You see the doctor sort of behind her so you can see both of their mouths at the same time. It goes, sword this is a heart seeker curse it is beyond my she absent mindedly says

stop stop touching me stop and you see that the doctor lets go and she goes it's fine it won't find it is there anything else you've bandaged what you need to you're dismissed you are preventing more important conversation from happening from being here

thank you doctor the doctor looks stunned walks quickly out of the room, closes the door, and Steele looks up, shut up to the wizard who is currently speaking to her. Unimportant. Leave. You make a report later. And another wizard says, waiting for that dismissed party to leave,

turns and says, Wizard Steele, you are badly injured. Do you not think that perhaps you should, adjourn yourself to the tower of the sword back in the citadel. She puts her now reclaimed elbow unarmored on the desk, massages her eyes. Blood is caked around one of her ears. She has a wound bleeding that's been bandaged around her midsection.

That arm, now that you can see it, there is a clear angular red veins. Her veins and her arm are changing to become geometric. and rising to the surface of her skin, like arrows pointing up as it crawls up her arm. And every time it gets to her elbow, you see that it turns around and the veins disassemble and fall apart. And then the curse starts working its way back up her left arm.

God, I hate that identifies in the fucking touch spell. I've never seen anything like that before, have I? No. So Suve's experience with curses is what she's seen flashes of what she's seen Amé is capable of and the ones that Wren and Amme

have suffered under that both were accompanied by the like wisp of smoke in the mouth is there anything like that in and around her? Yeah, you see that there are wist of smoke coming out of her mouth. There's some intense curse that's been placed on her. Okay. Is it even worth it

to try to suss anything out at this distance? Give me an archa check. 16. The spell is beyond your reckoning. Yeah. Your guesses are sorcery, but it also could be shape changer. Magic.

It's like visceral body stuff. There's something going on. Yeah. You wonder if the geometrical veins are what the spell normally wants to do, or if something that steel is doing is turning the veins geometrical. Dope. dope. Yeah, that bit of specific abjuration is fascinating.

I think, yeah, CV getting lost in the, like, what is this? What's making it turn back at the elbow? Why did she say it won't find it? Context, like, my grasp of Imperial would suggest that that meant her heart. What? And I think she's just actively, openly agogne at Steele's, like, forearm. You see the wizard turns this. I think it wise that you teleport back to this.

I can't, she says. I'm all but spell-tapped. I have used almost all of my magic in this battle defeating rounds up. So, no, I will be accompanying. And you see that one of them says, the, well, I might call, I similarly have used, my ability to do so, but, and you see one of them proffers a heiress a wreath ring over to Steele, and Steele says, no, no, no, no, give the order actually on the boat.

No one used their eryth. Our victories today are not confined to this continent. We have much to celebrate. Everything left in the Citadel will be kept for the Citadel's defenses. And you see that this is, you don't imagine Wizard Steele. And she says, I don't. I don't imagine. And if our enemies do, they should know that there will be doom waiting for them.

We will be safe. We will take things one step at a time. I can wait a couple hours to be home. All right. And you see that there's a knock at the door and she says, What? And the door opens and you see a black-clad imperial bureaucrat enters and says, Wizard Steele, we have received missive.

The emperor wishes to speak with you. Is there. And you see the bureaucrat says, it is pressing Wizard Steele. Thank you very much. Please close the door. The door closes. And she mage hands a, what looks like what you think of, you think of like, the door to Grandma Wren's attic in the ceiling,

but is actually a almost, even in a place that's palatial, it's still a ship and space is still significant. A hinged, beautiful door in the ceiling hinges down and swings low to extend a full speaking mirror in front of steel. Do I have eyes on the reflective side of this mirror, NAR?

Give me Perception DC-15. Okay, okay. It's a 19 on the die. 22. You don't have eyes on the mirror, but you do on the windows behind it. Perfect. I love it here. I turn, I hit zoom in and hands on my little contacts.

In a flash, a face that you have seen in portraits and murals throughout all of your time at the Citadel appears before you. a thick, manicured salt and pepper beard and a widow's peak, glorious gold brocade on a vast chest. Emperor Aroshman Deer, Kabe Saraz. You see that this howling man who the mirror lights up and you can see a balcony behind him.

You can't see color because you're seeing it reflected in glass, but you can see the sparks of fireworks behind him As he goes, there she is, there she is the woman of the hour. Wizard steel. Use dog, you sly dog. And you see that she goes, Emperor, you honor me with your words. He goes, well, listen, what a victory. What an achievement.

My God, and they thought 12 brooks would be a skirmish. Tell that to those rounds of dogs. Oh, wait. You can't. Ha, ha, ha. One down, 11 to gold. God.

You see that she says, Your Majesty, your joy is all the reward that we require. Well, listen, I know that you have wounds to lick, I'm sure,

and, you know, gems to tally, or however it's done. But I'll tell you this. My nephew, Camari, who was a boon, and I think

did an exemplary job in the Shrad Mountains. He absolutely did, Your Majesty. Well, he's back home in Sarasmir, and we're gearing up the celebrations, and we've lit the fireworks, and the parade is starting. We would love—and I think it would be very special for him to see the epiphany. Would you mind flying it by just this once? Your Majesty, your wish is my command. The epiphany has just been through pitched combat and many aboard are wounded. The cannons have been

firing. The ship has taken damage. The, uh, it will take some time. The, it is not in parade form, shall we say. Oh, of course. Of course. Well, I imagine you're some hours away. So it's, the parade can wait until you get here. And if you can repair it on the way

given time, then I'm sure. And you see that she goes, a capital idea, Your Majesty. We'll change our trajectory. We're on route. Bully, bully, bully. Very well.

Well, I believe Talniquette has some business for you and I'll let him handle it. I'm off to pop the champagne and prepare for the festivities. They'll get my balcony ready. And you see that the emperor strides off and a man

who bears a striking resemblance to the lady Irriman, you believe her father enters the frame. This is the Lord Varaway Telniquet. Sood, a pleasure. We appreciate you accommodating the prince's request. More than happy to do so, Lord Telniquet. This is more than, I think, simple courtesy.

Lau Dosset and Adisami have been back-channeling with some of our other lords and ladies, and apparently they've reached out to some welcoming years in the Faradhi Consortium. I think a show of force would be helpful for mustering loyalty and morale in this extremely critical imperial victory. She nods and says,

we serve at the pleasure of the emperor. Do you have any ideas about what comes next Roundsa. You see that steel cocks her head and says, laws of the Conteranaut being what they are, there are lesser houses, vassals that will move into a position into the open seat. It's not like it hasn't happened before. It's just never happened because of an outside force. So I have thoughts. Do you have more than thoughts? The Citadel has more than thoughts. We have friends. You can always be relied upon, sort. I'll leave you to the Wizard Grey.

And you see that he turns to follow the Emperor. The Wizard Gray enters and is the last person standing in the Imperial Chamber. The Wizard Gray looks and says, Exceptional spellcraft on the battlefield, the Wizard Steele. Are you indisposed at the moment? Are you alone in your chambers? Steele looks to the windows behind her. You see she just quick catacus in her head

and realizes that Gray can't see the audience of exclusively Citadel wizards in front of her and lies. She says, I'm alone, Gray. Gray looks at her and says, A spell that kills bloodlines. It's pretty cute. Steele looks at her and goes,

I was asked to kill a house of Gothamai. I assumed you didn't mean physical structure. That's what a house is gray. It's a family. Certain. The emperor will be very interested to know how long you've been working on a spell capable of doing what it did today. I did what I was asked to do. You accomplished what you were asked to accomplish. The means, Steele, as ever, matter quite a bit.

There is a long pause. Steele goes Get the fuck out of my mirror, you guildmaid's trash. And Gray dispels the speaking mirror and Steele raises it back up and you see there is a little bit of laughter and some light claps from the Citadel

Wizards in front of Steele. You see that Steele looks out at the Citadel Wizards in front of her and says, I can't seem to help these people. And you know what? No, I think Suvi laughs inside of the, yeah, that's the point she gives herself away, if anyone's looking. Steele looks up, sees that you can understand everywhere that's been said, can't help herself smiles out of the corner of her mouth, and goes, all right, everyone out.

I have to execute my daughter. And all of them turn and leave. The two war mages stay, and Steele looks and says, you both too I shoo them also yeah you shoo them you see that they leave Steele stands up

one of her arms unarmored she shakes you can see that standing up makes her lightheaded she gets up and dispels the silence after the door closes I immediately can't

oh no kickass never mind strike that fuck no it's a reaction. This is not a thought. It is the thing to do when someone you love is hurting. She sees

the woman who is in all but blood, her mother in pain, and without thinking cast protection from evil and good on her. Steele counterspelling. Looking shocked as you go to protect her

and you see Steele's impulse is a sudden incoming spell. And goes, Sorry, sorry. Sorry. I'm jumpy. No, I know.

She walks over, gets to, like, within arms reach, but stays there. He goes, do you see that spell I cast back there? Yeah. How about that? Holy shit.

Not bad for an old bra, right? Girl, you still got it. You telling me? She puts a hand on your shoulder, brings you in, embraces you, and gets her face in the crook of your neck and just starts crying, shaking and crying. I think Suvie immediately, like, she was so ready to fall into Steele's arms, she's so used to it. But, like, in that moment, feels herself take on the, like, contraposition of, like, I'm going to hold her up. And does. and just like is trying not to cry

and is feeling herself at the edge of breaking down or being exhausted or letting something go or something drop but is honestly really grateful for whatever this is a couple more seconds before a conversation that needs to happen I get to just comfort my mom and that's really nice you were dead

I also thought I was dead. Who cursed you? You see that she peels back. Feels like, I don't know. Shape-changer magic, probably. Me had any shape-changers recently? I mean, the ones that tried to kill me? Yeah, found your dad's ring in a sigil of blood.

You found it? Yeah, right away. It's the first time I've been. able to find it. All this time, you've never been able to, and I think back. I know now, I've given so much away, and I don't want to lie. Can I make an insight check? Yeah, go for it.

Yeah, they're soothing. Twelve. Asked that divination in Indry's palace and saw all the scrying spells swirling around you. Orima being unable to hear you, the pendant, gult, Wren, your mother's stone. Stones pendant. It around your neck in the back of that carriage. Trying to protect you.

You look and see steel looking at you with this look of confusion and dread. Like she's looking at something that should be second nature. And instead it's a riddle or a puzzle. This anger from not understanding something. that she thought. There's so much that she has to think about and she's looking at something that she thought she could rely on

and it's gotten complicated. Why did you dare get complicated? Thanks for that flare, by the way, on the battlefield. You saw it? Oh, sure. I fought like a woman who suddenly realized that she still had a chance to save her daughter.

I have to talk, but like a real conversation. You are my mother. and I love you. So much. I've seen a lot. And I just need to know if we can talk, not as mother and daughter, but just...

We both are Wizards of the Citadel. And there is a lot going on. And everything is much more complicated than I thought. It does my heart good to hear you refer to yourself as a Wizard of the Citadel. That is not the impression that the headstrong wizard silver held even as early as this morning. You see that she walks over to the liquor area,

pours you a stiff drink, pour himself a stiff drink, sits quite near the fire in the fireplace. One of the arcane cannons on the back of the ship fires. It's like the longest range gun. And you see, through the back windows, and there's a little blast of something. Steele barely even notices it. Steel notices you noticing it.

And it's like, if someone's familiar, shape changer or something, who knows? Wow. Okay. All right. Mopping up is always a huge pain in the ass. It's this, you know, there's going to be shape changers hiding out in the woods here. It's going to take a long time to mop all this up. Okay.

The Wizard Silver held the notion that you had departed after being told to remain in Bracken to help. Okay, I know we just talked about doing a sort of wizard to wizard and not mom-to-daughter thing, but I don't think anyone told me to stay in Bracken. Hmm? Hmm? I said I'd be there in a few days. Yeah. All right, continue.

Suvi, look at me. This is not a joking matter. Did you do anything today that you must never have done? First. Why? Because you were infiltrating his position? You were helping a witch and a wild one. Would you have fired first, Wizard Sky? Got it.

So here's where we're at. If that happened, in a way that someone important can find out. If that happened in a way that I can't dismiss, they're going to make me kill you. I know. Where we're at today is I'm going to take the Wizard Silver and send him to a rock at the farthest edge of our empire

because what he thinks about you can hurt you and hurt me as a result. he had a promising military career in front of him and because you told him what was on your mind now his life's over he did what he thought he had to do he did exactly what he was supposed to do and because you're my daughter now he's fucked

where's the loyalty where is the sense where's the self-preservation I know it's not an excuse I know I know What did you want to see for yourself? Why are those shape-changer children still being kept in the central garrison after the destruction of the great bullfraud? Silence's spell was supposed to happen under more optimal conditions.

The garrison got pinned down in 12 brooks. The timing, the calendar timing of it was a part of the spell. We had to go when we had to go. The children's parents are, who knows where, returning them to their parents is... Why don't you know? The choices I have to make. Do you know the responsibilities I shoulder? The things I've seen, the things I've had to do,

trying to make all these sacrifices matter. Trying to make all of this matter. I'm going to hug her. She accepts and does not return the embrace. That's okay. An inkling. And I'm sorry. It's so hard.

So, so yeah. You know, the, I, I, there was an imperial officer that was tasked with finding the kids and, you know, the task of keeping a track of the parents that didn't have enough on my mind. Have enough on my mind. With, with this, this project, the, the, the, shape changers of attacking the Shroud Mountains, what this has all actually been about, were so close. We are so close to being able to end this once and for all. So yeah, I don't know

what was going to happen to the kids, Suvi. They got taken from their homes. They got taken from their homes, like we all did, except you. I got taken. No one came to rescue me. No one came to find me, and I was happy for it, because I made. my whole village proud. I made my father proud. When they brought him home with his fucking war staff next to him and they buried him in the ground and I didn't get to go home and see him, I was proud too. Not everybody gets to go home. Not everybody gets to see their parents. And if we fight, we make it worth it. Why does you forget that? I haven't forgotten anything. I started off, not knowing anything. You were there the last time I saw my parents.

I didn't know I was a new all until a month ago. I was raised in your home under the best of intentions. And do you think for one minute, they didn't take me from a home, but I had no other home? If I had failed you, if I had failed one fucking test, I would have walked off of Malacanth at noon before living with the shame of failing the great potential of my parents, you included.

So I know a little something about fucking pressure. It's not an excuse. But don't you ever look at me like I did not pay in blood and sweat and tears like every one of us. I know. Maybe this talk has been a long time coming.

Suvi, you mean everything. My kids are... bruising stride to be half-rate fucking wizards. They take everything for granted. Even Cadele is, she has the skills, but there's not a fire. There's not something to prove. And I look at you and I see the fire. I see the potential.

You hate that I put you on the leadership tracks because I didn't want you blast it apart on some battlefield somewhere. There's great things afoot for you. There's a world that comes after this. We are so close. We are so close. The world that comes after is going to need you. It's not going to need me.

And if I could set that up, then it would all be worth it. And yes, there are hard costs to pay. There are costs that break your fucking heart. There are costs that make people think you're a monster. And the kindest thing I do is I pay those costs so that other people don't have to. And I'll keep doing it as long as I have to because I believe. in this and us. And the question I keep having to ask myself is, where did I go wrong?

Because I know you believe it too. But it's not the only thing in there. Is it? No. And what is it? And how did it find a home in your heart? The best work I can do when I have all of the information. and when I can feel the absence of something important, do what I need to do.

And there have been a lot of little holes in the grand tapestry that is the citadel and the empire and the future we are trying to build. What happened after the judge told you that you were pardoned? after finding the League of Whispers. What happened after the night that sent you to Silbury? Did they keep running and why did you go home? It destroyed me. We're going to get home to the Citadel.

And I'm going to tell you all about the past. I am. I'm going to tell you about the Acadator and what our work meant, why we trusted Yorin, Wren, your mom and dad. I'm going to tell you everything I can as well as I can remember it. But before we can talk about the past, we have to talk about the future. I need you to be there. I need you to take this when I can't carry it anymore.

We're going to talk you did and what people might know and how to protect you from it. And then I need to tell you what we're doing, what we're really doing. doing, what we've been really doing, because we were wrong. The League of Whispers, whatever we thought that was, opened a door, and on the other side of it is a world without want or fear or war. And that's the world I want to show you. That was Lou Wilson as Ursulaan, Erica Ishii as Ame. Abria Ayn Gar as Suvi and Brennan Lee Mulligan as everyone and everything else.

World's Beyond Number is edited, designed, and scored by Taylor Moore at Fortunate Horse, with additional sound designed from Michael Gelfy Studios. For even more like this, join us on our Patreon. We'll see you there.